Editor’s note: We’re looking for a variety of young voices to contribute to “Hits Different.” If you’d like to write a commentary, send it to Area Editor Jason Hennington at jason.hennington@granitemediapartners. com.
Social media plays a huge role in connecting people from all over the world. What we sometimes ignore are its positive and negative influences.
Let’s start with the positives. Social media is a platform created to keep people in touch anywhere and anytime.
It is used to reach large groups to send a message, thought, opinion, statement, promote a business, share how you’re doing and more.
You also can post videos or pictures expressing your ideas and opinions, or tell your family and friends how you are doing from far distances. The possibilities are endless.
However, like most things, there is a negative side to social media. For starters, it can be addictive. Folks easily get attached to TV, phones, junk food, alcohol, drugs, money, school, work, people and more. Social media is no different. Once you tap that little icon on your phone screen and start scrolling, it can be impossible to stop. You might say, “OK, this is the last video.” Or, “I’ll just look at one more picture or post.” But it never really ends up being the last one, does it?
You could be riding in a car with friends, and instead of conversing, everyone is swiping and double tapping on their phone screens, or looking at pictures on Instagram.
Social media has a way of controlling us.
Maybe it’s because we’re influenced by how we see ourselves through other’s comments on something we post.
Maybe it’s by the things that pop up on our “for you page.” Sometimes on social media we are exposed to only one side of an argument, not the whole debate. Maybe all we know about something is from the information that keeps showing up on our social media reflecting only one point of view.
Another issue revolves around the use of social media by younger crowds.
For teenagers, social media is just a part of their everyday routine.
However, social media can also sway young people. Speaking from experience, when you don’t have social media, and others do, you can feel like the odd one out. As a teenager, I have seen the way people portray themselves on social-media platforms such as TikTok.
They can go from looking bored and not talking to their friends, to putting on a fake smile and dancing around the room as if they’ve been that crazy the whole time and just filmed it.
During the pandemic, we distanced ourselves from physically socializing with others, but social media isn’t always the answer. Yes, during quarantine, it was the perfect way to still stay in touch with friends and family. However, now that things are calming down somewhat, there’s an actual world beyond that phone screen.
I think we’ve lost a part of ourselves by using social media so much in place of actual human contact.
All that being said, we can take a step back and consider the pros and the cons of social media. Just because you might not agree with what someone said, posted or commented about on social media, that doesn’t mean you have to dislike everything about that person, or tell others later about how stupid you think their opinion is.
In truth, none of our thoughts, opinions or beliefs are stupid.
They’re just thoughts, opinions and beliefs.
So why attack each other through socialmedia platforms just because you don’t agree with what someone said, or because they don’t agree with what you believe?
Instead of connecting us, it would seem social media has become a way to create more discord.
