What are Some of the Biggest Problems with Social Media?

There is no doubt that social media has stepped into our lives like a breath of fresh air. It brought us closer to our friends, relatives, and even strangers, making us connect with them who live miles away from us. Despite the benefits that it offers, let’s not forget how many problems it has brought in our lives. We are going to discuss some of the biggest problems with social media in this post.

Technology has taken a toll on us, especially the young generation. Technology made us connect with internet which eventually became an addiction. Children, especially teens, spend a huge chunk of their time in front of the screen. The only reason behind excessive usage of the internet is social media.

Popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, etc., allow us to share our pictures, videos, or even feelings with the public for our friends and others to see. While these platforms serve as a great means to connect with people, they are also causing many serious problems in our society. It is time we speak up about these problems before they start to take over our lives.  

Biggest Problems with Social Media

It is noteworthy to mention that social media platforms we are using these days are as helpful as much as they are harmful. Therefore, let us take a close look at some of the biggest problems with social media we are facing at the moment.

Obsessed with Likes/Comments

People, especially teens, have become so much obsessed with the number of likes and comments on their pictures that they constantly keep checking their posts to see if the number has increased. This is a pretty odd concept if you think deeply about it.

First, they take a picture. Then they put filters on the same picture. They edit the picture and crop it out to look more appealing. The next step is to upload it on the platform for their friends and followers to see. The last step is to wait for people to respond to the same picture.

People crave for more likes and comments because they think it’s an achievement that will make them happy. However, what they don’t realize is, this happiness is only short-lived. This momentary gratification may satisfy your social media need but it will not make you feel happy in the long term.

Fake Identities

One of the biggest problems with social media is that people create fake profiles and maintain fake identities to interact with other people. Sometimes, they create fake profiles to mask the complexities that lie within them. These fake profiles are created to win over the other person by showing them a fake side of yourself. People go on to put up fake pictures on social media accounts to make themselves look better and portray a false image of themselves.

By doing this, they may be able to satisfy their self-esteem on social media but will do them no good in real life. Similarly, this false representation of their personalities will also not help others.

The victims who start talking to a specific person, thinking they’re real, are the ones who end up getting affected the most when they realize it was all a scam. This causes them extreme stress that may also lead to depression.

Decreased Real Conversations

Social media has caused people to stay at home and spend a huge chunk of time in front of their screens. They have stopped going out and meeting real people. In fact, they prefer staying back home, watching a movie on their flat screen or simply browsing their social media feeds.

Social media has decreased sociability among people. People lash out at each other and troll each other on social media without thinking if their words can hurt someone. Social media platforms have made people feel empowered and they think they can do anything just with typing a few words and sharing with others online. This has surely led to many online dangers including cyberbullying.

People exchange nasty comments with each other without being able to see or realize the damage their words can do to the other person. Since there are no face-to-face conversations, there will be no emotions exchanged as well.

Lack of Privacy

This may sound ironic but as the social media has advanced, there is no place where we can go and hide. Literally, we cannot have privacy if we are on social media. Despite the privacy settings most of the social media platforms offer, our personal information is still available on the internet for others to find out.

Even if you’re not on social media, even if you are not on the internet, your information is still accessible. You may not have a number of social media accounts or hundreds of followers, but you can still be found on the internet with the click of a button. It’s really hard to maintain privacy while living in the age of technology and social media.

Stimulates Procrastination

Since social media has nearly taken over the lives of many people, especially children, it has made them procrastinate a lot. Typically, a normal student’s life is occupied with school, homework, and projects. At the same time, their life is also consumed by many social media sites.

It’s quite possible that you’re studying in one instant and scrolling your Instagram feed in the next instant. Children rarely keep away their phone while they are studying. Most of them tend to do both the thing one at the same time. This leads them towards procrastination. Without being able to finish up one task, they jump over the other.

Since most of the homework is now being done online, children find it difficult in not being able to open up their social media accounts while completing the homework. One can easily turn off the phone and put it away to get rid of the problem but it is not as simple as it sounds. Social media sites are tempting, addictive and it takes a great deal for someone to leave them alone for a bit and concentrate on a single task.