Social media has made teenagers, especially, more reliant on their phones and less social in real life. People are able to communicate more easily over the phone and even say things they would never say in person because they can hide behind their screen. This is problematic because people can say things that could hurt others. When hours are calculated, people spend years on their phone across their lifetime, when they could be spending that time doing far better things.
Some people naturally don’t like social media, but nowadays it’s generally the preferred method to communicate because it’s always available and right in your pocket. It is a genius and valuable invention, but people have taken it to an extent that even when people are social in person, they can rarely get off their phones. People have become glued to their phones, which can ruin relationships whether intentionally or purposely and whether directly or indirectly.
People have wasted their lives doing, sometimes, useless things when they only have one life and could be doing much more important things. What used to be something to help people across cities, states, countries or even continents, has turned into an addiction and longing for connection, which has led to impersonal and artificial connections to people. It’s led people to connect with people online whom they may not even know in real life, which was never the intention of making phones and apps. Yet apps like these have taken advantage of teenagers, especially, and their vulnerability and longing for connection.
Taking photos to keep memories has turned into “When am I going to post this?” and “How many likes do you think I’ll get?” People feel as though they need to find a way to become aesthetic to maximize their comments, shares and likes. What originally was a way for the people involved to remember and be able to keep their memories, particularly when phones weren’t around, only cameras, has turned into posting for validation, even if people don’t think that’s what they’re doing it for. People don’t say in their heads, “I’m trying to gain validation,” but almost everyone who posts, even subconsciously, cares about the validation they get through the reactions on social media.
Another way this shows up in society and media is the way it takes over people and changes them. Through trends and ways people feel like they have to portray themselves in a way that will lead to them being liked. Throughout social media, it changes people’s brains to think they’re not good enough and have to look like the edited things they see online.
Using technology is definitely not all bad; in fact, there are a large number of benefits to technology and the increased updates and additions that technology has received over the years, but balance is essential so you can reap the benefits of technology and social media while still living your life.
