Noah Hess Reporter
Social media is an excessively big part of the modern world. It seems like everyone posts to social media from young to old. Because social media is used for business, for communication, and for leisure. But social media has gotten out of control. It started out as a way to connect. But now social media has turned into a major time waster full of fake and negative content.
I deleted several of my social media platforms over the past couple of years. I caught myself wasting countless hours each day scrolling through TikTok and Instagram. After reflecting on my day, I felt like I didn’t accomplish anything. It had a major impact on the amount of sleep I got, how I felt about myself at the end of the day, and my motivation to get out of bed in the morning. So, I knew I had to make a change.
Deleting social media can be hard because of the fear of missing out. Overall, the benefits will outweigh the cons. Because how much are you really missing? I know looking at old family and friends’ photos is a terrific way to reminisce over memories. But most of the content we consume daily doesn’t benefit us in any way. When was the last time you saw a post that benefited you? I know occasionally, someone will post a beneficial video such as a life hack. But these life hacks are usually small-time savers at best. The problem comes when consuming mass amounts of negative and fake content.
Several of the popular or trending life hacks are fake or edited. The creators created a surprising video to entice a like, share, or follow from it. Creators profit from taking advantage of trusting human nature and youth.
Users of social media also scrutinized every post. The comment sections are filled with hateful, negative, and judgmental comments. Judging other actions has gotten so extreme that saving human lives has gotten controversial. I saw a video of someone wishing the war in Ukraine would end because they are tired of seeing innocent men and women suffer. But somehow this was perceived as controversial?! I don’t understand how wanting suffering to end could be an acratic statement. That compassion could be seen as wrong.
I know it’s easy to enjoy the few positives social media has to offer such as mass communication, chartable actions, and casual entertainment. For example, helping a lost dog find their former owner or raising funds to help that charitable cause. I am not claiming social media is all bad either because in moderation social media can return to its former glory.
Because most people don’t use social media in moderation. This Leads me to believe that social media will only get worse. According to Statista.com the average American social media user spends 2 hours and 3 minutes on social media each day. Deleting social media may be the easiest way to combat this problem for now. But it may not be realistic so I would highly encourage people to set time limits on their social media apps or take breaks. I think taking the time to step back from anything can be beneficial.