What are the Positive and Negative Aspects of Social Media?

Today, technology offers us countless opportunities. The internet, which was once used only to meet obligations, has now promised to solve all kinds of questions and problems in our daily lives, from shopping to our social needs. This connecting effect of online environments has pushed us to question the positive and negative aspects of social media.

But what is social media and why does it have such an impact on us?

If you’re ready, let’s get started!

 What is Social Media?

We think it may be appropriate to make a definition before asking the question “What are the positive and negative aspects of social media?” In the simplest terms, we can say that social media are web-based sites that enable people to interact with each other in different ways in the virtual environment. Some examples of these sites are: Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin and even Youtube… The virtual persona we draw on these sites may vary from medium to medium. While it is acceptable for us to share a joyful celebration we had on Instagram, the reflection of this on Linkedin may be us accepting congratulations in our formal attire business post.

 What are its positive aspects?

Strengthens our social connections: Helps connect with new people and improves the connection with people they are already friends with. In other words, having people we know in real life available online when we need them brings us closer to them.

One of the undeniable benefits of technology is that it brings people together in different cities and even different countries. This prevents us from losing ties with friends we were previously close to and had to part with due to distance.

If we need to examine another benefit, we can say that people do not experience the tension that they feel when meeting a new person in online environments. Not being able to find a topic while chatting with someone we don’t know well can lead to long silences. Having a period of time between messages does not create the feeling of emptiness we experience in the conversation.

Additionally, contact and communication with people from different cultures, ethnic and religious backgrounds can be the key to developing tolerance and respect for different origins. This can be a unique opportunity, especially for children.

It creates space for us to express ourselves: Users can discover new interests while having the opportunity to meet other users with the same hobbies. In addition, being able to share what we produce motivates us with the support we receive from our environment. Positive emotions can help us release the feel-good hormone dopamine. Getting lots of likes can increase our self-esteem. It can be said that the negative side of this feeling is that we constantly check our account in order to maintain this feeling.

It facilitates access to information: The Internet allows us to instantly access a lot of information with a single click. In this way, it is possible for us to access information and opinions from different perspectives that will not be ready for the printing of the next day’s newspaper. At this point, what we need to avoid is disinformation. It is of great importance to confirm the information we obtain. Reliable addresses where we believe we have access to accurate information keep us informed about current events.

 What are the negative aspects?

It can harm self-esteem: Nowadays, technological devices open the world to us. However, the interaction of beautiful people and luxurious lives all over the world makes them more visible. This can lead us to think that most people look better and live better lives than we do. Even though we know that the photos presented have gone through various edits and that people only share their happy moments, this can create insecurity, dissatisfaction and even jealousy in us.

It may cause fear of being away: Another discomfort associated with this issue is the fear of FOMO (fear of missing out), which refers to missing out and getting lost. This situation, which can cause stress in people’s lives, is the mistake we just mentioned, which occurs because you think that others are living better lives and you are missing out.

An example of this would be for a person to stay glued to their phone due to this feeling of being lost, and to spend time on media they constantly use in order to avoid the feeling of missing out.

It may cause you to focus too much on yourself: Constantly sharing ourselves and our thoughts and findings on our account may cause us to spend less time on our real-life connections by focusing on the personality we create in the virtual environment. An important consequence of this may be that we consider verifying the digital image we have worked on with the approval of other members. If such an impression exists, this may make the user feel bad psychologically if he/she has made an effort but cannot get approval, and may even cause the person to doubt himself/herself.

Another example that can be given in this regard could be the selfies we all take. It can also be bad for our psychology if we constantly focus on our own face and discover different flaws in our image when we look at it for a long time while checking the number of likes. In such a case, it is even possible that we will like the version we created with filters more and get plastic surgery.

It can trigger depression: When we think about the positive and negative aspects of social media, the first positive aspect that comes to our mind is that it brings people closer without worrying about distances. Yes, this aspect is indeed very powerful, but when it is not present, it can have the opposite effect. Experts say that this phenomenon can ironically be associated with loneliness, anxiety and depression.

A large study conducted in the United States confirmed that frequent users of social media were three times more likely to experience symptoms of depression than occasional users. The participants of the studies conducted were young adults.

 

Some Signs That You Might Be Addicted to Social Media:

 

At the beginning of the content, we tried to talk about the positive and negative aspects of social media in detail. Since this phenomenon has just entered our lives, we can say that it has not yet been the subject of many years of research. However, it should not be overlooked that especially the new generation is likely to develop an addiction in this regard. These questions below may give you an idea of ​​your position regarding social media addiction .

 

• Do you feel uncomfortable when you can’t control apps?
• Do you often miss a conversation because you are engrossed in your phone?
• Do you ever postpone or neglect the things you need to do for this reason?

 

• Do you feel the need to lie to those around you about the time you spend online?
• When you look at the people whose lives you observe in the virtual environment, do you think your own life is more boring?
• Do you prefer virtual life to activities you do in real life?

 

• Have you been estranged from your family and friends lately?

 

 Signs That You Need a Break

If you’re making a comparison: Social media meets our entertainment needs to a certain extent, and it’s enjoyable when it stays at that point. However, things can change when it makes us feel inadequate and unsatisfied. Incredibly nice people, great successes, holidays taken on special routes, and users always sharing themselves in their happiest moments can create a misconception that they are always happy and live much better lives than us. In such cases, it may be a good idea to keep some distance.

