Is Social Media good for our society?

If not,
then what do we do to fix it?

Prepared for:
Rashik Amin
Lecturer
Department of Finance
Faculty of Business Studies
University of Dhaka

Prepared by:
Group No: 08
Department of Finance
University of Dhaka

November 26, 2020

 Group Profile
A cohesive effort of

SL No Name ID No Remarks

01 Sayed Muntasir 23-029

02 Tamanna Akter 23-021

03 Shuvo Roy 23-036

04 Nusrat Jahan 23-117

05 Shaikh Saifullah Khalid 23-160

Page | 2
 Letter of Transmittal

November 26, 2020

Rashik Amin
Lecturer
Department of Finance
Faculty of Business Studies
University of Dhaka

Subject: Submission of report

Dear Sir,

We consider ourselves very fortunate to prepare this report under your guidance. Working on
this report was both a challenge and a pleasure to us. We are indebted to you.

Your suggestion of the topic of our report “Is Social Media good for our society? If not, then
what do we do to fix it?” is very appropriate. Your constant guidance helped us to apply our
theoretical acquired in the classroom to the practical world.

Thank you for giving this kind of challenging task.

Sincerely yours
Nusrat Jahan
………………….
Nusrat Jahan
Id No: 23-117
On behalf of Group 08

Page | 3
Table of Content

s
Abstract............................................................................................................................................5

Introduction......................................................................................................................................6

Popular Social Media Sites..............................................................................................................7

Facebook......................................................................................................................................7

Twitter..........................................................................................................................................7

YouTube......................................................................................................................................7

Pinterest.......................................................................................................................................8

Instagram.....................................................................................................................................8

Reddit...........................................................................................................................................8

WhatsApp....................................................................................................................................9

Impact of Social Media on Health.................................................................................................10

Impact of Social Media on Business.............................................................................................11

Impact of Social Media on Education...........................................................................................12

Social Media Offers Platform for Online Learning.......................................................................12

Impact of social media in the perspective of COVID-19..............................................................13

UNESCO RECOMMENDATIONS..............................................................................................15

How social media is undermining family relationships................................................................16

‘The Dark Side of TikTok’: How the newest social media platform lets anti-Semitism run wild.
.......................................................................................................................................................17

Trendy social media app has a dark side.......................................................................................18

In conclusion, what is the balance?...............................................................................................20

REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................21

Page | 4
 Abstract
Today, it is crucial to determine the impact of social media on every aspect of our life.
Technology is thriving rapidly from year to year, and the younger generations are caught in this
rapid change. Questionnaires were distributed through Facebook and other social medias, to find
out how much our personal, academic and professional life are impacted by social media. The
findings are demonstrated throughout the report. The impacts of social media are increasing at a
noteworthy rate all over the world. However, in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these
impacts are both positive and negative. Screen time of people have increased since the lockdown
started. All these are discussed in the later section.

Page | 5
 Introduction
Social media is an internet-based form of communication. Social media platforms allow users to
have conversations, share information and create web content. There are many forms of social
media, including blogs, micro-blogs, wikis, social networking sites, photo-sharing sites, instant
messaging, video-sharing sites, podcasts, widgets, virtual worlds, and more. Social media use
web-based and mobile technologies on smartphones and tablet computers to create highly
interactive platforms through which individuals, communities and organizations can share, co-
create, discuss, and modify user-generated content or pre-made content posted online. They
introduce substantial and pervasive changes to communication between businesses,
organizations, communities, and individuals. Social media changes the way individuals and large
organizations communicate. These changes are the focus of the emerging field of techno self-
studies.

Billions of people around the world use social media to share information and make connections.
On a personal level, social media allows you to communicate with friends and family, learn new
things, develop your interests, and be entertained. On a professional level, one can use social
media to broaden your knowledge in a particular field and build your professional network by
connecting with other professionals in your industry. At the company level, social media allows
people to have a conversation with the audience, gain customer feedback, and elevate company
brand.

Social media differ from paper-based or traditional electronic media such as TV broadcasting in
many ways, including quality, reach, frequency, usability, immediacy, and permanence. Social
media operate in a dialogic transmission system. This is in contrast to traditional media that
operates under a monologic transmission model, such as a paper newspaper, which is delivered
to many subscribers. Some of the most popular social media websites are Facebook (and its
associated Facebook Messenger), WhatsApp, Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter, Baidu Tieba,
Pinterest, LinkedIn, Gab, Google+, YouTube, Viber and Snapchat. These social media websites
have more than 100,000,000 registered users.

