Humans are inherently social creatures, arguably one of the most interactive and communal species we know. With this innate trait comes our need to share and express emotions and experiences. We can see this trait manifesting itself in a thousand different ways in societal history – stone and clay tablets, books, newspapers, theaters, letters, television programs, and finally social media. Just like everything else, social media has its pros and cons, both on an influential level in society and on the individual. Let’s delve into them.
We aren’t the old man in the neighborhood yelling at the sky – while social media certainly has its downsides, which we'll examine later, it also offers numerous positive and beneficial aspects to this endless network. Aside from the glaringly obvious ones that come to everyone’s mind when you first think of social media, there are smaller and less noticeable ones that actually do make big impacts on the world and people.
One of these is community support – especially in niche and smaller communities. The world as we know it today keeps getting more and more accelerated with each passing year and the advancing of technology and it has an undeniable societal effect: people losing the sense of community that we need to thrive as a species. In this aspect, we can see people from basically everywhere in the world connecting and forming bonds and sharing experiences with people of similar backgrounds and interests. Multiple social media platforms have contributed greatly to the forming of such communities; people with similar conditions, hobbies, aspirations, goals, joys, and struggles come together on the Internet and it helps them understand themselves better, helps them improve and connect and get support from people who understand them, who have been in their shoes before.
And with this communal connection, we gain another benefit: an increased capacity for empathy. When people see others who are of similar struggles and backgrounds, or even people who are the complete opposite of them in every way, they get to see the world from a whole different perspective. They see that everyone else in their core is also just as human as them. This helps with empathy development in people in this day and age where many people lack it – and thus, we see a wave of people relating and understanding each other better than probably any other era.
In addition to empathy, we also see people improve at holding themselves accountable for their actions along with developing a newfound liking for self-improvement. Most people find it hard to be confrontational in face-to-face situations, but communication via social media, especially with those they know personally, offers a sense of security. This allows people to express genuine concerns, feelings, and criticisms more easily. While this dynamic has both possibly positive and negative aspects, it can lead to better conflict resolution and healthier relationships if approached with sincerity and care.
Another aspect of people being more self-aware and open to self-improvement comes from blogs and accounts that are specifically designated to these topics. There are people who dedicate hours of work on their social media accounts to help people improve and become better versions of themselves and if people do such content with good intentions then there’s a great chance that it will actually help people, which is definitely a positive effect of social media.
And social networking has also transformed the job market through platforms like LinkedIn and even Twitter and Instagram. Such platforms give people the chance to see for themselves the possible job opportunities that they may go after; and to connect with professionals, mentors, and industry leaders from around the globe. This exposure opens doors to new things that didn't exist before the age of technology: remote work, freelancing, or unique creative gigs that align with personal passions and skills. This opens up a whole new window to what work and careers can actually mean, allowing people to genuinely thrive in industries that might have seemed inaccessible before. As a result, we see people both discovering whole new jobs and career paths that they weren't aware of before and see people with already-established job titles to find better working conditions for themselves.
While the positive impacts social media has on all of humanity can't be ignored, almost everyone can agree that it also brings unwanted and negative effects with it.
We talked about self-awareness and how it leads to people being more willing to improve themselves and take accountability. But the flip side of this is something called hyper-self-awareness, which we see increasingly, especially among younger people who have more exposure to social media. This stems from people constantly having to put up a well-constructed image on their profiles and then ending up over-analyzing every little detail especially their bodies, faces as well as their achievements and behavior. This leads to people overthinking and comparing themselves to specifically curated and probably fake appearances on social media, which definitely takes a toll on their well-being and self-image. Once this pattern starts, it's difficult to see where the line can be drawn, and it can range from mild discomfort to deep-seated mental health issues that may take significant time and effort to overcome.
A related issue is comparison fatigue, which is what happens when people compare themselves to these social media profiles and posts of people who seem better than them. This can involve physical appearance, accomplishments, or even productivity levels; but the constant comparison can lead to people over-exhausting themselves to catch up to non-existent ideals which in the end leaves them burnt-out and chronically tired, often not just physically, but mentally as well.
Another major downside of social media is dopamine-seeking dependency. Our brains seek out activities and things that make them release dopamine, the "feel-good" chemical, and social media gives most people just that. The endless scrolling, likes, comments, and interactions drive people to seek it out more and more until it turns into something akin to addiction and although it isn't as destructive to the majority, it still has an unmistakable negative impact.
And last but not least, we have echo chambers. We said that social media opens up a wide variety of different perspectives to us but that is only true if you curate your algorithm that way or if you’re already in a mental-state to handle anything else. But to a great deal of people that isn't the case, and we observe people who only see and interact with people and content that has their ideas and beliefs and their beliefs only. Over time, this creates an echo chamber—a space where the same opinions are repeated, and any differing perspectives are excluded and even if it starts out as a positive-looking discussion, continuously hearing only one viewpoint and receiving constant validation for it often leads to a narrow, closed mindset, which can ultimately become harmful.
To sum things up, almost everyone we know and talk to has social media and it is an undeniable and crucial part of our everyday life. And it isn't a big bad evil but nor is it inherently good or helpful either, and just as everything else it needs to be only a small and controlled part of our lives, lest it become something more and potentially harmful. Everything we choose to do and interact with in our lives is in our control, especially internet networks and social media so the responsibility of how it impacts us falls on our own shoulders. Social media in itself has the chance to become great for both society and for individuals, and it is we who can make that possible, just as we can turn it into something detrimental.