Nowadays, more people are choosing to socialize online rather than face to face.
Is this a positive or negative development?
Social media is an emergent mode of communication that has coloured the lives of numerous people all over the world. In my view, using social media includes many benefits benefits such as connectivity with friends and family as well as facilitating online business; nonetheless, excessive reliance on social media can lead to isolation, anxiety, and other psychological ailments.
Perhaps the ability to connect with family and friends is the most significant benefit of social media, though businesses are utilizing them increasingly. Users are able to create profiles with ease and almost always for free, which will enable them to share their ideas with their social circle and also participate in voice and video chats. In addition, some businesses use social media to connect with their customers and elicit their opinion about products and services. These platforms are thus also very effective in promoting new products to a larger audience.
Despite the numerous benefits, there are a few threats that social media poses to users. There is a significant surge in the number of people who suffer from social isolation because they allow social media to replace their face-to-face interactions. For instance, in Japan, there is a concerning phenomenon of adults in the 20s and even 30s, who never leave their house and are glued to their screens. Furthermore, the algorithms that are used by companies such as Facebook and Instagram are designed in order to keep users scrolling and this leads to extreme anxiety among people who are addicted to checking their notifications every few minutes.
Thus, although socializing online may cause some psychological harm, it has many uses, such as facilitating communication and keeping people informed, especially during the current pandemic, which has forced us all to spend a lot of time at home.
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