Page | 6
 Popular Social Media Sites

Facebook

This is the largest social media network on the Internet, both in terms of total number of users
and name recognition. Facebook came into existence on February 4, 2004. Within 12 years, this
social site has managed to collect more than 1.59 billion monthly active users and this
automatically makes it one of the best mediums for connecting people from all over the world
with your business. It is predictable that more than 1 million small and medium-sized businesses
use the platform to advertise their business. The impacts of Facebook have enabled people being
connected more closely to the people they know. That is why; the uses of other traditional
communication have been reduced. The results from a survey the Australian Interactive Media
Association had done showed that 85 percent of the people had used their phones to access
Facebook in the last month. Among all, 46 percent were checking their cell phones to look at a
social networking site once a day, the least. People are also using Facebook to show vivid details
of themselves, through pictures, videos, and consistent updating their statuses.

Twitter

On Twitter, over 320 million active users use a limited 140 characters to pass on information.
The number may be very few compared to that of 1.59 billion users of Facebook but twitter has
disproportionate influence on people. Businesses can use Twitter to interact with prospective
clients, answer questions, release latest news and at the same time use the targeted ads with
specific audiences. Twitter was founded on March 21, 2006, and has its headquarters in San
Francisco, California. Twitter is a basic place for the politicians, celebrities and journalists.

YouTube

Google purchased YouTube on November, 2006 $1.65 billion. This is the most popular video
based online networking site. Every month, YouTube gets 1 billion new searchers. This online
site has created new era of learning and entertainment. It has several impacts on the users’
values, standards, education, mental state etc. YouTube streaming data has been used to gauge
consumer opinion for marketing decisions. Celebrities and large companies, especially major
music labels, have used YouTube as a focused advertising tool for targeted mass marketing and
audience growth by placing banner ads and by contracting with video producers for embedded-
product marketing. Conversely, individuals have collaborated with advertisers to grow their own
audiences, the "Partner Program" enabling individual content creators to monetize videos and
even earn livelihoods directly from posting content, with top earners exceeding $10 million per
year.

Page | 7
Pinterest

Pinterest is commonly a beginner in the online networking field. This stage comprises of
computerized announcement sheets where organizations can stick their substance. Pinterest
reported September 2015 that it had obtained 100 million clients. Private ventures whose
intended interest group is for the most part comprised of women should put resources into
Pinterest, as the greater parts of its guests are females. As a simple idea to create a digital bulletin
board, people can share. Pinterest has highlighted how the social ecosystem is evolving to
become more of a global village. One where individuals share across a variety of dimensions to
spark new ideas through collaboration and collective linkages that align shared values and
interests. While Pinterest will continue to evolve with the ever-changing global social ecosystem,
society faces several important challenges. These challenges are significant to the future of
global communication.

Instagram

Instagram is a visual online networking stage. The site has more than 400 million dynamic
clients and is possessed by Facebook. A significant number of its clients utilize it to post data
about travel, form, sustenance, workmanship and comparable subjects. The stage is likewise
recognized by

its remarkable channels together with video and photograph altering highlights. Instagram was
found to have the most negative overall effect on young people's mental health. The popular
photo sharing app negatively influences body image and sleep, increases bullying and “FOMO”
(fear of missing out), and leads to greater feelings of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Social
anxiety results from the personal evaluation of real or imagined social situations.

Reddit

This is social news and excitement-organizing site where enlisted clients can submit substance,
for example, coordinate connections and content posts. Clients are likewise ready to arrange and
decide their position on the site's pages by voting entries up or down. Entries with the best votes
show up with the best classification or primary page. The site is made up of thousands of
communities called subreddits, each centred on a specific topic - music, sports, news, cute
animals, whatever - each with its own rules, moderators, and subscribers. Among these, some
subreddits function sort of like virtual, text-based support groups. Subscribers to those subreddits
might share personal stories, seek out advice, or simply commiserate with one another. Reddit
shows us that strong networks, while very good for growing a community-based platform, can
come with consequential risks. As we think about network effects, we need to think not just
about how to get more and more people into our platform, but also how much power we ceding
to the network to get them there. Wise managers will aim to make sure their networks cannot risk

Page | 8
the future of our business. After all, if the network has the ability to destroy itself, all of the value
creation we desire in building network effects is lost.

