In today's world, social media has become an unarguable fastest means of communication. It is used by many people especially young ones all over the world. Social media platforms can be Facebook, WhatsApp, Tiktok, Instagram, Telegram, LinkedIn among others. Let's examine what Social media is all about. Social media refers to the online platforms where users can share information and connect with virtual communities through text, videos, photos and other contents. Bayer, Trieu, & Ellison (2020): Viewed social media as computer-mediated communication channels that allow users to engage in social interaction with broad and narrow audiences, either in real-time or asynchronously.
While it enhances communication, information sharing, educational and job opportunities, its excessive usage can negatively affect the users in the following areas:
Firstly is mental problem: Abusing social media could create mental problems like depression, anxiety and low self-esteem among young people. This can be as a result of late-night use of social media which can interfere with sleep, that is very crucial for mental well-being.
Cyberbulling is another consequence of wrong use of social media. It's very pertinent nowadays that social media have become breeding grounds for cyberbulling, where individuals face harassment, online abuse and public shaming. There are users who use their devices to bully and intimidate people online. It can be sending threat messages or making a video to unleash fear on someone.
Also, reduced academic performance is an bad effect of excessive usage of social media platforms. The addictive nature of social media handles can lead to decreased focus and concentration, negatively impacting academic performance. It's pedestrian to see students chatting with their mobile phones in a lecture hall while lectures is still ongoing via their social media platforms especially Facebook and Whatsapp. Also, students used to dedicate most of their time using social media instead of channeling same energy and time on studies. Improper use of social media by students can humongously affect their educational achievements in a negative way. This is because they wouldn't be able to accomplish most of their mandatory tasks in their educational pursuits. Based on that, it will lead to low grades during measurement of evaluation processes.
Furthermore, Youths will be exposed to harmful contents. Social media platforms can as well expose our vibrant youths to contents that are very disastrous. These contents could be pornography, violence, hate speech, divisive commentaries and offensive materials. It has been rigorously discovered that, Youths especially teenage girls are fond of watching pornography in their malicious attempt to gain a sexual know-how. Also, they used to watch violent videos online and that affect their ways of life. The reason is that, they tend to immitate or practicalize whatever they see online in a physical world. Furthermore, youths are fed with hate speeches, divisive and offensive information. This factor could also affect the well-being of our well meaning youths in an unwanted way.
Another effect of misusing social media is living away from a reality. Young people who are obsessed with using social media wrongly can live far away from a reality. Because using cell phone all day, will make them lack time for outdoor activities such as playing sports or camping. Instead of going out to meet their friends or talk to their parents, these people will stay indoor and be chatting with friends. They used to post status, photos to share with their friends on social media. Gradually, they will only live in a virtual world and it has a negative effect on them.
In addition, social media if used excessively can create eye problems. Prolonged social media usage can negatively contribute to various eye problems, primarily due to extended screen time and reduced blinking. This could lead to Computer Vision Syndrome which is characterised by symptoms like eyestrain, headaches, dry eyes and blurred vision.
Addiction is also another effect of overusing social media. With the advent of social media, our youths have become so much addictive, resulting to compulsive use and neglect of other important aspects of life. It's not rare to see young relinquishing crucial tasks that will benefit their lives because of social media.
Also, cybercrime constitutes the effects of social media abuse. It's unfortunate that there are hooligans who are scamming people online. These cybercrimes on social media encompass a range of illegal activities facilitated or enabled by social networking platforms. The crimes include identity theft, phishing scams, hacking, online harassment, and the spread of malware. Cybercriminals leverage social media to gather personal information, manipulate users, and distribute malicious content.
Last on the catalogue is privacy concerns: The way social media is very easy and cheap to share information anytime, anywhere and anyhow, some youths used to share their private information. They will just post anything they feel like posting without minding the implications. It's common among young female adults. At times, they even post their nudity.
In conclusion, young people who are using social media platforms are advised to use social media in a healthy and balanced way. Parents, teachers and every stakeholder in a community should kindly help in guiding these youths on how to operate social media handles responsibly. They should as well be sensitized about the dangers inherent in malusing social media.
As written by Teacher Richard John S Kiri.
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