The blessing and curse of the Social Media

Introduction

As a result of technological advancements, our world is altering quickly. Technology has had a significant positive and negative influence on our daily lives and civilization. I suppose that in today's world, even a child is familiar with social media and can describe it to anyone.

Social media has much older roots than you would think. When the first computer was built in 1940, scientists and engineers started to design and build networks, which led to the creation of the internet.

Social Media apps on a smartphone

By the 1980s, home computers were more common and social media was becoming more advanced. The first well-known social media site, Six Degrees, was created in 1997. Users have the choice to add their friends and their profiles.

There are several social media networking platforms available nowadays. Social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, etc. have become addictions for every one of us.

The good of social media

The positive impacts of social media are so much more if people use it positively. Let’s have a look at some well-known positive outcomes of social media that are useful in daily life.

• Better and Speedy Communication − On the phone, simply saying what you intend to say, then hanging up, is not okay because it is considered insulting to do so. However, on social media, you can leave direct msg for any purpose without any pleasantries before and after. Moreover, Social media is renowned for generating fresh debates. You can share your opinion on any issue with your friends and relatives on social media.

• Fastest way of News − People did not know what was happening in the world before the development of Social Media technology. Now people have access to current events and can keep themselves updated. You can rely on this platform to provide you with accurate information and facts.

• Business Promotion − A wonderful area to advertise your goods or services is social media. You can spread your innovation theme with a huge amount of followers on Social apps. Share insightful material with your target audience and develop a voice for your business that they can relate to.

• Source of Knowledge − The opportunities for web-based learning are much or nowadays. Social media provides youth with the opportunity to connect with educators and educational resources, which is an excellent approach for them to learn new skills and advance toward their future career goals. Amazing lessons to sharpen your skills can also be accessed from YouTube for free.

• Helpful in finding jobs − To understand more about job applicants, it is now common practice for businesses to go through their social media profiles. In this way, it aids in deciding whether or not a person is appropriate for a given position. Additionally, job seekers may deliberately design their social media postings to make them seem like the perfect fit for any firm. They can showcase their pursuits, successes, ideas, principles, and more! This can improve their chances of landing a job.

The bad and ugly sidex of social media

Although social networking offers several advantages, you need also be aware of all of its negative aspects. Let's examine the adverse effects of social media on actual individuals that occur daily.

Addiction towards social media is one of the major side effects of social media usage

• Privacy loss − It's quite evident that privacy and the internet don't get along, whether it's due to social media apps or websites that store and sell your personal information, i.e. NSA incident, which involved improper access by the government to private data including Skype calls, emails, and more. This is a significant privacy warning.

• Unhealthy Sleep patterns − One of the most common negative impacts of social media is sleep deprivation. Teens who are using social networking sites more frequently had poorer sleeping habits, according to research. Along with Sleep deprivation, there are some other problems such as headaches, eye strain, and social withdrawal, experienced by people who are addicted to social media. It's producing more sadness than happiness.

• Cyberbullying − With the growth of social media, a new kind of bullying called cyberbullying has also evolved. Cyberbullying is just using a false account to tease someone. You can accomplish everything with a false account without anyone knowing who you are. Cyberbullying includes spreading fake news, harassing comments, and threatening.

• Scams − On social media, there have been several reports of frauds and scams where victims were manipulated into believing someone and making a purchase only to discover afterwards that it was bogus all along. It is very difficult to distinguish between influencers and bloggers who give genuine involvement and those who are simply bright fraudsters since there are so many of them on Facebook and Instagram.

Conclusion

If used appropriately and cautiously, social media can be a great way to interact with citizens when face-to-face meetings are not possible. However, t is indeed essential to be aware of the negative consequences of social media if you want to avoid being drowned in the online space. Limit your screen time and wander back into the physical world.

Finally, social networking is more of a curse than a benefit, especially for teens. We still have time to turn things around for the better, but we need to act quickly before our style of living is utterly altered.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. How many people use social media all over the world?

Ans. According to the data for 2020, there are a total of 3.81 billion people use social media.

Q2. Which court resolves social media crime in India?

Ans. Cyber Appellate Tribunal Established Under S-58 Of The IT Act, 2000 resolves social media crime.

Q3. What is phishing?

Ans. Phishing is a type of cybercrime in which attackers uses any method to reach the target in order to get the passwords, PIN, or other essential information for the theft of data and money.