How social media influence our real life?
In this post I would like to share my latest observations on social media and how they influence our society in the real world. It’s mostly my opinion based on internet research, so there’s no need to take it too seriously and I hope it will be interesting to discuss this subject.
Firstly, I’d like to say I’m moderately active user of social media. Nowadays I use mostly Instagram to communicate with friends, document my life and share funny stories with my dog. There are many ways to be present online nowadays. I guess most common representations of users of social media are people who want to stay in touch with their friends and family, simply they want to share their life online, or spread news or interesting content or business owners using social media as their marketing platform. Among many positive (in theory) ways these tools can be used to eliminate physical distance and reach out to masses, we observe flagrant opposite effect that it has on our societies
We can see it often in
social media that users tend to exaggerate on their profile. Our profile
reality is precisely designed and presented how we would like it to be.
Instagram picture can’t be posted without a filter, we have 1500 friends on
Facebook, but we stay in touch with a few of them and know maybe half, we share
the most incredible moments on our Facebook timeliness, we share a picture of
our food before we eat, and we share the destination of our holiday flight.
Everything should look like a perfect life and we should post as much as possible. While browsing social media, it’s very hard to find naturalistic content and if it happens, it looks unattractive in comparison which reflects on number of likes. Of course, there’s nothing wrong in treating social media’s as a diary, however there’s a difference how we see our life and how we want it to be seen. During all these years we created a special code of communication online which sometimes influences our real life.
I think it’s very interesting how interaction with our online audience may influence our wellbeing. Many people use selfies to make themselves feel better: when they fell down, they post a cute selfie with some filters and wait for the likes. When the photo reaches some level of popularity and receives positive feedback, they feel appreciated. This is one of many examples of how we can virtually stimulate the reward system in the brain and trigger dopamine, which is directly responsible for motivation. If you’d like to learn more about this mechanism, there’s a short video on YouTube:
On the other hand, people who spend a lot of time on peeking at others life’s on the internet and sharing every special moment of their life online are very often less motivated and depressed because of how they are afraid to be judged. They compare themselves to others, read hateful comments or believe in unrealistic content designed by other exaggerating users. I recommend a movie about how people create their image on Instagram and how it makes them literally crazy:
Another example of how social media may
influence our perception of reality is when we are overstimulated by negative
information’s. Every day we scroll some portion of negative information on
social media platforms about the situation in the world: the pandemic, economy,
ecology, political conflicts in the country etc. This image may be
overwhelming, and it can influence our attitude towards challenges. Lots of
users react immediately via comments and share the content without verifying if
it’s true. Therefore, we see many negative comments of people who become more
and more frustrated and stop paying attention on the positive aspects of their
everyday life which can be normal and happy, but all the negative flow of
information seen on the feed shutter their vision.
To conclude, there are
many dark alleys in our virtual social life where we may sometimes find
ourselves, but I still believe social media is a great tool to communicate,
share interesting contents, boost creativity, and many others. Moreover, I
think it’s a very interesting topic for a debate how to use these applications
wisely and for good purposes. If you are interested in this topic, I recommend
a couple of articles I’ve recently read:
https://www.thechicagoschool.edu/insight/from-the-magazine/a-virtual-life/
https://sysomos.com/2016/12/22/impact-social-media-networks-society/
1. Do you use social media? If yes,
which platform and for what purpose? If you don’t can you say why?
2. If you agree that social media has
some bad influence on our social real life, do you have any idea how it can be
changed? If you don’t would you like to explain why?
3. In your opinion, how social media
influence younger generations?
The effect of social media on our real life is a huge topic and I think that no one has covered it fully yet. There are so many factors that it’s hard to examine and measure. I use Facebook as a contact tool and also I’ve switched from old popular forums to groups on FB where you can find a lot of interesting info. I think that it doesn’t affect me much because I avoid wasting time there and only use it in particular cases. The other app that I use is Instagram and here it’s slightly different. I have a lot of friends there but I’m also following profiles where I can see some inspirations like beautiful houses, fast cars, etc. Most of the time those profiles are simply motivation for me but when I have a bad mood it doesn’t help me. I know that I have to wait with using Instagram until I’m back in a good mood but it only proves that it has some impact on my life.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you know how to avoid falling in to a pit with mindless scrolling which is great :) I'm actually working on that to save my productivity but I also enjoy checking out different aesthetics on social media. Maybe the clue to avoid wasting time online is to use social media for some good purpose instead of just browse staff.
