Dangers of Unfiltered Information on Social Media Platforms

Name Ma. Francine P. Roble

Grade and section: 11 – HUMSS 12B

Most of the social media platforms have a dangerous effect, particularly on the youths. There’s a
lot of misleading information that can cause them depression and anxiety. The percentage of
youth that committed suicide has increased.

Social media has a harmful effect on the mental health to everyone that is misinformed
or not aware that they’re seeing or they’re reading a piece of unfiltered information, which can
cause problems to their mental health. Many studies state that social media could cause stress.
Different social media platforms have misleading information and unfiltered information, and
one of the examples is Facebook.

Facebook has rapidly turned into a big pastime for many individuals. Results have shown
that at an average person spend around 14-15 minutes in a day on Facebook. This has made it
the most disturbing factor that has changed the way people have started to communicate with
each other. It becomes one of the most prominent social media platforms, which consists a lot
of misleading and unfiltered information that cause anxiety and stress, especially now that we
are in this unprecedented situation due to pandemic. Most of the information in Facebook
about COVID 19 is misleading because people who are posting to their social media accounts
do not have any reliable sources. There’s a particular danger if people continue to believe
everything that has been posted in FB because you’re dealing with medical misinformation
where … there’s a clearer pathway to cause harm or even death. The COVID-19 pandemic has
been accompanied by a so-called “infodemic”—a global spread of misinformation that poses a
serious problem for public health. Infodemics are concerning because the spread of false or
misleading information has the capacity to change transmission patterns (Kim et al., 2019) and
consequently the scale and lethality of a pandemic.

Everyone could be affected with misinformation especially the youth who undeniably a
common users of Facebook. They are not old enough to navigate the complexities of the online
world, which often lead to misunderstandings and conflicts even among more mature users.
Many times that their arguments or stand are based on what they see on FB, they didn’t bother
to research for the facts and look for a reliable sources.
 The impact of this is unhealthy because, in the comment section, many people are
debating and communicating unprofessionally and using rude words that are not healthy and
can lead to miscommunication.

It is our responsibility to get accurate information, and as part of society, it is our

responsibility to be well informed. Suppose we want an objective and reliable source. In that
case, we should read articles or a credible newspaper, especially watching the news on the
television or even using other gadgets.

Reference/source

1.) Berger Michele W. Berger Writer, M. W., Credits Michele W. Berger Writer, Credits,
Michele W. Berger Writer, Berger, M. W., Writer, Date November 9, Date, 9, N.,
Subtopics Psychology, Subtopics, Psychology, Schools School of Arts & Sciences,
Schools, Sciences, S. of A. &, Share Twitter Facebook, Share, & Twitter Facebook.
(1970, January 1). Social media use increases depression and loneliness. Penn Today.
Retrieved October 24, 2021, from https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/social-media-use-
increases-depression-and-loneliness.

2.) Ashley Tan Like167 Comments, Tan, A., Bankole_Emmanuel, Bastidas, M. G., Brooks,
L., & MatthewVOY. (2017, November 2). Overexposed and overexaggerated: The
Unfiltered Truth About Social Media. Voices of Youth. Retrieved October 24, 2021, from
https://www.voicesofyouth.org/blog/overexposed-and-overexaggerated-unfiltered-truth-
about-social-media.