The Black and White of Social Media

A person who does not know social media is perhaps not a man of this age. Even as young

as toddlers nowadays benefit from the wonders of social media. In just over two decades, social

media has effectively embedded its influence on everyone of all ages and cultures around the

world. From communication to business, social media has been the primary technology that

governs daily activities, whether at individual, community, or global levels. Undoubtedly, we

now live in the age of social media. And everyone may agree how easy and convenient life has

become because of this technology. However, such a massive tool is not without consequences.

Its broad use has caused a domino effect that changed systems, norms, and ideologies. There are

people and organizations that thrived because of this tool, but there are also that deteriorated.

Social media is therefore a double-edged sword. It has created but also obsoleted jobs; it has

cured but also aggravated illnesses; it has reduced but also intensified planet degradation.

The history of social media demonstrates its rapid development that entirely reformed the

world. What started to be a simple messaging system through Telegraph in 1792 evolved into an

empire of interconnected networks, allowing convenient, real-time, and highest-quality long-

distance communication (Dhingra and Mudgal). Telephones, radios, and early computers were

the precursors of this technology, but the Internet is what powered social networking sites to

progress dynamically. Notable developments followed in the 2000s, and perhaps the most

prominent pioneer of this industry is Friendster which was launched in 2002 (Dhingra and

Mudgal). Friendster started the rave in social media where users finally gained autonomy over

their profiles, including whom they wanted to connect with (Dhingra and Mudgal). Facebook

and Twitter came four years later with almost similar purpose, use, and structure as Friendster
(Dhingra and Mudgal). However, these two proved to dominate the field as they continue to be

among the most popular social media sites today, while Friendster is now a defunct platform.

Along with Facebook, Twitter, and other successful sites came countless new

opportunities in communication, socialization, and business. A study on college students, for

instance, showed that 91.7% of participants use social media for communicating with family and

friends, and 50% of them said they communicate with family and friends every day (Aichner et

al.). Another study found that almost every large company uses social media for their business

transactions and customer relationship management (Aichner et al.). Finally, companies are

found utilizing social media for marketing and recruitment, and applicants are likewise using

these sites to display their achievements and attract potential employers (Aichner et al.). It is

without question that social media’s convenient and virtual function makes interaction and

socialization possible and easier. For this reason, it has become a commonly sought-after tool as

it helps individuals and organizations to keep up with today’s fast-paced and demanding world.

Societies are now reformed to inevitably use social media in everyday activities.

The functionality and prevalence of social media moreover have been especially useful in

businesses. With over 4.20 billion users worldwide and an annual average growth of more than

13%, it is only practical for companies to utilize this tool to market, communicate, and perform

business transactions (Kemp; Zhao et al.). Some of the reported helpful features of social media

in the workplace are prompt two-sided communication, reduced interruptions, and message

transparency (Zhao et al.). These features overall improve work efficiency, which in turn

increases productivity, sales, and employee and customer satisfaction.

This tool, however, did not stop at being a mere platform for communication in business.

It also diversified into an extended industry that created millions of job opportunities. For
instance, a study by Deloitte found that in 2015, Facebook has added about 1.1 million jobs in

the U.S. alone, aside from the current 8,000 employees of Facebook (Goldman). These jobs were

the result of companies being able to perform tasks more efficiently and reach new customers

which allowed them to expand and hire more (Goldman). These also came from the new line of

workers that Facebook created, such as social media managers (Goldman). And these statistics

only reflect Facebook’s impact; there are other millions of jobs created collectively by all of the

social media sites today.

Unfortunately, social media did not only create new jobs but also obsolete a few. Perhaps

the industry most impacted by the rise of social media is its traditional counterpart: print

publication. This industry has been declining steadily from 1990, wherein the average newspaper

circulation was 63.2 million, to 2020 which reduced to only about 24.3 million (Adgate). With

the loss of readership and ad revenue, the industry is expectedly to cut off the budget, affecting

employment stability. As such, the number of workers in print publications today is reportedly

only half of the number of workers in 2006 (Adgate). While social media indeed created new

jobs in the news industry, such as digital news media, it continues to replace traditional jobs that

older generations trained for years in the hope of stability. The digital news industry requires

technology skills and digital competence, which most older generations may find new and

challenging as those were never part of their training and curriculum. Thus, younger generations

may have a more competitive advantage, while older generations have to retrain and compete in

a very limited work landscape.

