Social Media… I think that’s enough said

Social media is not inherently bad. It was created to foster community and allow others to share parts of their lives with the entire world. It has allowed for many friendships and even careers to thrive. With social media, those who deserve attention and praise, such as talented music artists, small business owners, and athletes, are now receiving it. So, what is the problem then? If people are getting exposure and positive feedback online, what is so wrong with that? The problem is, although some of the right people are gaining access to the vast resources social media provides, so are some of the wrong people. Namely, younger generations.

Now, I don’t believe that teengers and high schoolers shouldn't have access to social media; I think they should. In fact, there are many benefits to having social media. Teenagers can connect with their friends, promote organizations and clubs they are a part of, and remain in touch with friends and family even if they are not able to see them in-person very often. The exact moment social media stops being a useful tool and starts becoming a problem is when people start becoming addicted to it. 

Especially in younger generations, social media addiction runs deep. Whenever we have a small break in between classes or in the middle of the day, our minds immediately go towards scrolling on our phones. Some sort of alarm goes off in our brains, telling us to pick up our phones at the first sight of boredom. This instinct has recently stopped becoming a method of coping with boredom, and more so a method of procrastinating important tasks and getting distracted from crucial lectures and moments. We have forgotten how to have a simple conversation with someone without instinctively checking our phones to make sure we didn’t receive any text messages or miss any calls. 

Despite there being such issues, some of you still may say: “Shriya, I just don’t see the problem. So people check their phones, I don’t see what the big deal is.” To those people, I say: you’re right. There isn’t a HUGE problem with people checking their phones. To me, it seems a bit annoying, but that’s just one person’s opinion. The main problem with social media addiction is that it is affecting people’s mental health and productivity. I have experienced this firsthand. There have been days where I would get up at 7:00 in the morning, feeling refreshed and ready for the day. Because I woke up early and had a little extra time, I decided to scroll on Instagram for a little bit. Suddenly, 7:00 became 8:00, and 8:00 became 10:00, and before I knew it, it was noon. I had wasted an entire morning. On top of that, I suddenly felt exhausted. I had to drag myself out of bed and was unable to do anything productive the whole day because I simply didn’t feel like it. 

I have heard many stories similar to this one and I have seen many of my friends struggling with this as well. It has become so easy to get fully absorbed into scrolling through Instagram or TikTok that we completely lose track of time and end up draining all our energy. I have found that going on social media first thing in the morning is ineffective because it provides us with instant gratification and a dopamine rush, making all other tasks seem mundane. If I want to scroll through social media, I wait until I’m about to go to bed, though even then, there are studies relating technology to a suppression of melatonin and lack of sleep, so maybe it’s better to be on social media just when you have nothing else to do during the day. 

Regardless, this facet of social media is often something that is overlooked, so it is important to be aware of the effects of social media, even if it may seem small. This will greatly improve your quality of life and allow you to be productive and disciplined in your everyday routine.