WhatsApp

WhatsApp Messenger is a cross-platform instant messaging client for smartphones, PCs and
tablets. This application needs Internet connection to send images, texts, documents, audio and
video messages to other users that have the app installed on their devices. Launched in January
2010, WhatsApp Inc. was purchased by Facebook on February 19, 2004, for about $19.3 billion.
Today, more than 1 billion persons make use of the administration to speak with their
companions, friends and family and even clients. Advertise free feature of this site causes less
annoyance of the users. Both WhatsApp and Facebook affect the mood of the user and reduces
the interaction with family and friends.

Page | 9
 Impact of Social Media on Health
Healthcare has been a bit slower on the uptake. The industry is just starting to acknowledge the
undeniable impact social media can have on the quality of healthcare services. This reluctance
could be due to the risks to patients and providers that must be taken into consideration.
Confidentiality and privacy of patient information be must be upheld at all times. However,
social media can get information out to consumers faster than any other tool. Here is a look at the
history of social media and the positive impact it can have on healthcare quality.

A survey revealed some interesting facts about the use of social media. Over 1,500 hospitals
across the country have an online social media presence. Hospitals that do not use social media
are missing key opportunities. These systems use social media to communicate with current,
past, and future patients. Social media provides an easy way to share information with
consumers. Even providers and other employees are surfing the web. The survey indicates that
over 30 percent of healthcare professionals use social media for networking with peers. The
majority of physicians use these platforms for activities such as open forums. Having an online
presence provides transparency to consumers and peers. Many providers join platforms like
Twitter to become influencers in healthcare. They can explore the industry, make connections,
and engage their community.  Amazingly, all of this can be achieved in 280 characters or less.

It is not only doctors, who use social media as interactive marketing. Many nurses, pharmacists,
counselors, and therapists have large followings online. These professionals use social media to
promote their mission statements and educate people about public health issues. Another notable
use of social media is to help people find common ground on critical healthcare topics. Providers
do not only use social media to gain or share knowledge. More than 60 percent of physicians
report that social media improves healthcare quality. This means that doctors believe in the use
of social media. It offers a level of authenticity and transparency that is not achieved in other
formats. Social media connects physicians and entire healthcare systems to patients.

Social media causes social comparison. Social comparison consists of people’s biological
inclination to evaluate their situation, skill, and overall identity in comparison to others, based on
the information they receive about others stated that upward social comparison might lead to
increased social anxiety. Some people rank lower than others do, which could increase mental
access to negative self-assessment and self-imagery during interactions with other people,
resulting in greater social anxiety. Even downward social comparison could enhance one’s social
anxiety. Researchers have found that people with greater tendency toward either upward or
downward social comparison were associated with greater concern about how one is being
evaluated by others. Because of this concern, no matter whom they compare themselves with,
they would make efforts to craft own behaviours to conform to certain standards or norms. Over

Page | 10
time, this excessive self-consciousness because of social comparison could lead to one’s
perception of lack of social skills, and even fear of social interaction.

Impact of Social Media on Business

Social media has greatly transformed the business landscape. It is one of the most important
aspects of digital marketing, which provides incredible benefits that help reach millions of
customers worldwide. Social media is one of the most profitable digital marketing platforms that
boosts brand visibility among potential customers, allowing businesses to reach a bigger
audience. By applying a social media strategy, one can significantly increase your brand
recognition.

Research shows, 60% of US millennials expect consistent experiences when dealing with brands
online, in-store, or by phone. Social media strategies boost user engagement across channels in
order to engage customers and deliver better Omni channel customer experience. Social
interaction between businesses & customers is a growing trend that increases sales and improves
brand loyalty. More than 65% of businesses are on social media to increase leads. The rapid
spread of the coronavirus pandemic has many businesses shut down and many workers out of
either work or working from home. Families are stuck at home in self-isolation and quarantine as
an effective measure of preventing the spread of COVID-19.Keeping that in mind, this puts
today's online businesses in a rather opportune position. Many business owners are complaining
about losing sales from walk-in customers, while businesses with a well-designed website are
serving more customers than ever.

