The Dangers of Social Media

By Lim Sok Fern (47395)

When we first open our eyes in the morning, I believe that most of us will look for our digital devices and check what time is it and surf the Internet to seek for latest news and updates.  We have all been there. We are so used to glance on phone screens that it becomes a habit now.

Due to the convenience of social media, we are expected to be connected 7 days per week and 24 hours per day. For instances, a group leader is predicted to answer his or her group mates’ inquiries although it is midnight time and a worker is expected to fulfill his or her boss’s order to complete certain tasks even he or she is on their off day. All these expectations are followed by stress, exhausted and unhealthy lifestyle as people never get to enjoy their time in their life.

Booher (2014) pointed that if people spend an hour on social media per day, the amount of network time would be accumulated and equals to nine weeks a year! In other words, the social media is wasting our time, reducing the productivity and affecting our performance. Instead of sticking with our social media accounts, we shall think what can we do, create, build, or learn with that time.

Moreover, it is just the Internet. Do you really know all the hundreds of Facebook friends on the Internet? The creation of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter gives a view about people are connected with other others despite the geographical distances. However, it also causes people ignore their real friends, family, and life. The social media addicts spend more time in the online world while neglecting their surroundings. Do you still remember when the last time you greet your neighbor is?

People often stick with their social media accounts to avoid boredom (Reinke, 2015). In fact, we feel bored and unhappy because of our social media accounts. The posts on social media lead the users constantly to compare themselves with others and consider less of their lives (Probst, 2015). People’ life is continuously being hit by other social media users’ thoughts. Hence, it causes a low level of life satisfaction and leads to unhappiness.

In addition, social media is the first and last things we check every day. The brightness of our phone screens could trigger alertness and affect our mental health (Laliberte, n.d.). According to Loria and Gould (2015), the phones light will disrupt people’ sleep schedule, damage our memory and vision. 

In conclusion, the social media has been widely used for boon and bane in the digital era. It provides a platform for global communication and plays a vital role in e-commerce in the 21st century. However, scholars pointed that the social media has affected the social relationships, individual well-being and available time for sleep (Zaitie-Bank & Tat, 2014). Ultimately, it is not about the daily usage of social media, but we have to be aware of what social media might be doing to us.

References

Booher, D. (2014). 6 ways social media is doing more harm than good. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dianna-booher/social-media_b_5375853.html

Laliberte, M. (n.d.). 21 signs you’re way too addicted to your phone. Reader Digest. Retrieved from http://www.rd.com/advice/relationships/cell-phone-addiction/

Loria, K., & Gould, S. (2015). How smartphone light affects your brain and body. Retrieved from 

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-smartphone-light-affects-your-brain-and-body-2015-9?IR=T&r=US&IR=T

Probst, C. (2015). 10 ways social media affect our mental health. Retrieved from http://blog.degreed.com/10-ways-social-media-affects-our-mental-health/

Reinke, T. (2015). Six wrong reasons to check your phone in the morning: And a bettern way forward. Retrieved from http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/six-wrong-reasons-to-check-your-phone-in-the-morning

Zaitie-Bank, N., & Tat, U.  (2014). Social media and its effects on individual s and social systems. Paper presented at the Management, Knowledge and Learning International Conference 2014. Portoroz, Slovenia.