The same trend occurs in marketing and advertising. Social media has been widely used

to promote and advertise products, which has been found effective and efficient considering the

number of social media users. Currently, it is estimated that social media users account for more
than 53% of the world’s total population, wherein at least six platforms have more than one

billion monthly active users (Kemp). Because of this reach, social media marketers do not even

need to promote on every single platform as it is possible to reach almost all of the world’s social

media users by being active on one or two platforms (Kemp). While digital media has slowed

down traditional marketing, it has nevertheless created new jobs, such as social media marketers,

data analysts, and so on. However, similar to news publications, jobs this new industry created

replace traditional forms that can negatively affect older generations, as well as financially and

educationally disadvantaged groups.

Social media, however, does not only affect businesses but as well as the medical

industry. In the past years, this tool has been recognized to be extremely useful for healthcare

professionals, especially to communicate with their peers and patients. A survey by QuantiaMD

shows that 65% of more than 4,000 physicians say they use social media for professional reasons

(Ventola). This includes joining social media communities to exchange medical developments,

consult colleagues, and make referrals (Ventola). Healthcare professionals are also reported

using social media such as Facebook to communicate with patients, and colleagues, and promote

health advocacy (Ventola). Social media’s extensive reach and efficient functionality allow

healthcare professionals to easily spread health information and monitor their patient’s progress.

But concerns have been raised regarding social media’s limitations and effects. One

limitation is the lack of reliability. As much as this tool can disseminate health information, it

can also spread poor quality or false information. Social media like Facebook allows users to

post anything they wish to without quality control. Thus, it is dangerously easy for anyone to

post incomplete or false medical information. Moreover, some posts, while perhaps true, can be

interpreted differently by viewers, which then becomes equally dangerous (Ventola). As for the
effects, social media use has also been reportedly damaging to the physical and mental well-

being of users. Studies have found that social media can lead to addiction and depression

(Walton). While this affects people on an individual level, the growing population of social

media dependents and mentally unstable people because of excessive usage can significantly

impact the next generation of workforce and ultimately the world’s security and economy.

Finally, social media has equal pros and cons in terms of its effects on the environment.

Like in the earlier mentioned fields, social media has also been useful in spreading and

promoting information about the environment. It has been used as a platform to advocate for

waste reduction and other ways to help fight climate change. As such, movements, like banning

the use of single-use plastics and Earth Day, have been effectively promoted through social

media. One program, for instance, The World Cleanup Day, has increased its participation by 5%

and engagement by 10% because of social media (Roger). Currently, numerous active

environmental organizations are using social media to spread their advocacies, such as Ecosia,

Greenpeace, and Lilo (Roger). Social media is undoubtedly one of the most efficient ways to

raise awareness about environmental issues. As simple as a regular user posting an

environmentally-friendly habit can influence several other people to do their part.

Yet, these posts ironically contribute to planet degradation, says a study by a market

research firm, Compare the Market. Each time people use social media, they also generate

greenhouse gas emissions that aggravate climate change. As such, Compare the Market’s study

reveals that TikTok generates 2.3 grams of carbon dioxide per minute of use, followed by Reddit

and Pinterest with 2.45 grams and 1.3 grams of CO2, respectively (McCarthy). To make the

impact clearer, McCarthy explains that TikTok’s carbon footprint, for instance, translates to

nearly 140kg of carbon emissions a year for 145 minutes for about two-hour use of the platform
(McCarthy). Multiply this by billions of users around the world, then we would have about 140

billion kg of carbon emissions produced every year for just a couple of hours of social media

usage every day.

Social media has certainly revolutionized the way people communicate, both personally

and professionally. Its reach and functionality have benefitted companies, and different fields,

such as medicine, and the environment. It has been used for marketing and advocacies, and to

collaborate with colleagues. However, it also produces negative impacts on these same fields. As

such, social media has obsoleted many jobs, spread false information, affected the physical and

mental health of users, and generated harmful emissions. And these effects seem to negate social

media benefits. Nevertheless, we cannot deny how much social media has made everyone’s lives

easier and more convenient. It is always inevitable for a useful technology to have negative

consequences. With more research, these harmful effects can be resolved without having to

eliminate social media usage, and people can continue to enjoy the benefits that social media

undeniably brings.
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