Social media has become so great part of our everyday lives that no one takes you seriously if you are not signed up in any of them. Everyone from the old to the young is turning up to social platforms to catch up with their friends, upload content, follow their beloved actors and musicians, and check game updates from the best casino online in Canada. Even businesses are becoming more active online answering queries and advertising their products.
But even though millions of people are spending their time on social media platforms, youths are the most affected. From Facebook to Instagram and Twitter, the youth have flooded both the popular and the not so popular networks. But do these platforms affect our young people positively or negatively? This discussion has led to mixed reactions. We will have to look at both the positive and negative impacts to understand how it has or can affect our youths.
Social or Antisocial?
Ask anyone the main intention of social media networks, and they will tell you that they are made for connecting with other people. Most of these young people have hundreds, if not, thousands of friends and followers on Facebook. So it is a great way to meet new people from all over the world and also keep the old ones. If you want to search for a former friend, simply input the name, and the platform will do the work for you. But this also makes it so hard to make new friends in the real world. Some of them cannot be your real friends in the real world unless you connect through these platforms. So in terms of being social, these networks affect the youth both positively and negatively.
Difficulty in Communication
Not so long ago, people sat down at dinner and talked about how their days were among many things. But with the growth of social media platforms, the youth are so concentrated on their phones that they cannot even start a conversation with the person sitting next to them. The only way they can talk to one another is through chats and DMs. Using emojis, memes and stickers makes it harder to express feelings and emotions in real life.
Risky Choices
One reason why people send friend requests to so many strangers is so that they can increase their audience and have more likes and comments on their posts. To some young adults, having less than 100 or 1000 likes is so depressing that many of them push themselves to some negative behaviours. This involves posting inappropriate pictures, accepting risky challenges, accepting friend requests from strangers and even altering their appearances.
No Privacy
You can accept friends from the mutual friends’ list of anyone you know. This means more people will be able to access your page, view your pictures, access snaps, and other content. Some may even screenshot them for their evil deeds. Besides, people cannot have a good time nowadays without posting pics of their vacation, food they are eating, place they are travelling to, etc.
Cyberbullying
Teen girls and young women are at high risk of cyberbullying through the social media platforms, but boys are not an exception either. You have probably come across one or two posts bullying young people on Facebook or Twitter. This cyberbullying can often lead to anxiety or depression and in some extreme cases, suicidal thoughts.
Opportunities
On the positive effect, social media networks create opportunities for young people. Most of the companies announce any vacancies on their pages and the qualified youths can apply for the positions right away.
Moreover, the sites create job opportunities for youthful people as some organizations hire them to be brand ambassadors for their products. They can advertise and sell their products through posts or vlogs and urge others to share them to get a wider audience.
Right of Speech
Through social networks, the youth can express their ideas without any fear of judgements or consequences. So youths can come online and discuss honest opinions on issues affecting them and even get advice from experienced adults. A lot of problems that were previously muted or taboo are now widely discussed in networks.
Addiction
One huge negative impact of social media is addiction. Most youths spend a limitless amount of time on their phones that they cannot talk to their friends or family. This is evident at every corner of the cities, work, streets, schools, vehicles, and even churches. The first thing they check when they wake up is notifications and updates, and they do the same before sleeping.
Mental Breakdown
There is nothing restricted when it comes to social media. Youths are exposed to video footage of killings, gun shootings, violence, rape cases, etc. This causes anxiety to the young adults making them believe the world is not a safe place. This also results in fear to live a life away from the online world.
Conclusion
Social media websites are a great way for the youth to make friends, keep old ones near, and create job opportunities for themselves. However, these apps have led to serious repercussions with addiction topping the list. It would be nice to have some kind of regulation to limit the negative impacts of networks on young people.