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How does social media affect mental health?
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Social media connects us to far away loved ones

While previously it was exceedingly difficult to contact those who live far away, it is easier than ever to keep in touch with loved ones.
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The Argument

Social media has the power to connect us with friends and family from all around the world. If our loved once live far away, sites like Facebook enable us to see their photos and read updates on their lives. Social media is also a great way to help us reconnect with old friends who we have lost contact with. Additionally, LinkedIn is a platform that helps us make connections with people in fields similar to our own, helping us network and bettering our work. Social media enables us to help loved ones stay up to date with our lives when we live far away, as well as helping us network on a professional level. These things are both immensely beneficial to mental health, enabling us to feel more connected as humans.

Counter arguments

Social media actually makes us feel more isolated than connected to people. It takes time away from our day that we could be using to connect with people in real life. We only see peoples highlight reels and compare them to our real life, and we feel left out when we see friends at an event together. We don't feel connected to our friends and loved ones; we simply feel inferior.

Premises

[P1] Social media helps us stay in contact with people that live far away and reconnect with old friends. [P2] Social media helps us network for our careers. [P3] These things serve to make us feel connected, improving our mental health.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] If we want to stay in contact with someone we can call them (or send them letters). Social media detaches us from actually communicating with them, simply showing us pictures and small parts of their life.

References

This page was last edited on Friday, 17 Apr 2020 at 08:59 UTC

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