01 logo

Is Social Media Dangerous?

Must Read for All!

By Katy ChristensenPublished 6 years ago 4 min read
Like
Dangerous or Helpful? 

Social media can be dangerous for many reasons as was pointed out by the documentary, Generation Like. They pointed out that many teenagers are finding their identities in social media and big business is taking advantage of that. People make money and find their identities in social media, making it a dangerous thing in society.

Resulting from the many people who have their identities and earn a living in social media, many are sensitive about it. Because there are so many people who have their identities in social media many have to deal with cyber bullying. “Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place using electronic technology.” (Cyberbullying) This is a very large issue as many people have been pressured by social media to cause harm to themselves. Examples of this include but are not limited to cutting and or committing suicide. Teenagers specifically spend so much time on social media connecting people and creating their image that it is impossible almost to escape it.

“Across 39 states survey, 7.2% (range: 3.6% – 13.1%) of students admit to not going to school due to personal safety concerns. Many dread the physical and verbal aggression of their peers, and much more attend school in a chronic state of anxiety and depression. It’s reported that 70.6% (footnote #12 or click “Show” under National Statistics) of young people say they have seen bullying in their schools.” (American SPCC)

These statistics are not only concerning but they should cause people to strive to prevent it. There are many things that one could do instead of social media and if people did not spend so much time on social media there would be fewer chances for cyber bullying.

Big business is taking advantage of social media and are using people. The company that produces Oreos turned a cookie into a social protest. They made, “Oreos (…) gay” (Koughan, Rushkoff Frontline) Business and actors are using people and social media as well fro their own purpose. As they said in the documentary, “They now come to them.” (Koughan, Rushkoff Frontline) Meaning that the teenagers of today no longer have to be sought out by advertisers. Rather, they provide free labor and advertising for big businesses. Actors use social media in order to make money and promote themselves. Overall, those who are able to control social media to their advantage are able to make more money and have a larger impact on the younger generations. In a recent statistic, they found some horrifying statistics.

I personally am not a huge fan of social media, because of the lack of true information, the amount of time it consumes, and the constant change of a new fad. Seeing this documentary was quite interesting because I had no idea how much time people really put into social media nor the power that it held. I think that people my age are too obsessed with social media. There are too many ways to distract yourself from the real world and focus on yourself. This was proven in an article stating that teenagers spend up to nine hours a day on social media. (CNN 2015) It is amazing to me that people are automatically fine with using themselves to market or advertise something for self-worth. I think that people spend way too much time on social media for self-gratification and as a result find social media dangerous.

There are many ways that people can spread awareness on social media, however if nothing is done; or one shares their beliefs on social media and does nothing, then there is truly no worth in their actions. Also, while some business profit from social media, it is frequent that the small business or even medium sized ones are not profiting from social media. Therefore, overall social media is dangerous to everyone.

Social media has been used to inform and connect people, however, it can also be dangerous because of the amount of time spent on it and the amount of control it has over people. It has been reported that each year 160,000 children do not go to school each year due to bullying or a fear of social media issues. (American SPCC) Business, actors, and everyday citizens use social media to define themselves or to make money. However, when something such as social media has become central identity of a people or a culture, it becomes dangerous to many.

References:

"Bullying Statistics and Information - American SPCC." American SPCC. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 June 2016.

Generation Like. Prod. Frank Koughan. Dir. Douglas Rushkoff. Frontline. PBS/UNCTV, 05 Aug. 2014. Web. 14 June 2016.

"Teens Spend 9 Hours a Day Using Media, Report Says." CNN. Cable News Network, 03 Nov. 2015. Web. 17 June 2016.

"What Is Cyberbullying." Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 June 2016.

social media
Like

About the Creator

Katy Christensen

Just another human trying to make a difference in the world...

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.