SOCIAL MEDIA AND ITS NEGATIVE EFFECTS

Are pictures a true reflection of people’s state?

When your friend takes a ‘’selfie’’ in the mall, looking so beautiful in her slim fitted dress or his newly bought Rolex wristwatch and uploads it on their Whatsapp status or Instagram page, how do you feel? Have you ever stumbled on a friend’s snap, watch it continuously and all of a sudden you wish you had the life of that person? Is your social media life a competition? What are those feelings you have about the social media?

The social media is a digital platform that encourages the establishment of information, ideas and people’s interest. It expresses people’s opinion and aids interaction between two or more people. These major social media platforms includes; Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter, Instagram, Snap chat. Negative effects on the other hand are those thoughts that have bad results on people. They bring less confidence, sadness, jealousy or hatred to a person, someone or group of people.

I found out that one of the reasons young people like these platforms is because they want to trend on it. Meanwhile, it gives them a form of non-satisfaction by making them always want more. That more likes, more followers, more friends, more comments and these feelings can be time consuming because instead of spending time on other valuable things or discussions, they pursue their social media feelings. Feelings are urges, they make one go extra mile unexpectedly like staying up all night to check messages that comes in, checking people’s reactions on your recently posted picture and making sure those reactions match your desires.

Most youths feel their importance is leveraged on how much importance they have on these social media platforms and so they would do anything just to be like that bobbling friend on the social media.

The truth is that yes, your presence is acknowledged on the social media. You might have succeeded in making a friend or two feel jealous about you through your pictures, comments or status. But guess what? It still does not change those insecurities you have about yourself concerning the social media. The understanding you get on the positive parts of social media platforms is what changes those insecurities.

The ‘’selfie’’ you saw of your friend is just a moment about her.  It does not mean that the beautiful picture on the social media platform is a complete reflection of who she is. You don’t have to wish for her life because those feelings bring about depression, jealousy, inferiority complex and these are the negative effects controlling the existence of some young adults today.

The expression you see on which ever social media platform is one side the person. Social media by definition means to socialise. It means the social media puts you at a good edge of interaction. Those comments, pictures give an impression of the person at that time. 

You can make the social media a source of happiness, you can change your feelings about Instagram, Facebook, Snap chat, Whatsapp and the likes. They can help you in building your communication with friends, have fun, share ideas rather than suck in a corner with ill feelings.

The social media is a chain of activities that goes on. The activities will never stop and so your feelings should not be shaped around those activities because the social media is not what you are or what you will become in a life time.