Social media has played a big part in most of our lives for years now. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, etc. have made keeping connections with friends and family far more convenient. But throughout the years, these social media websites have also affected us negatively.
Because of social media, we are adapting to the idea that it might be appropriate to share our personal lives, worries, and struggles for the world to see. It is not bad to sometimes share something joyful with friends and families on the internet, but there have been incidents where people take it a bit too far. It is not always a good thing to allow the world to take a glimpse into our lives.
Additionally, because social media has made it quite easy to say and share almost anything, communication has lost much of its sophistication. People are calling each other less than before just because it might be "awkward" to speak to another person. A letter is only sent when necessary. Nowadays, some couples would rather end their relationships over a message online than confronting the other person to discuss things. People are interacting less face to face and more screen to screen.
Moreover, Facebook and Instagram have become websites and applications that standardize the concept of modern body image. There are multiple personal pages of fitness celebrities or models that show off their bodies in ways that are portrayed as sexy or attractive. For young individuals growing up, they begin to believe that to be accepted and beautiful is to wear revealing outfits and post images of themselves posing in the same way as their favorite celebrities. Not only that, with so many fitness models showing off their assets on these websites, it has led to a increased pressure on girls to try to achieve the same bodies. It is not bad to advocate for better and healthier bodies, but sometimes, these images do more than advocate something beneficial to its viewers. These images of what a "perfect body" looks like leads to individuals feeling like that are not good enough because they could not reach that level of "perfection."
Lastly, social media has led some of us to feel a need to be popular and noticed. With the "Like" and "Comment" buttons, we always have a voice in the back of our minds telling us to post a status or a picture that would get popular. We are no longer sharing things for fun.
All of the social media sites are not totally bad; they have brought many benefits into our lives. They let us learn more about each other and help our friendships and relationships last. But it is how we use it, and the people we are friends with, share our lives with, and follow that affect how these sites influence our lives. I am sure many of us can relate to the fact that out of the hundreds or thousands of friends and followers we have, we do not know who many of them are. Social media can be good if we make the right choices.
