Since the early twenty-first century, social media sites have been the primary platform for communication and information exchange on the internet. The way we communicate with one another has also changed because of social networking.
People from all around the world began using to connect with friends and families to share and communicate through images and text messages in the early stages of the social networking era. Since the rapid rise of internet speed, people have been more interested in creating and sharing material such as images, videos, and movies. We can use this medium to keep up with current events, share our favorite websites with our pals, and preserve memories with images and videos to share with family and friends.
When considering the latest type of social networking, there are many advantages to consider, but it can also be a world full of drawbacks. There are numerous different social media sites for various reasons; for example, Linkedin is a social network for professionals, whilst Snapchat is a social media platform aimed mostly at youngsters. You can also utilize social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram to communicate with your friends as well as to promote a new company concept, offer products or services, and expand your brand’s reach. These platforms can also create an unavoidable environment where peer pressure can lead people to make decisions they would never make otherwise.
Advantages of Social Media
1.) Connectivity with others: Social networking allows you to connect with people all over the world. You can become “friends” or “followers” of someone and check in with them at any time as long as you have an internet connection and a profile of that social networking website.
Mostly, people use Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat to communicate with family, reconnect with their friends, and express their political opinions. You can use social media to keep up to date with what your friends, celebrities are doing.
2.) Latest News and Information: Gone are the days when we had to sit in front of a television or read a newspaper to stay up to date on global news. You can get instant updates on the latest news on social media. In addition to television and radio, most news organizations now use social networking sites to share information. Twitter, in particular, is becoming popular for mainstream news sharing. People can be quickly alerted in the event of an emergency, such as a natural disaster or a terrorist attack.
3.) Faster Communication: You can communicate more quickly and easily using social networking websites. In a matter of seconds, you can reach out to those in need of assistance and share your thoughts and opinions in online discussions.
4.) Excellent Business Marketing Channel: Social networking sites are among the most effective marketing channels available today. Any professional organization can use its social media presence to connect with current and potential customers. Most platforms enable businesses to sell their products, either directly on the social media site or by linking to the company’s sales page. This process makes it easier to expand a company’s reach by utilizing the one-to-one connections that are possible.
Today, there are many small businesses and entrepreneurs who have thriving businesses that rely almost entirely on what they can create through a social network.
5.) Helpful for Students: Most of the students say they use social media to discuss educational topics. Because of the tools provided by these platforms, half of the students say they discuss their school assignments with their friends. According to research, more than 95 percent of students have access to a mobile device that connects to the internet, implying that using mobile technology for educational purposes may exclude less than 5 percent of students. Social media has become an important tool not only for communication and marketing in the digital age but also in the field of education. During the COVID-19 lockdown, various educational institutes were closed, leaving social media as the only place for students to interact. Social media has emerged as an effective platform for sharing, reviewing, and obtaining quick answers to students’ questions.
6.) Exchange of Ideas: One can form a group on WhatsApp, Facebook, etc, and begin exchanging ideas and information for a specific purpose. Social networking sites are extremely useful for gathering feedback and comments on various ideas.
7.) Stress Relief: Social networking sites relieve stress by serving as a source of entertainment. For the average person, using social media while taking a break from their regular work can be more enjoyable and satisfying. It is one of the most effective forms of relaxation. Social networking sites enable users to like, comment on, upload, and share photos and videos, all of which can make them happy.
8.) Helpful in Career: Some people use social media to look for work. Every social networking site promotes job postings. Linkedin, in particular, is well-suited for this purpose. Linkedin is well-known for its job postings, and most professionals have a Linkedin profile.
Dis-Advantages of Social Media
Though social media has moved the world forward, it has also introduced a slew of new problems. Unaware social media users may encounter a variety of issues while using social networking sites. Allowing these apps to control you can have negative consequences. Here are a few of the most important disadvantages of social media that everyone should be aware of.
1.) Addiction: The compulsive behavior developed as a result of social networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, YouTube, and others has negative consequences. For hours and hours, a social networking addict will check their Social Media Feed or look at other people’s profiles. The desire to use social media can lead to the development of social media addiction. Researchers at Chicago University concluded that social media addiction can be as strong as cigarette and alcohol addiction.
