Social media has become nothing short of a global craze which started just under 20 years ago and has kept people hooked ever since. Just over 40 years ago the internet had not yet been created. However since those dates we have seen tech giants in social media such as Facebook , Instagram and snap chat all emerge as giants each attracting hundreds of millions and in some cases billions of users. However as many will note, with great power comes great responsibility. Unfortunately this was something Facebook lacked when they were found to have sold users data to a third party organisation. This highlighted the misuse of users data in some cases and has prompted a large amount of social and political change surrounding peoples data.
Why Was Social Media Created?
Social media was originally created as a form of communication with people online. The principle behind it as so that people could keep in touch with each other online as well as connect with people who share similar interests. Over a number of years social media sites such as Facebook have grown so much that they represent over 1/4 of the worlds population online on their media platform. This has allowed people from across the world to keep in touch. The concept and creation of the site was well thought out and highly successful. However Facebook and sites similar to it have grown so large that they are held accountable for their actions to a strict standard when mistakes are made.
What Have Been The Wider Effects Of Social Media?
Social media has had both positive and negative effects on society as we know it. One of the most remarkable changes we have seen in society primarily due to social media is increased mobile phone usage. It is now not uncommon to see several people at a time walking down a street looking at their phone. Now people who do not own a phone are in the minority. One of the contributing factors to mobile phones becoming so popular is the availability of internet on mobile phones. Internet and mobile internet is no highly accessible on mobile phones leading to increased numbers of people using their mobile phones. This arguably has caused issues within society as people are relying more heavily on technology for social communication than using basic communication skills. This could potentially lead to a different society entirely in several years time if changes are not made to reduce the amount of time that people are focusing on technology.
What Changes Should Be Made?
There are a wide variety of changes that could be made in order to improve the situation as a whole and make people more aware of the dangers of getting too addicted to social media. Studies have actually shown that people who spend longer on social media (especially teenagers) have become much more susceptible to mental health issues such as depression or anxiety which have been linked to over use of social media.
Therfore changes that should be make should include classes in schools where students are taught about the dangers of social media and the importance of restricting its usage in order to live an active and healthy lifestyle. As well as changes in schools it is important these changes are also championed in parliament as well as at events in order to make more people aware of the wider issues that are present.
