Does social media do more harm to people than good?

SOCIAL MEDIA IS GOOD, that’ll be your side <3<3

Social media is known to be the most libangan of people nowadays, spending most of their time on their phones.
But the more it gets to be known, is it now becoming a hole to harm people? In today’s era, almost all parents blame
the use of cell phones. But why exactly are teens, as well as parents so preoccupied with their phones? There are only
two possible explanations: games or social media, but what exactly is social media? Social media refers to how people
interact in virtual communities and networks to create, share, and/or exchange information and ideas. In 2020, there
are 3.96 billion people actively using social media worldwide, a 10.9 percent increase from 3.48 billion in 2019.
There were only 2.07 billion users in 2015, representing a 92.76 percent increase in users in just five years.
Furthermore, Social media platforms like Facebook have the most active users with approximately 2.23 billion
monthly active users. Next to it is Youtube with 1.9 billion monthly active users, WhatsApp with 1.5 Billion, and
Messenger with 1.3 Billion. People can connect across long distances thanks to these platforms. In other words, social
media has brought the entire world to our fingertips. The youth, in particular, are among the most active users of
social media. However, now that the internet and technology have taken over, they have become addictive; even
children are using phones, which concerns many. Hence, is it true that social media do more harm than good?

Social media has become a part of everyone’s lives, it enables us to communicate and stay up to date with family and
friends around the world. “In meetings with senior citizens, I’ve heard great stories about their grandchildren and social
media. What I’ve found is that more teens and tweens are connecting with older family members, not just through social
media, but by teaching their grandparents how to set up their accounts to stay connected. It’s a wonderful combination of
high tech and high touch for both age groups. Teens/tweens feel self-worth by teaching new technology to those much
older and wiser, while the older group feels better connected not only to their grandchildren but to people they may not
have communicated with in decades”(Adam Earnheardt, Ph.D.) Just like this, teens can bond with their grandparents
helping them to learn new trends and technology. Moreover, With social media more of us have the ability to create
lifelong friends and discover other people who share similar interests and ambitions, everyone has their freedom to share
the idea that enables young people to express themselves. Alongside this everyone have the opportunity to learn and
discover new things, they can share their work, and get feedback, encouragements, and advice from other people which
becomes the building blocks for some teenagers for them to grow and develop their skills and talents. Social media also
helps student enhance their self-esteem and creativity because nowadays people are helping hands in promoting
awareness, self-love, and the ability to use their voice to fight for the rights of other people (Jason Perkins).

Social media as a useful medium of connection, spreading news comes in handy , making people around the
world be aware of the current situation and with this pandemic going on with social isolation and closed schools, not only
the benefit from social media because it provides a way to connect and create community, in the absence of in-person
contact. Everybody needs social engagement, they need to individuate and social media is a means of doing that when
schools are closed. Therefore, because of the pandemic, it is much more challenging to help others, but with social media,
more people are now empowered to help and support people all over the world even just if it’s miles away from them, just
like the trend happening this past few days with #CommunityPantryPH where they give free essential needs. A
community pantry was also organized in Balayan last April 19, 2021, by Panday Sining Batangas, a progressive cultural
arm based in the province. In addition to this, advocacies and campaigns are also held on different platforms . Last
February 2020, Starbucks UK collaborated with Mermaids, an organization that supports transgender and gender-diverse
youth, on the #WhatsYourName campaign using Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube as the social media
platform. The campaign expands on a well-known aspect of the Starbucks experience by having your name written on the
side of your cup—by pledging to respect the names that customers prefer to be called. Alongside of this , Proctol &
Gamble partnered with TikTok sensation Charli D’Amelio to urge people to stay at their homes and prevent the spread of
coronavirus with the hashtag #DistanceDance.
 However, we can’t just erase the negative impact of social media this includes sleep problems, negative effects on
school performance, cyber-bullying and many more. Even multiple studies have found a strong link between heavy social
media and an increased risk for depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm, and even suicidal thoughts. Parents and
educators are already aware of how kids develop a negative and distorted self-image through social media. However more
and more positive role models and influencers have been using their voices to fight against body shaming, bullying,
misogyny, homophobia, cancel culture, and racism.

The youth have been repeatedly told that social media can have a negative impact on their lives, but they rarely
hear how social media can help them excel. From creating more confidence, building communication skills, gaining more
knowledge, and being aware to what is right, social media creates and provides plenty of positive opportunities for
everyone. Rather than focusing merely on the negative impact social media can have, let’s try to highlight the ways the
future generation can use social media for better and good. Whether they showcase their charitable activities, help seniors
learn technology, connect with family, or promotes equality and change help and support everyone on finding their new
ways to shine. Guiding and helping everyone to use social media for positivity will less likely harm anyone negatively.