Social media can make communication easier, but it has its downfalls as well.

• Social media apps such as Facebook and Instagram allow us to stay up-to-date on our friends and families’ lives without having to directly interact with them. This can be a positive thing when you do not live in the same state or country as a friend or family member. Being able to like or comment on a photo/status/tweet/etc. shows that you are still engaged with their life despite the distance between you.
• However, social media apps are designed to lure you in, and can cause anxiety, depression, and even physical illnesses in users. More often than not, social media apps are used to represent certain parts of our lives. Celebrities often post about events they attend or new brand deals, activists post about social justice and change, and the average person posts what they want the world to see. The profiles of social media users don’t always show their whole lives, and therefore communication remains base-level if you don’t reach out to further ask about one’s life and activities beyond what they post.
• Social media certainly can have a positive effect on users by strengthening their relationships with others and teaching social skills, but true communication goes beyond a “like” or “comment” on a post.
• Things such as DM’s can aid with more meaningful communication between social media users. Instead of just a comment or like, direct messages can be a way of fostering deepening conversation, like texting. Posts about current world events can also improve communication by simply letting others know what is going on.
• Social media can certainly improve communication by broadening the range of people we can speak to, but it still requires work to make that communication meaningful.

social media is a neutral tool that people shape into what it is.

• a huge advantage of social media is the sheer number of people that we can interact with as a result of it. people who we may never have come into contact with due to geographic location are now accessible to talk to and learn from. it has improved communication by expanding the pool of people we are able to communicate with and making it more convenient to communicate easily from the comfort of our own homes.

• another perk is that it opens us up to knowledge and resources. petitions can grow at rapid speeds and people can be in contact with those who are in similar difficult situations. it is so expansive and has such range that you can very easily access unlimited options. you can reunite with old friends virtually (which has been especially potent during the pandemic) or you can consume content when you have time off and wish to unwind.

• however, it comes with its own dangers. some worry it may be threatening traditional, face-to-face interactions. it may provide introverts a more autonomous way to recharge while also connecting with people who they enjoy speaking with, but for many people it can become addictive and all consuming to the extent where real life conversations take a backseat.

• it has opened society up to a whole host of new problems. now predators can easily access victims, pictures can be shared without consent with minimal effort, cyberbullying is on the rise because it is all too easy to hurt people without having to do it face to face. safety concerns due to leaked personal information and the amount of permissions apps require have become a focal point of discussions. it is safe to say that social media is far from perfect and that regulating all of these instances is incredibly difficult since it is rapidly becoming bigger than we know.

• overall, social media has pros and cons. the tools themselves are simply a means of communication and neutral - neither immoral nor immoral. however, the people who use them and the people behind them make it what it is. in the wrong hands, it can be destructive but for the average user it is an escape and a chance at making things happen that were never possible before. perhaps it is our future, whether we like it or not. it provides many a safe space to be themselves and access opportunities, but is our responsibilities as individuals to ensure we are kind to one another.

Social media takes away the personal connection needed to communicate.

• I recognise that social media has allowed for people to communicate overseas and over continents and has been especially useful during a pandemic. However, this doesn’t make up for the fact that children are growing up with hearing and speaking disabilities because they’re so use to communicating online.

• Surprisingly, only 37% of the world population has social media. So, 63% of the world doesn't have social media, and they are still communicating well!

• Personally, I really struggle with talking to people online. I much prefer talking to people in person. I feel the reliance society feels on social media is something that will inevitably turn against us when we must talk to one another again. We are losing the ability to speak to each other, and the ability to form conversations in person rather than through a screen.