As countries around the world were announcing lockdowns measures one after another, we saw a
frenzy of panic buying and stockpiling of essential products. Now that the lockdown measures
are in place and the number of infected cases is growing, people are trying to avoid public
places. As a result, they are forced to think of alternatives to grocery shopping from brick and
mortar stores and kitchen markets. Many urban inhabitants hence turned towards online grocery
shopping platforms. The current crisis has been regarded as the biggest opening yet for online
grocers. Chaldal, an established player in this market, has reported a spike in daily order
numbers. They have been attending about 5,000 orders daily and have hired 300 new employees
to do so. The average single order basket has also increased from BDT 1,300 to BDT 3,750.
Along with online grocers, virtual medicine platforms’ daily order numbers have risen by almost
sevenfold. The government has also instructed law enforcement agencies to help the country’s e-
commerce providers in delivering medicines and daily essentials. The influx of new consumers
in this industry is a great opportunity if they can be turned into loyal consumers. However, that
requires proper service and delivery within the specified time. Platforms like Chaldal are failing
to achieve those requirements due to obstacles such as reluctance from perceived safety
concerns, inability to deliver outside Dhaka, reduced number of deliverymen, lack of safety
equipment, shorter time window per day, etc. If the platforms can overcome such obstacles, they

Page | 11
will be able to experience significant market growth and redefine online platforms as the norm
for grocery shopping.

Page | 12
 Impact of Social Media on Education
In today’s world, getting new information and sharing it with others has become much more
comfortable with social media. Creating a group to discuss university projects, posting
meaningful advertisements for classmates or groupmates, providing information about upcoming
club activities, etc. all these things can be readily done. Students spend hours online using media
for educational and entertainment purposes. They communicate with friends via popular social
networks and do homework using Internet resources. When social networks first began, most
educators disapproved of students using them. But everything has changed within a decade.

Today, teachers cannot imagine the educational process without social media. The pandemic
shows a significant effect of social media on education. Students all over the world are
communicating and receiving their education using various platforms. YouTube plays the most
crucial role in this regard. Teachers use this platform to teach the vast number of the audience
here.

10 Minute School, eShikhon by Bangladesh Govt, Onnorokom Pathshala, and other channels are
helping students to learn different topics. As a result, everyone can readily access the best
educational content for their respective degrees.

Social Media Facilitates Platform for Online Learning

Several studies in Asia and Africa exposed that social media platforms such as Facebook and
WhatsApp have been used effectively to facilitate formal teaching and learning in several public
and private higher education institutions that lacked technological platforms and standard online
learning management systems during the COVID-19 shutdown.

The studies revealed that most faculty members used Facebook or WhatsApp as the sole tool for
scholarly communication with their students because online meeting platforms such as Google
Classroom and Zoom were unfamiliar to students and no training was available.

For students, Facebook was the most adopted tool for formal academic communication, followed
by WhatsApp (69.4%), YouTube (63.1%), Wikis (50.2%) and other social media (19.4%), for
example, blogs and Twitter. A low proportion of students used LinkedIn for scholarly
communication (6.5%).

The results showed that in addition to sustaining formal teaching and learning, students used
social media to build an online community and support each other, whereas faculty members
were focused on teaching and learning. The results of the studies confirmed that proper usage of

Page | 13
social media can promote a new era of social learning, social presence and an alternative
platform to foster online learning.

Impact of social media in the perspective of COVID-19

Let's take a brief on how social media is shaping our daily behaviours. We wake up, check
notification on social medias like Facebook and Instagram or other sites and then we order food
from online like food panda or Uber. We are using Zoom and Google meet to conduct our
meetings, get-togethers and classes.

According to a study on media influence conducted by the Kaiser the family foundation found
that kids ages 8 to 18 years old explained over 7 hours A-day using electronic media. That equals
up to 50 hours a week in front of a screen. Numerous research studies showed that when children
are on their screens, they are losing all interpersonal relationship skills. Screen time can lead to
obesity, difficulty focusing, and maintaining relationships.

The impact of social media on families has been researched to see what negative and positive
effects Are happening. Psychologists are increasingly concerned that taking loads are breaking
down family communication. Many children expressed their feeling that their parents are
addicted to their phones or computer. Yeah, social medias can be used to keep families
connected. It can help members keep track of schedules, locations, and a sense of security
between members that parents and children can be reached immediately if needed. Peers who are
spent more time using technology and are in front of a screen have more difficulty than peers
understanding emotion, developing relationships, and maybe more dependent on others.

Let’s look at present scenario:

Mr. Rahman and his wife and are parent of two children. Mr. Rahman works at Uniliver and
Mrs. Rahman works as a Teacher in a school near their house. Out of their two children, the
eldest one reads in Inter first year and the younger one reads in class two. In this corona time,
their habit of daily communication has changed.

