Social Media has made a big influence on the world in the past decade. New platforms keep appearing while older ones disappear. The big question still remains the same: Is social media an asset or hindrance to society as a whole?
A social media platform is an app that allows people to communicate with one another in some way, shape, or form. Usually there is some sort of way to post things for everyone to see, or at least everyone following you to see.
A study done by the National Institute of Health has shown that social media seems to be aggravating mental health issues. People can be mean to one another, whether through body shaming, cyber-bullying, or even just some rude comments.
Social media has made such a big presence in the modern world and it has a way of connecting the world in a way nothing else can. Freshman El Healey describes how social media can have both positive and negative impacts in the world.
“It is a vital tool in this world, but it has its pros and cons just like any other large institution in our world. It is both good and evil; claiming that something so vast could be only one thing is ignorant,” Healey said.
Each social media platform has its own identity and its own pros and cons. Each person has their own opinions on each social media as well and how it affects their world. Junior Lexi Reisch describes why TikTok is her favorite social media platform.
“I like Tiktok because I was a fan of Vine when it was a thing and this social media makes me think of that. Tik Tok is also a great platform to post whatever you want. Because my account is private, I can feel like I can post whatever I want and not get judged. Tiktok also always makes me happy because the for-you page is always changing around my likes!” expressed Reisch.
Different people have different views on each social media and reasons why they like it. Healey explains why YouTube is a favorite social media site.
“YouTube is my favorite social media because I've been on it the longest. I have found communities on YouTube like no other platform though they often spread to other sites like Reddit, Instagram, and Twitter.”
While some people have positive views on certain social media, they can also dislike others. The dislike for Twitter is widely agreed upon. Reisch, Healey, and freshman Amanda Matias-Gonzolas also express why Twitter was their least favorite form of social media.
“I don't really like Twitter because I am very bad at following the algorithm. It is funny at times when I get interested, but that is not my go to. I use it for updates on my favorite shows, but that is really it,” Reisch said.
“My least favorite social media platform is the blemish on this earth formally known as Twitter. I had never experienced such hate for one's own community before I was in a fan community on the site. I had a drastic decline in my mental health because of how much the never-ending drama stressed me out. I will never miss it and wouldn't go back if I was given all the money in the world,” explained Healey.
“Twitter is my least favorite. There is so much drama on there and it's low-key boring,” said Matias-Gonzalez.
Social media has made a huge impact on the world and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
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