Social media has given users the ability to communicate with people a world away. It also allows for them to stay in constant contact with friends and family. But is social media causing more harm than it is doing good? Social media is breaking down the way that healthy interpersonal relationships are formed. It is much easier for someone to sit behind a computer screen than to have a real time, face-to-face conversation. Not only that, but social media is also adversely affecting romantic relationships. The constant contact can exacerbate preexisting trust issues. Although these sites seem like they have many positive aspects to them, they are causing more harm than they are doing good. Social media usage can lead to things like relationship dissatisfaction and poor interpersonal skills.
Social Media - Could it Be Harmful?.
Social media sites have recently become incredibly popular among people of all ages, especially young people, "Growth in the use of SNSs has been extremely rapid; in August 2010 Facebook reported over 500 million active users, compared to 200 million users in April 2009" (Gold et al. 2). These sites are alluring in that they offer anyone the ability to stay in constant contact with all of their friends and family no matter the distance between them. This also means that young people might develop a cross-cultural awareness that previous generations have not been able to be a part of (Nitzberg and Farber 1183). These sites have been used to promote philanthropic events and aid in political elections of all kinds, but are they hurting more than helping? Although these sites seem like they bring many appealing benefits to the table, they are causing more harm than good among the people that use them. The negative side effects, both mental and physical, include and are not limited to: depression, relationship dissatisfaction, poor interpersonal skills, and low self-esteem or self- image.