Mr. Rahman now do his work from home. Sitting hours in front of laptop to finish meetings. Mrs.
Rahman is now taking classes online. She uses her phone or laptop screen to conduct classes
from home. Their two children also are doing classes from home online. In these cases, they are
using Google meet and Zoom apps to conduct these meetings and online classes.

In this case, they are spending much of their time in front of digital screens. They are breaking
Natural way of parenting and raising children. Their younger one who reads in class 2 is now
familiar with social media like Facebook, Instagram and this can create a huge impact on his

Page | 14
daily life especially he is making friends online and by this his perception of thinking can be
changed. Because social media is like an ocean. Here, we can find everything good things bad
things and as his age is low, he can easily fall into the dark side of technology.

Page | 15
 UNESCO RECOMMENDATIONS

UNESCO made ten recommendations for engaging in online learning:

1. Examine the readiness and choose the most relevant tools: Decide on the use high-
technology and low-technology solutions based on the reliability of local power supplies,
internet connectivity, and digital skills of teachers and students.
2. Ensure inclusion of the distance learning programmes: Implement measures to ensure
that students including those with disabilities or from low-income backgrounds have
access to distance learning programmes, if only a limited number of them have access to
digital devices. Consider temporarily decentralising such devices from computer labs to
families and support them with internet connectivity.
3. Protect data privacy and data security: Assess data security when uploading data or
educational resources to web spaces, as well as when sharing them with other
organisations or individuals. Ensure that the use of applications and platforms does not
violate students’ data privacy.
4. Prioritize solutions to address psychosocial challenges before teaching: Mobilize
available tools to connect schools, parents, teachers, and students with each other. Create
communities to ensure regular human interactions, enable social caring measures, and
address possible psychosocial challenges that students may face when they are isolated.
5. Plan the study schedule of the distance learning programmes: Organise discussions
with stakeholders to examine the possible duration of school closures and decide whether
the distance learning programme should focus on teaching new knowledge or enhance
students’ knowledge of prior lessons.
6. Provide support to teachers and parents on the use of digital tools: Organise brief
training or orientation sessions for teachers and parents as well, if monitoring and
facilitation are needed.
7. Blend appropriate approaches and limit the number of applications and platforms:
Blend tools or media that are available for most students, both for synchronous
communication and lessons, and for asynchronous learning. Avoid overloading students
and parents by asking them to download and test too many applications or platforms.
8. Develop distance learning rules and monitor students’ learning process: Define the
rules with parents and students on distance learning. Design formative questions, tests, or
exercises to monitor closely students’ learning process.
9. Define the duration of distance learning units based on students’ self-regulation
skills: Keep a coherent timing according to the level of the students’ self-regulation and
metacognitive abilities especially for livestreaming classes.

Page | 16
 10. Create communities and enhance connection: Create communities of teachers, parents,
and school managers to address sense of loneliness or helplessness, facilitate sharing of
experience and discussion on coping strategies when facing learning difficulties.

How social media is undermining family relationships

Not children from a very young age receiving mobile phones. And with Internet connections,
they can get access to everything in the world. So, in this case we can see that much social
presence is on the rise. Some researches toward dad violent play are one of the keys. Even we
can see that PUBG-Mobile has become and social media in time so game. The fantasy violence
in online games for example can't become the do. This blurring of fantasy may result in children
feeling very afraid of the world of overexposure to such games. Children aged 10 are playing
games grated for 18 years old of in the games are bought for them by an adult who may not
realize the impact on time or they played them in other people's houses.

Overuse of these APPS in the home interferes with early learning and disrupt the flow of normal
life by interrupting normal parent-child interactions allowing access to technology. We Should
provide an environment that allows their children to develop physically, intellectually, socially
and emotionally to play and by reading books, making eye contact and learning how to
understand non-verbal cues. Empathy for example needs to be modelled and taught. It allows
children to see another person's point of view or prospect and is the biggest indicator of
children’s growth and emotional development.

“Teenagers are trapped in social media loop”

The conditions for teenagers are the worst. A device that social media life is beautiful. Days
spent hours in front of mobile using social media like a Facebook, Instagram WhatsApp,
Snapchat and Tiktok.