2.) Privacy Issues: Most social networking sites allow users’ information to be shared with the public therefore the level of privacy that they provide is gradually dwindling. The users had no idea who was viewing their profiles and gathering information about them. Even though social networking sites cannot guarantee your privacy 100 percent of the time, they do their best to keep it safe.
If you share your current location on social media, you may become a target. If your employer disagrees with something you shared on your network, they have the option to fire you. If you share too much information with the public, problems may arise that will never be resolved as the information becomes available.
3.) Health Risks: Excessive use of social networking sites can lead to feelings of isolation, depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. Adults, in particular, are frequently affected when they change their personal behavior. Furthermore, the artificial lights emitted by monitors and mobile phone screens are thought to be harmful to the eyes and have been linked to changes in the human sleep cycle.
Aside from our mental health, prolonged use of social media has an indirect impact on our physical health as well. People who use social media are always sitting in front of a laptop or holding a mobile phone, avoiding physical activities.
4.) Cyberbullying: Because anyone can use and express themselves on social networking sites, many people use them to express hatred and aggression. Public figures are the most frequently targeted victims of cyberbullying. Teenagers, in particular, are vulnerable to cyberbullying due to their use of social networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.
If you struggle to fit in with your peer group, you may feel pressure to behave or communicate in certain ways in order to be accepted. This disadvantage primarily affects teenagers and young adults, but it can affect anyone. It is not uncommon for negative behaviors to be worse online than at school or work because bullies believe they can remain anonymous when sitting behind a computer screen or using a smartphone.
Bullying and negative comments on social media can cause anxiety, depression-like symptoms, and high levels of stress in extreme cases of this disadvantage. Teens and young adults who are cyberbullied are twice as likely to attempt suicide or harm themselves in other ways.
5.) Fake News: This is most likely the most difficult problem for social media companies. Because of the speed with which information spreads and people’s failure to verify its authenticity, a plethora of false information floats around the internet. To make matters worse, when you try to look it up, you’ll find numerous websites mentioning the same information, leading you to believe that multiple sources cannot be wrong. However, on numerous occasions, all of them have simply broadcasted what they discovered without conducting any due diligence.
6.) Hacking: The majority of social media users are not fully aware of the security precautions they must take when using social media platforms. On social media sites, people share their thoughts, personal experiences, photos, and so on. Such information can be used by hackers to gain access to your social media accounts, emails, or even your mobile phone.
Several personal Twitter and Facebook accounts have been hacked in the past, affecting people’s personal lives.
7.) Less Face-to-Face Interactions: Many social site users are preoccupied with keeping up with what’s going on in the lives of their online friends. They frequently fail, however, to cultivate meaningful interactions in real life. They may have thousands of friends on a social app, but they are completely alone offline.
8.) Damage to businesses: To purchase an item on Amazon, Flipkart, or Alibaba, you always read the reviews first or, at the very least, check the overall rating. Anything less than a four-star rating becomes a mental filter for rejection.
While social proof has many advantages, negative reviews can be detrimental to a company. Even if the company did nothing wrong, a disgruntled customer can leave a negative review. In rare cases, businesses have left fake negative reviews on their competitors’ websites in order to gain customers. Because internet reviews are not moderated, incorrect reviews can be disastrous for a business.
Conclusion
Social media has promoted technology and advanced the world. As a platform, it cannot be held entirely responsible for the harm it causes.
Social media isn’t any different than alcohol. You’ll have a good time if you use it in moderation. However, if you require a dose every few hours, you will have a problem. You can blame the alcohol, but the truth is that the addiction is your fault. Similarly, whether social media benefits or harms you is determined by how you use it.
The benefits and drawbacks of social networking also demonstrate that it can be used to spread hatred and bully others. Every day, numerous tweets or Facebook posts contain racial slurs. It has the potential to create echo chambers in which followers reinforce extreme propaganda within their group, potentially leading to radicalization over time.