DeleteIm using Instagram, private and for businness. Private way is it only to contact with friends and for have fun from my photos, also to follow the people i like, and if they want they can follow me back. Instagram is about taking pictures, adding filters and making them look attractive and fun. Further, sharing this beautiful picture also feels great. Further, to increase the reach of your photographs, you can add hashtags to your images, so when people search for that particular hashtag, they can locate your pictures. As a result of this, the chances of your content getting interesting is more with Instagram over the other social media apps. So, I think this is the best for company. On Instagram, you have the ability to build a better and more effective brand image by way of videos and pictures in comparison to Twitter, Facebook or other social media websites.
ReplyDeleteAlthough there are a number of developmental advantages, teenagers using social media should not go without concern. One of the most common problems that teenagers experience is a disruption of sleep and focus. Also, the internet is not always a safe place for naive or inexperienced users. Whether it’s oversharing private details online or chatting with strangers, teenagers are far more likely to be the victim of harassment. In order to avoid the potential dangers of social media, teenagers should always keep their accounts private and lookout for the facade many online predators use. Parents can play a key role in keeping their teen safe by educating them about online privacy.
I agree that Instagram is great for business although I can only judge it as a customer but I think that because I've found so many great small business through this platform. Instagram has so many great ways to make your products look very attractive. When it comes to teenagers using social medias I'm also a little concern because I can really see how they communicate more willingly through social media then in reality.
Delete1. Yes, I use social media, it probably won't be a surprise that one of them is facebook. The main purposes for which I use facebook is the ability to chat with friends and follow a few interesting fanpages and groups to read interesting informations or share information with other members.
ReplyDelete2. In my opinion, it's hard to label whether social media has a bad or good influence on our social life. It all depends on how and with what intensity we use them. in my case, social media such as facebook help me stay in touch with my friends and, for example, make an appointment with them. Thanks to social media, I am able to talk to people that I would not normally be able to meet, due to distances.
3. I believe that social media has a huge impact on the lives of young people, both in a good and negative way. The positive impacts of social media on the youth today include making them up date on the events happening around the globe or allowing them to communicate with people from around the globe. On the other hand it can reduce the number of face-to-face interactions amongst the youngsters because they normally spend most of their time on these online social platforms.
It's actually interesting why Facebook is still so popular in Poland and why for example Twitter isn't. I agree with you that on some level social media are just an upgrade to a real life thanks to possibilities they give to stay connected. I also wonder how many people actually treat Facebook like a news platform as in Poland we don't really have reliable source of news. And yes, as I said in previous comments it's so ironic that in some cases the possibility of unlimited contact makes us less eager to interact.
Delete1. I use Facebook and Instagram. Facebook nowadays is for me like reading newspaper and using chat in one. I have several fan pages which are specialized in bringing news. However, Instagram is like Facebook ten years ago, for uploading photos and following people.
ReplyDelete2. In my opinion, it depends on how people use these tools. I mean we can be addicted to everything. Same with using social media. I try to not overdo it.
3. I don't have younger friends or family, so my point of view is deformed. In my opinion young generation can be easily manipulated by social media or as I said before they can be addicted
Same here Fryderyk - I read Facebook like a newspaper :D Any good fan pages recommended? I like Spiders Web - Tech news, you probably know this one.
DeleteIt's a good way to filter information when the access is "unlimited". I still dream about perfectly constructed feed without any white noise but there are days when I need Facebook only for a good meme :) If you'd like to recommend any interesting Facebook page, I'd very much appreciate.
DeleteI use social media, but I only really use Facebook. Facebook serves as a messenger with my friends, I often chat with them there and exchange files. I also use this platform to browse various fanpages that interest me, to keep up to date and to communicate with university groups, groups of friends, groups of players, etc.