It was 50 years back when celebrated artist Andy Warhol said, "In the future, everybody will be
world famous for 15 minutes." It was from this statement that the phrase — '15 minutes of fame'
was coined and has since been widely used to mean easily accessible fame. Cut back to 2019 and
it's time we adopt this to 15 seconds of fame because that's all it takes in the era of TikTok.

Today, 500 million users worldwide are busy creating 15-second videos on TikTok and they're
not just pretending to be stars but are also becoming household names. TikTok is a short-video
app which has become the latest sensation in the social media universe with more downloads
than YouTube, Snapchat and Twitter.

Page | 17
 ‘The Dark Side of TikTok’: How the newest social media platform
lets anti-Semitism run wild.

TikTok might be the latest social media platform to catch the attention of young people
everywhere, but reports of anti-Semitism and racist content have raised questions about its
safety. The app, which is owned by Chinese-based ByteDance Ltd., is a video-sharing and
creative platform that allows users to upload 60-second videos to a network of followers. Today,
it is the 7th most downloaded app of the decade and boasts more than 1.7 billion users - 800
million of whom log in at least once a month.

Most of the content on the platform is innocent, showing people lip-syncing and dancing to
popular songs or young people simply telling jokes to the camera. However, there has been
rising concerns about accounts that promote violence and anti-Semitism on the platform and the
company’s reluctance to commit to its own terms of service in monitoring the content online.
Most of the time, children are unaware of the content that they are exposed to. Since 41% of
TikTok’s user base is under the age of 24 - with most of that category under the age of 16 - they
are unaware of some of the social or historical contexts of the material they see. According to
TikTok’s own policy, users may not post “any material that is racist or discriminatory, including
discrimination on the basis of someone’s race, religion, age, gender, disability, or sexuality.”
However, this has been largely ignored and it appears that its terms of service policies were
rushed out to quickly adapt to their sudden rise in usership.

So where does this leave us? Since TikTok is Chinese-based and not American or European, it
doesn’t answer to the same rules as other companies in western democracies. For now, 3rd party
institutions need to fill in those gaps and make sure companies are acting responsibly by
moderating the content posted by their users. TikTok has had to play catch up with ‘legacy’
platforms like Facebook and Twitter. The tech companies, or the more traditional companies like
Facebook, Google, and Twitter, have had a lot more time to deal with the situation and to go
through these various stages of being used by anti-Semites and terrorists. They’ve had a little bit
more time to go assess their policies and put into place various measures to deal with them. If all
of a sudden you go from 100,000 users to 800 million, there’s going to be some growth issues
there.

Page | 18
Signs are that TikTok may not have all its nuts and bolts in place. India and Pakistan have
banned Tiktok. Indonesia temporarily blocked TikTok last year, alleging it contained
pornography and blasphemous content. The ban was overturned after TikTok agreed to clear all
negative content. All attention on the app is not of the good kind.

Trendy social media app has a dark side

Depression and Anxiety

It doesn't take much thinking to figure out why. Social media lets you see the carefully selected
best parts of everyone else's lives, which you compare to the negatives in your own life.
Comparing yourself to other people is a sure path to anxiety, and social media has only made this
easier to do. So how do you use social media without causing yourself psychological distress? If
you turn to the same research (and common sense), the recommended amount of time you should
spend on social networks is around half an hour per day. As with many other potential ills in life,
it's all about moderation.

Cyberbullying

Before social media, bullying was something that was only possible to do face-to-face. However,
now people can bully others online-anonymously or not. Today everyone knows what
cyberbullying is, and most of us have seen what it can do to a person. While social media makes
it easier to meet new people and make friends, it also enables cruel people to tear into others with
little effort. Perpetrators of bullying can use the anonymity that social networks provide to gain
people's trust and then terrorize them in front of their peers. For instance, they might create a
fake profile and act friendly to a classmate, then later betray and embarrass them online. These
online attacks often leave deep mental scars and even drive people to suicide in some cases. And
as it turns out, cyberbullying doesn't just affect kids. Adults can become victims of online abuse,
too. Since screens hide our faces, you can end up being a jerk on social media and other websites
without even realizing it.

FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)

Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) is a phenomenon that was born around the same time as the rise of
social media. Unsurprisingly, it's one of the most widespread negative effects of social media on
society. FOMO is just what it sounds like: a form of anxiety that you get when you're scared of
missing out on a positive experience that someone else is having. For example, you might
constantly check your messages to see if anyone has invited you out, or focus on your Instagram

Page | 19
feed all day to make sure that nobody is doing something cool without you.