If you start using it without realizing it: It can be said that online environments are something that relaxes us in our daily lives. However, it would be appropriate to question whether our use or opening the application and starting to scroll through the posts is conscious or whether it has become a reflex. Additionally, it is important to review how much time we spend. You can check the usage time of the applications you spend the most time on your phone, or ask people around you what they think about this issue.

If what you see doesn’t make you happy: You may realize that you no longer want to demand many things, from someone who constantly posts to constantly receiving negative news. Constantly receiving negative news or even getting into arguments may have a bad effect on you and stress you out.

If sharing is more important than the event you attended: You went somewhere to have fun, you went to visit a historical place, you are faced with a magnificent view… It will be good for you to enjoy that moment in an event you attended to be happy. Instead, waiting for the right moment to share or constantly checking how many likes you have received may cause you to miss the moment.

The first thing you check in the morning is the last thing you check at night: A study confirmed that 80% of people check their phones within 15 minutes of waking up. This habit has been linked to increased stress and anxiety, and can also cause you to be late for your destination because it wastes your time and attention. Looking at your phone before bed has also been shown to stimulate your brain and make it harder to fall asleep. In other words, it may cause you not only to get up late, but also to go to bed late.

What is Digital Detox?

Most of us get too involved with electronic devices, sometimes willingly and sometimes due to the obligations of our jobs and lives. But sometimes, when we weigh the positives and negatives of social media, we may feel that the negatives outweigh the moment and believe we need to take a break. At that point, the concept of digital detox meets us.

Digital detox, in its simplest form, is consciously staying away from some electronic devices or certain online environments where we spend a lot of time. We can think that the word detox, which is often associated with healthy eating, is used here as purification from platforms that are avoided for a certain period of time.

 What are the Benefits of Digital Detox?

One of the main benefits of a digital detox is experiencing the positive and negative aspects of social media on ourselves. “Which of the opportunities created by virtual environments please me?” or “Which aspect has the potential to negatively impact my life?” Asking your questions will enable you to review your usage habits during the separation process you determine. The points we will mention below are just some of the benefits we expect you to experience in the process:

It helps you focus on your work: We have many jobs that keep us busy during the day. However, when we do something we do not want to do, our concentration may be distracted by a mysterious sound and we turn to our phone. Warnings that call us to interact, such as a message while studying, a sad news that comes our way while having fun with our friends, or a live broadcast notification when we are trying to sleep at night, can sometimes cause us to neglect our friends in real environments or miss real sociality.

It can reduce your stress level: The pages we follow may not always be lifestyle accounts that inspire and spread positive energy. Regardless of the geography we live in, news mostly points to problems and grievances. Although following this constantly keeps the person aware of the agenda, it may not always be good for him, in other words, it may cause him stress.

Helps time control: Does your hand unconsciously go to your phone during the day? Do you ever go to your favorite app and scroll through posts without question? If the answer is yes, we can say that you are definitely not alone. A study confirms that Americans spend more than 2 hours a day on social media. We think it would not be wrong to say that some of this time, which does not sound short at all, comes from this reflex. Your digital detox will help you question exactly this two-hour period. One suggestion we can make in this regard is to log out after spending a certain amount of time on the platform. This will prevent you from constantly receiving notifications on your phone and will require you to log in again when you show that reflex we mentioned.

 

How Do We Take a Break? Things Not to Skip While Doing Digital Detox:

Identify the things you want to change: Getting away from it all can be really relaxing. On the other hand, there may be some channels that support us in the center of our lives and perhaps in our profession. For example, while it is impossible to give up a chat platform you use frequently, it may be possible to stay away from an application that does not give you good energy, even for a certain period of time.

Create goals: Decide whether you want to reduce social media use or eliminate it outright. Are you trying to prevent the thing you want to quit from disrupting your concentration while studying? Then set a goal of two hours away. Another option is to set a maximum time you can spend on social media and stick to that time. Changing habits is difficult. Therefore, keep these goals realistic and try to achieve them consistently for a long time.

Find yourself a supporter: Sharing this idea in your mind with your loved ones will help you get their support, too. The habits of people in similar environments may also be similar. Therefore, getting support from your friends about what you can do during your social media detox can help you become more enthusiastic and perhaps encourage your friends.

Evaluate yourself: You can evaluate the situation a few days after you start implementing your new habit. You have to be honest with yourself while doing this. If the social media detox you do helps to remove you from that medium and puts distance between you and the device you use, we can say that you are on the right track. On the other hand, if you are trying to move away from one platform and spend that time on another platform, this may mean that you have gone beyond your intended goal and you need to revise the goals you want to achieve accordingly.

Think long term: While evaluating the process, analyzing the difficulties and trying to think long term can increase your motivation. Was it hard for me not to look at Instagram? How many times did I reflexively reach for my phone? What did two hours less looking at the phone give me? Answering these questions is important in determining the scope of the new change you are trying to create in your life. Realistic thoughts will make the goals you set for yourself more sustainable.

 

 The Threat on Our Phone: What is Cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying is non-consensual behavior that involves intentional harassment, threat, humiliation and targeting of a person through social media platforms. The possibility of remaining anonymous in these areas may strengthen their motivation to bully. A person can attack another person in this way without considering himself superior to him. This type of bullying can occur between people who know each other, or it can be a behavior directed at public figures. This phenomenon, which makes even adults feel very bad, can also happen to children and teenagers who experience peer bullying .

 

If you are exposed to such a situation, taking screenshots of your messages and photos should serve as evidence in case you apply somewhere in the future.