ReplyDeleteEverything has its pros and cons. When it comes to my opinion on social media, I don't have much to say, after all, I don't follow any influencers or have thousands of page likes or favorite creators, etc. I think influencers can build a cotton head sometimes, mostly through strange behavior or promoting inappropriate content.
I think social media has a rather bad influence on the younger generation because children often like to identify with their idols. Nowadays, a lot of content on the internet is made for children, which contributes to their inspiration from their favorite influencers. Often the idol's sentence is sacred, and anyone who disagrees with it is treated as an enemy in the eyes of the recipient of his content.
you're right, facebook is the best communicator, both with individuals and groups, group chats and communities. This facebook functionality is irreplaceable.
DeleteI agree with both of you. Fan pages and groups on Facebook are extremely efficient. Recently I've lost my dog in the city and thanks to a Facebook group I've found her in 2h !! Further more I've heard about groups of amateurs detectives - people who search for criminals through social media and sometimes are more efficient than the police.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThis is true of detective sites .. I think it can have unpleasant results when used for the wrong purposes. The good ones are, social media can catch criminals robbing older people. For example, those who force money transfer.
Delete1. I use social media - mostly Instagram & Pinterest, I don't have Facebook and to be honest don't plan to do so. Pinterest for inspiration (home decor, interiors, recepies, etc). Recently I started to use Instagram more selectively. I used to scroll feed for hours without purpose, but now I'm more aware on what and when i want to waste my time on this app.
ReplyDeleteAs some of the comments above - I agree that everything has two sides, pros and cons, good and bad consequences - it all depends on how we use it. I also agree with your article, reality manipulation is so easy with social media. In the end everybody can post what they want to show us, and nobody(almost) wants or will post their failures. Following fake influencers and believing that their life looks exactly like shown in perfectly happy posts can lead to self-negative thoughts, which is not great at all. If young generation will focus on following this fake image, this can end up in sad scenerio.
On the other hand, social media can be very useful source of inspiration, tricks, hacks, tips, etc. I myself found a lot of amazing artists (tattos, photographers, little stores with handmade items).
I think we can change it by raising awarness about how real life is, how influencers creates their perfect picture and we don't have to believe in anything we see on the Internet.
Generally speaking this is a complex problem - for me it really depend on what we focus on while using social media.
I also agree it's neither 100% good nor bad like everything in life should be use with moderation. I guess 10 or 15 ears ago nobody would say we would be affected negatively by social media and we some how tested them on our societies.
Deleteyes i use instagram. I put photos of my travels there, and I use stories sometimes, it's a fun way to communicate with people. I also use facebook - mainly for viewing posts and reading news. I almost never post on Facebook, I don't write comments. I like to browse pinterest sometimes for inspiration.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I can see what a bad impact social media has on me - I often catch myself mindlessly scrolling through Facebook in search of stupid things. It's sad, but I can't limit it, I feel like I'm wasting my time.
I think it works even worse for young people. Is there any way to fix it?
I remember your presentation from last semester and I follow your account since then , your shots are amazing :) I believe there are ways to control mindless scrolling , the key is to be aware so for example when I catch myself doing that I check how much time I've spent and if it's to much I give myself a ban :D
Deleteand it almost never works XD
Personally, I use mostly facebook. For me it has a good chat. This is the main reason I like fb, clear and easy to use chat. From time to time I use instagram, mainly to see some interesting recipies :).
ReplyDeleteIf it comes to me, I see two very bad things about social media. One of them is the fact that people ppst a lot of stuff like car accidents, natural disasters or especially very sock children. I do not think a person should watch that much sadness and disasters. There is so much sorrow, I cannot imagine my kids dealing with all those negative emotions in the future.
The second problem about social media is simplicity in communication/making conversations. It is so mich easier to communicate via facebook or instagram. The problem with this kind of conversation is that we share nothing more that written text. No emotions, no expressions at all, just text. How can we live among other people when the only thing we share is instastory?
That's the thing with internet content that is channeled in some manner that sometimes it's more that we ask for. So if a user spend some time on watching disasters, it increases this recommendation so after a while his/her feed is filled with bad news and it can be depressing. While most of us know that, kids and teen may know that but our parents and grandparents very often have no idea about mechanism of recommendation that's why it's so important to be aware about how social media filter information for us
DeleteI use a lot of social media, mostly facebook, instagram and snapchat. The use of them is different, facebook for me is to stay in touch with my friends, instagram for finding memes and snapchat mostly for fun (i don't really know why I use it, but I do :D).