Unhealthy Sleep Patterns

On top of increasing the incidents of anxiety and depression, spending too much time on social
media can lead to poor sleep. Numerous studies have shown that increased use of social media
has a negative effect on your sleep quality. If you feel like your sleep patterns have become
irregular and have led to a drop in productivity, try to cut down on the amount of time you
browse social media. This is especially the case when using your phone in bed at night. It's all
too easy to tell yourself that you'll spend five minutes checking your Facebook notifications,
only to realize an hour later that you've been mindlessly scrolling through Twitter content you
don't even care about. Don't let social media algorithms steal your valuable sleep.

Negative Body Image

Speaking of Instagram celebrities, if you look at popular Instagram accounts, you'll find
unbelievably beautiful people wearing expensive clothes on their perfectly shaped bodies.
Today, body image is an issue for everyone. Of course, seeing so many people who are
supposedly perfect (according to society's standards) on a daily basis makes you conscious about
how different you look from those pictures. And not everyone comes to healthy conclusions in
this situation. It’s really important to remember that everybody is human. No one wakes up every
day looking like a supermodel, and while many people have gone to great lengths to train their
bodies, that's not the case for everyone who looks fit. Many people, in search of social media
fame, have definitely taken unhealthy routes to appear more attractive.

Page | 20
 In conclusion, what is the balance?

It is important for interpersonal connection with families. Kids want to be hugged, listened to,
and spent quality time with family members. Kids don't want to be texted or feel they have to
compete with their parents against screen time. Working to increase the quality of family time
without technology is important. Setting aside family time, such as family meals, game nights,
quality time of talking about each other's day that is free of phones, TV, and computers are the
key to learning and to interact with each other; face-to-face and modelling healthy
communication and interpersonal skills are must for children.

Page | 21
 REFERENCES

1. Good and Bad Effects of Social Media on Teens and Kids. (2020, July 16). Retrieved
November25, 2020, from https://www.raisesmartkid.com/10-to-16-years-old/6-
articles/43-facebook-myspace-twitter-good-or-bad-for-kids-brain

2. Jackson, K. (2019, November 19). The dark side of TikTok - the trendy social media app
where paedos groom kids and ISIS post propaganda videos. Retrieved November 25,
2020, from https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/10373494/tiktok-kids-grooming-is-videos/

3. Roopnaraine, A. (2020, September 27). The dark side of social media. Retrieved
November 25, 2020, from https://www.stabroeknews.com/2020/09/27/sunday/mind-
your-health/the-dark-side-of-social-media/

4. Spiro, J. (2020, June 26). 'The Dark Side of TikTok': How the newest social media
platform lets anti-Semitism run wild. Retrieved November 25, 2020, from
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3835919,00.html

5. Stegner, B., & Ben Stegner (1592 Articles Published). (2020, February 04). 7 Negative
Effects of Social Media on People and Users. Retrieved November 25, 2020, from
https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/negative-effects-social-media

6. TikTok is free, fun, and incredibly popular, but it also has a dark side- Technology News,
Firstpost. (2019, April 16). Retrieved November 25, 2020, from
https://www.firstpost.com/tech/news-analysis/tiktok-is-free-fun-and-incredibly-popular-
but-it-also-has-a-dark-side-6457351.html

7. Trendy social media app has a dark side. (n.d.). Retrieved November 25, 2020, from
https://9now.nine.com.au/today/videos/trendy-social-media-app-has-a-dark-
side/ck37xycwt000u0hlayj7zzzq7

Page | 22
8. Walton, A. (2017, October 03). 6 Ways Social Media Affects Our Mental Health.
Retrieved November 25, 2020, from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2017/06/30/a-run-down-of-social-medias-
effects-on-our-mental-health/?sh=6bba08ea2e5a

9. Is online education system suitable for Bangladesh? (n.d.). The Business Standard.
Retrieved November 28, 2020, from https://tbsnews.net/thoughts/online-education-
system-suitable-bangladesh-112546

10. Rabi, I. R. M. A. E. A. M. (n.d.). Cushioning the educational fallout of Covid-19 in

Bangladesh. The Daily Star. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from
https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/news/cushioning-the-educational-fallout-covid-19-
bangladesh-1965789

11. Social media offers platform for online learning – Study. (n.d.). University World News.
Retrieved November 28, 2020, from https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?
story=20200909144604255

Page | 23