Social Media Blessing or Curse has developed a debate over these years in the realm of content creation. But in this realm there are two elements that stand as pillars of differentiation: the intricate dance of “perplexity” and the vibrant burst of “burstiness”. Perplexity measures the complexity of the text embedded in our words. On the other hand Burstiness, a symphony of sentence variations graces our linguistic. This is basically a human trait unlike our AI counterparts who basically follow a same rhythm.
And now, dear readers, let’s delve into the quintessential discussion of our era – is social media an angelic boon bestowing unity or a sly curse that splinters us apart?
Table of Contents
Introduction
The 21st century has witnessed an unprecedented surge in the use of social media platforms. From connecting long-lost friends to revolutionizing business strategies, social media has rewritten the rules of communication. However, its role as a good or bad thing continues to spark discussions globally.
Blessings of Social Media
Global Connectivity
Social media has cut across all geographical boundaries. Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram help us connect to our friends, family, and strangers from all over the world. By sharing updates, photos, and videos, we maintain unwavering connections with our loved ones, defying the constraints of geographical boundaries. According to survey there are almost 4.8 billion active people on social media which can increase very rapidly in coming years.
Promoting Social Causes and Awareness
One of the greatest achievements of social Media is its ability to raise awareness about pressing issues. It’s the digital space where #SaveTheTigers and #ClimateAction are everywhere, raising the banner of change and lighting the torch for a better future.
Access to Information and Education
The treasure of knowledge at your fingertips is the blessing that the digital era has given us. Connecting with global educators and educational resources through social media has provided excellent opportunities to learn new skills.
Entrepreneurs in the Digital Arena
Imagine sitting in your home and selling all your products globally. A wonderful way social media has blessed us with platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and many more is that small and large businesses have equal opportunities to connect with customers. Advertising through social media platforms has helped lots of companies grow their business.
Curse of Social Media
Mental Health Struggles
The excess use of social media platforms can cause a lot of issues. These issues include both Physical and mental ones. People who are addicted to these platforms experience many negative side effects, such as headaches, Eye Strain, increased negativity, and depression.
FOMO
Also known as fear of Missing out, this is what we face every day. We are bombarded constantly with posts and videos of the best parties in the world, millionaires entering cars worth crores in Slomo, the fanciest vacations, and a glamorous life, and it’s tough not to feel like we are missing all of it, right?
Spread of Misinformation and Fake News
The increasing tools of social media also increase the amount of information on the web, which is very hard to identify as real or fake.
Invasion of Privacy and Data Security
While social media offers a chance to look into other people’s lives, it also raises concerns about data privacy and security. We tend to forget to read all privacy policies and just scroll and accept the terms, but most of the time these terms allow the websites to sell our data, which can lead to privacy breach.
The Ripple Effect: Likes, Trends, and Emojis
Redefining Stardom
Who would have thought that just by posting fancy photos, viral reels, fancy cars, and dresses People are becoming so-called “Influencers” and making a ton of money? Forcing movie stars to think about their stardom.
Impact on Interpersonal Relationships
Now that emojis are considered the supreme, the art of face-to-face conversation is fading away. We are so busy sharing our emotions in the form of emojis, keeping Whatsapp statuses, or sharing Instagram reels as a way of communication instead of sharing our feelings directly with the person.
Striking the Balance between the good and bad
It’s very important to keep the balance between the blessing or curse of social media. As a citizen of the world it’s our responsibility to make sure that the content we are consuming is real, fake or breaching our security and then take a decision over it. Here are some tips that can help us balancing the social media parts
Limit Screen Time
Keep the use of the digital world limited unless you require it; there’s a lot to do, like reading a good book, playing a sport, or traveling in the heart of nature, instead of scrolling Instagram feeds.
Protect your Privacy
It’s pretty obvious that this explains everything, but let’s put it this way: before accepting the terms of privacy, just go through the main parts of the page to understand what you are sharing with the website or app. Accept the permissions only if you require them, or just let them go.
Verify Information
Just don’t agree with what you see on social media and start sharing it with the people around you. Try to verify it; it may take some time, but instead of you being a spreader of fake news, you will be a part of good and genuine info person.
Promote Positivity
As said earlier, don’t be the promoters of fake news; “Be the change”. Spread positivity, kindness, and laughter; after all, the world requires good positive vibes.
Conclusion: Is Social Media Blessing or Curse?
So, coming to the end again, the question is: is social media blessing or curse? Well, my friend, it’s like a coin having two sides. It’s how and which side we choose. No doubt social media is a great and powerful tool people are using to grow business, but its ability to connect, educate, and amplify comes with a risk of misinformation, mental health issues, and privacy issues.
So, how we use this powerful tool in a positive or negative way defines whether social media is a blessing or a curse. So next time you are scrolling through your feed, keep in mind whether you are riding a blessing wave or caught in a curse current. Keep the balance is what I can say at last.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to share a selfie with my pet goldfish.
I would like to know your thoughts. Comment below.