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GP Wa3

Social media has brought both benefits and harms to the world. While it allows for widespread sharing of information and connection across distances, it can also be addictive and negatively impact users' mental health and behaviors. The always-on nature of social media introduces issues like cyberbullying, privacy leaks, and a focus on superficial metrics like likes. It also enables threats like terrorism recruitment, grooming of children, and spreading of misinformation. Overall, excessive social media use without proper digital literacy skills can undermine well-being and security for both individuals and society.

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13 views3 pages

GP Wa3

Social media has brought both benefits and harms to the world. While it allows for widespread sharing of information and connection across distances, it can also be addictive and negatively impact users' mental health and behaviors. The always-on nature of social media introduces issues like cyberbullying, privacy leaks, and a focus on superficial metrics like likes. It also enables threats like terrorism recruitment, grooming of children, and spreading of misinformation. Overall, excessive social media use without proper digital literacy skills can undermine well-being and security for both individuals and society.

Uploaded by

phuongnga8b0
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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5. Is social media to blame for a more troubled world?

In 2021, nearly 4.5 billion people were using social media worldwide, according to
DataReportal. TikTok videos, Instagram notifications and WhatsApp messages seem
to dominate our phones 24/7. In recent years, the rise in cyber bullying, online
privacy leaks and more raises the question of whether social media has caused
more harm than good. In my opinion, social media is to blame for a more troubled
world as it has introduced novel threats and issues that did not appear in the pre-
internet world.

Undoubtedly, social media has brought about revolutions that create an


interconnected world, transcending any physical boundaries. In the past, people had
to rely on snail mails, telegraphs to deliver messages, or visit the library for hours to
do research. Nowadays, this is no longer the case. Networking sites such as
Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp enable people to keep in touch over long
distances. Discussion forums like Reddit and Quora, or online platforms like Youtube
and TikTok facilitate the exchange of information and ideas. Knowledge can now be
accessed anytime, from any parts of the globe, even the remotest areas. However,
social media is a double-edged sword, as excessive use can become an addiction
that insidiously impacts an individual’s behaviour. Short attention span, instant
gratification, mindless scrolling can easily be observed among digital natives. On top
of that, social media is often to blame for increased procrastination, poor social skills
due to reduced face-to-face interactions, and poor language skills due to frequent
use of slangs and short forms online. According to Science Direct, more than 210
million people worldwide suffer from addiction to social media and the internet. In
2021, the global average screen time is nearly 7 hours, with about 2.5 hours spent
on social media channels daily. Hence, social media has developed from being a
mere tool for human connection to a ‘drug’ which people are emotionally reliant on.

Social media has also made our society become more superficial. The unspoken
competition of having the most likes or followers leads to a culture where online fame
is increasingly associated with social status and self-worth. Thus, people are prone
to an addiction of seeking external validation and constant feelings of inadequacy.
Initial dissatisfaction with one’s online popularity can develop into anxiety, or in more
serious cases, depression. Though such mental dangers can happen to people of
any age, children and teenagers are the most at risk, as they are at an
impressionable age. According to NPR and CBS, symptoms of depression are twice
as likely to appear in teens who spend five to seven hours a day on their
smartphones, and not being on social media causes the fear of missing out in 34%
of young adults. In addition, ubiquitous filtered images of celebrities create unrealistic
beauty standards, thus those who do not conform to such standards may become
victims of cyber bullying and hate speech.

Furthermore, social media users face multiple privacy risks such as malware attacks,
phishing scams or data leaks. When one’s private information is exposed to
criminals, personal safety will be threatened. Lack of awareness about the dangers
of connecting with strangers online can cause people to fall prey to manipulation,
grooming, sexting or sometimes sex trafficking. For children and teens, online child
predation and child pornography are some widespread threats. Studies show that
the average internet predator has 250 victims in their lifetime, and abuse cases often
go unreported as victims fear being judged or shamed.

Lastly, when social media falls into the wrong hands, it can become a powerful
weapon for nefarious purposes, such as transnational terrorism. Terrorist groups
from ISIL to the Taliban now use online platforms for propaganda, by disseminating
terrorist content and extremist ideology on the dark web. This makes it easier for
them to recruit self-radicalised individuals from around the world, expanding their
influence. By tracking the online behaviour of Internet users, they can tailor their
messages to evoke empathy or trigger anger among their targets. In the messages,
terrorist acts are often glorified, including suicide bombings. In other cases, terrorists
may anonymously ‘befriend’ people, usually teenagers, through social media texts.
Over time, when trust and loyalty is formed, victims will be lured into planning and
carrying out real life attacks. Thus, as active users of the Internet, adolescents are
particularly at risk, especially when groups like Boko Haram or ISIL already had
multiple operations involving children according to a UNICEF study. Compared to the
past when terrorist recruitment used to be more localised in the Middle East and
African regions, radicalisation has now spread to many countries from Britain, to
Singapore, to Australia, owing to social media.

In conclusion, while social media itself is not a bad thing, misusing it causes adverse
impacts on the society and individuals. Thus, digital literacy is important to ensure
that people, especially children, can remain vigilant and avoid the dark sides of
social media. Media censorship and filtration by Internet moderators are also crucial
to reduce people’s exposure to harmful and extremist content. It is only when people
learn to control social media instead of becoming its slaves, can its great benefits be
leveraged.

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