Social Media Is Not All Sunshine And Rainbows
I was scrolling through TikTok the other day and stumbled across this interesting video. It was this girl taking videos of her brother before he had gotten an iPad and then showed some videos after he had gotten one. It was very interesting because you would've thought that she was showing two separate kids. He went from this nice sweet little boy to a child screaming at his mom and honestly just being a brat. Then we were assigned a podcast to talk about anything social media related. I took it as a perfect opportunity to talk about some negative impacts that social media can have on younger individuals.
I opened by describing my first experience when it comes to social media. How it was huge when I was in middle school and how as soon as I got my phone it was the first thing I had gotten. At the time I never could see how social media would have any sort of negative impact, it was great. Then the older I got the more it hit me. The big reason I want to focus on in this blog is fear of missing out, people will see their friends hanging out without them and they will instantly be upset and that will ruin their night or day. Fear of missing out will cause loneliness, which is a whole different issue. It has happened to me often where I will be in my dorm room and in the group chat they will be sending pictures and videos of them hanging out. It is hard to see because you want to be there but for some reason you can't, whether that is because of homework or maybe you are sick. Then it hurts even more when you see them the next day and they talk about it and how fun it was. The words "you just had to be there" when you ask what happened will never get easier to hear.
With all that being said, I still think social media can be very positive. It literally changed the world, and it is constantly getting better. But I think you cannot talk about all the positives without acknowledging the negatives that will come with it.
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Social media has its positives and negatives for sure! I get sucked into my phone for hours at a time, but it has also taught me a lot. I think being able to see different people and their stories on our feeds allows people to think about things that they wouldn't have before social media. For instance, on my TikTok feed about a year ago, there was a girl without legs competing gymnastics and the page followed her story. Being a gymnast at the time, I never thought about that even being a possibility and would sit out for a small injury. However, after seeing her compete, I realized that if she can push through and be happy, then there is no reason I shouldn't be able to.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up I was not allowed to have social media until I was in high school. At the time I was so mad at my parents for being too strict and not allowing me to do what all of my friends were doing. Looking back on that now I am so blessed to be able to see the flaws in social media. Had I gotten social media prior to being more mature and understanding of how edited things online can be I think I would have let it destroy who I am.
ReplyDeleteI found this very interesting, especially regarding your inspiration for the podcast from the TikTok you viewed. I had a similar experience as the girl did in the TikTok video you mentioned. I nannied for an 11-year-old and a 6-year-old, and on the 11-year-old's birthday, he got a phone. This changed everything; he was constantly worried about where his phone was and if he had it on him. He felt he needed to be connected with it at all times. If he didn’t have his phone when we were at the pool, he was grouchy. If I took it away from him when we were home, he would get mean. So, coming from firsthand experience, I agree that there is a definite negative side to social media.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you said. It is very important to keep the negative impacts of social media in mind. Especially at a young age, more and more little kids have access to social media. Knowing what I know now, I think middle school is the right time to start social media. Little kids with social media are bound to see something they aren't supposed to or admire someone they shouldn't.
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