ReplyDeleteI think that bad influence in social media is mostly because of people, for instance Instagram stars are showing theirs lifestyles but sometimes it is not a good way and kids who watch them want to be like their favourite star, and sometimes it is not a good rolemodel. On the other hand social media is now a huge part of life and advertisement, most of the company sales comes from advertising in the internet and those platformes. For me it is good because I do social media for work so if it wouldn't exist I might not have a work right now.
Answer for the 3rd question was mentioned by me before, as I said previously there are those social media influencers who sometimes give bad example for kids who try to be like them even if it is not a good lifestyle.
I mainly use Instagram and Facebook. Instagram serves me mainly for artistic and business purposes, while on Facebook I use membership in various thematic groups.
ReplyDeleteI believe that nowadays social media is so strongly present in our lives that it's no longer treated as an addition or attraction.
Unfortunately, both kids and adults are bombarded with so much information and images that it can be overwhelming and certainly detrimental to their mental health.
First of all I need to tell you Magdalena that's very interesting article. Answering to your questions:
ReplyDelete1. Yes I've few of them. I use them differently depending on my mood or duty. Obvious such as Facebook, Instagram, Gmail, Skype, MS Teams, Outlook.
Some I upload photos, music, others are treated as a communicator. Some of them are for work purpose only.
2. As someone smart once time said, everything can be poison depending on the dose. I take care of my own and limit the time spent on social media.
3. I have no idea and I think this is what scares me the most.. If I'm thinking about parenting.
I use social media. Although very little lately. It is mainly Instagram and Facebook. I'm on Facebook mainly to answer my friends' messages. As far as Instagram is concerned, I keep my private, company and graphic design account, although as I wrote above I have neglected these accounts recently.
ReplyDeleteIf you start focusing on other people's lives rather than your own, it is actually very toxic. It seems to me that a lot of people are trying to have the same life as their favorite influential people. A life that really looks different than in the pictures. I think everyone has their own mind and should separate reality from social media.
The younger generation starts to live mainly in the social media world. How will this affect their further life? We will find out in a few years time. :)
I use social media, mainly Facebook to communicate with my friends and family. I have Instagram account, but I don’t use it very often. Funny story, my sister does not have an Instagram account and recently she told me each time someone asks her about her Instagram, and she says she doesn’t have one they start being either mistrustful or really impressed.
ReplyDeleteI agree that social media has some bad influence on our social real life, but I’m afraid we cannot do much to change the way people are using social media. The purpose of most of those platforms wasn’t harmful in any way, it’s us people who started using them in a wrong way. So basically, I think even with the best purpose in mind, we cannot influence how people will use social networks.
I think younger generations are hugely influenced by social media. To be honest, seeing children being massively involved in creating tik-tok or youtube content makes me feel dismayed.
I want to recommend you a movie I recently watched, it’s a new Netflix production called “Social Dilemma”. The documentary shows the dangerous effects of social networks on human well-being. What’s fascinating for me, is that this problem is best noticed by the technology experts and creators of those social networks.
1. When it comes to social media I use many, for example Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat. Social media serve me mainly as communicators, in most cases. Thanks to them I am also able to read a lot of interesting information from the whole world. Some people provide very interesting and insightful articles that distract me from everyday life and it is good to know something new. Some social media serve as a treasury of inspiration, such as Pinterest.
ReplyDelete2. In my opinion it depends on the person who social media uses. I've heard about cases where people are addicted to social media, but I'm not. It seems to me that for people like me, social media is not a problem, but for some people it can be dangerous. Unfortunately, I don't know how to change this, because I'm one of those people who don't have a problem with it.
3. Unfortunately, I am not able to say this, but I believe that young people are exposed to the influence of social media, their manipulation and the influence of fake news. We as elderly people did not grow up in the era of social media, these media came with time, while young people are exposed to them.
