Social Media: A Blessing or a Curse?

Social media has fully developed in the last few years. A coin has two sides. So does this technology which has spread like wildfire. Life before this innovation was very different and now it has introduced many unrecognizable changes. Here are a few disadvantages and advantages of those changes:

Disadvantages

The more it’s growing, the more people are reaping its benefits along with its disadvantage. Here are six main disadvantages of social media:

1.    Cyberbullying

Before social media, everything was simple even when it came to bullying. With the advent of the internet, a new form of bullying has been introduced and it’s known as Cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is basically teasing someone by creating a fake account. With a fake account, you are able to do everything without anyone knowing about your real identity. Bullying like this has become easy through the internet. Before when there was no such thing as Cyberbullying; people bullying other people used to get caught easily. Sending threats, messages that contain intimidation and rumours are all part of Cyberbullying.  

2.    Hacking

In addition to Cyberbullying, another main disadvantage is hacking. Hacking is basically stealing someone’s personal data and invading privacy to share with other people. This can cause a big loss to personal lives. Similarly, stealing an individual’s identity can also result in major financial losses. It’s all now enabled because of hacking. Accounts on Facebook and Twitter have been hacked in the past and the hacker has posted inappropriate things from these accounts that have affected their personal lives.  

3.    Reputation

As mentioned earlier, hacking can ruin someone’s life. This also includes ruining their reputation. Through hacking, a person can easily create false stories and this can easily get spread all over the media like fire. Likewise, businesses that have a bad reputation on networking sites can face financial disaster and the inability to sell their products.

4.    Fraud and scams

Many frauds and scams have been reported on social sites where individuals have been duped by other people into believing something or buying something only to find out later that it was false all along. There are many influencers and bloggers on Instagram and Facebook and it’s hard to find out who offer authentic engagement and which ones are just flashy frauds.

5.    Addiction

Social media is quite addictive and this part of the technology is highly damaging and detrimental for personal lives. Teenagers have been the main target of these sites where they get extremely involved and eventually, isolate themselves from society. Their lives depend on it and instead of indulging in productive tasks and activities that can be beneficial for them and society; they choose to waste their time on social networking sites.

6.    Health issues

The excess use of networking sites has created many health issues. These health issues include both physical and mental instability. People who are addictive to these sites are experiencing many negative side effects such as headache, eye strain, social withdrawal, and sleep deprivation. Moreover, it’s triggering more sadness instead of wellbeing. We are continuously comparing our lives with other people and the pressure to look perfect all the time has made us go into depression.

Advantages

Here’s how this technology is a blessing for us:

1.    Connectivity

The primary advantage of social media is connectivity. People from all over the world can connect with each other easily. Considering the fact, that our world has various religions and belief systems that separate us and create boundaries, networking sites are that one blessing that has eradicated these boundaries. Regardless of their beliefs, religion or culture, this technology has promoted peace in a way. It has made everyone stand equally on one platform without the existence of such differences. It is the actual beauty of social media. You are able to connect with anyone and share your thoughts and opinions with the world without the fear of being judged on who you are.

2.    Education

Similarly, networking sites have immensely benefited the education sector all over the world. With the arrival of online classes to the availability of all kinds of learning resources, every student can easily educate themselves. Regardless of your location and background, you can effortlessly increase your knowledge from anywhere anytime and watch videos on websites like YouTube without paying for any kind of expense and avail affordable services like assignment writing service UK.

3.    Help and assistance

Another primary advantage of this innovation has been how there are sections and groups on Facebook and Twitter which have dedicated all of their efforts and time to help people out who are facing any issues regarding their workplace, their educational institute or anything personal going on in their life like financial losses. People all around the world volunteer to listen to you and understand your problem.

4.    Information and regular updates

When technology did not give birth to this innovation, people had no idea what was going around the world. Now they are able to educate and update themselves with the current happenings. Televisions and print media have limitations on them and they do not convey the right information all the time, but this platform is guaranteed to provide with the right information and facts which will require a little bit of researching.

5.    Improve businesses reputation

Just like it can ruin the reputation of any business as mentioned above, it can also improve the reputation and increase their revenue. Positive comments and reviews can bring a huge difference to their sales and goodwill. Everyone knows how social media enables people to share everything freely. Therefore, sharing positive feedback and comments will let them know that you are not lying and the product the business is selling is actually good.

6.    Building communities

People with the same religion and belief systems can easily connect with each other and discuss their issues. It helps in building and participating in our own community. Individuals who love gaming can connect with other individuals who love gaming as well. In this way, they can promote peace and unification.

Conclusion

To conclude, the above-mentioned points are some of the advantages and disadvantages of this innovation. These points indicate that along with being a huge blessing, it also has some harmful side effects which can ruin an individual’s life.