I mostly use Facebook and Instagram, but for a long time I've been trying to be only a follower ;) I try not to public any content there. About a year ago, I noticed how much time I spend on social media and I realized that I wasted too much time there. As it was mentioned before, I also try to control the how much time I spent there. On Facebook, I search mainly for interesting articles or look for some new recipies. When it comes to Instagram - I mainly watch the instastories of people or small businesses whose content is interesting to me.
ReplyDeleteI believe that social media has an extremely influence on real life. On the Internet, people create their life as they want others to see it, but not showing what the life really is. Photos are full of Photoshop, perfect bodies, faces and so on can make young people having a lot of inferiority complexes.
Exactly, the key is to be aware of the time spent on social media platforms. Sometimes screen detox can be good but it's easy to say and harder to stay away from social media
DeleteOf course I’m using social medias, mainly Facebook and Instagram. It helps me to stay in touch with my friends but it’s also a good source of information from various fields. Instagram allows me to be up to date with the latest news about skateboarding for example, it’s also a perfect place to watch other people skate and to share my tricks. On the other hand, social media can have bad influence on our society and social life. We certainly tend to spend too much time on Facebook or Instagram, both of them can be can be addictive, but if we use them responsibly, they’re not really harmful. They’re just a tool and users decide what kind of content they publish on them. Instagram, Facebook or TikTok are integral part young generation's life. As you've mentioned, there’s a lot of hate on social media platforms and if you combine that with a desire to live an idealized life shown by celebrities, it can lead to a depression or other mental disorders.
ReplyDeleteI use Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest on a daily basis. I cannot say that I am social media addicted person, but I use media’s when I want to clear my head after work day, communicate with friends and read news. I should also add that for me it’s a prudent waste of time and I spent less than 2 hours per day. You might think that it’s more then enough, but I’m sure that it’s important to know what’s going on around you and be on the same page with people who surround you. In my opinion, social media give us the opportunity to showcase ourselves, our skills and field of competences. To say briefly it is now easier to brand ourselves and promote things we do.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, social media is also a place for bullying and mental health issues - that makes people not be happy about affecting social media in our lives. Social media it’s a space where everyone can state their own opinions, and as good it is as bad it is - and unfortunately social media becomes a social justice place.
To sum up, social media is sometimes a powerful opportunity but sometimes a weapon, and it always depends on how we use it.
Yes, I'm actively using social media. Mostly Instagram and messenger. These are one of my daily tool to communicate with friends and family.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the second question, in my opinion, it's pretty easy to say but harder to do. The solution is simple, instead of making social media profile better and more appreciated, people should make their lives as they want them to look and then the content on the profile can be real and authentic.
To be honest I have no answer to the third question. I don't have the opinion on this topic because I can see right now friends children's using a lot of social media but can't see long term effects for now.
1. Do you use social media? If yes, which platform and for what purpose? If you don’t can you say why?
ReplyDeleteI have not used social networks for a long time, I have never had an account on Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok. I have a Facebook account, but I rarely use it, I also have an account in LinkedIn, but this is more like for work purposes, but I also haven't used it for a long time since I found a job. The only thing I actively use to communicate with friends is Tellegram, but it's more like of a simple messenger than a social network.
2. If you agree that social media has some bad influence on our social real life, do you have any idea how it can be changed? If you don’t would you like to explain why?
Of course I think so, otherwise I would actively use them xD But if I fully describe why I think so, then this comment will be larger than this article, since my views are conservative and quite radical ...
3. In your opinion, how social media influence younger generations?
Honestly... no comments for it... it'll be to long
Yes, I have been using social media for a long time. I have an account on facebook, instagram and linkedin.
ReplyDeleteI think social media is the source of both good and bad phenomena. I like to browse the intagrams for cool artwork. It's nice to have access to the works of people from all over the world and be up to date with them because most of the content is current entries from the accounts of specific artists. Likewise for athletes. I enjoy viewing race results and rides. Shots from a drone uploaded live on instagram is a very cool thing.
However, I think that social media has a negative impact on the perception of the world. Constantly staring at the "best" in a given field can make you complex and lower your self-worth.
I think that the young generation is already inseparable from social media. These are people born after their birth and are normal for them. However, in order not to cause any damage, children should be educated on how to use them wisely