Is there a positive side of social media?

Jamie Beaupre (G7)

Science and Technology

Published Issue 6 2022-2023

We all hear that social media is negative and everything on there is fake and damaging for teenagers. But the reasons it could be damaging to teens may be because that's all they are doing. It is important to make sure that social media is being used responsibly but that also requires teenagers to have space and freedom. 

Many people struggle to make friends at school and the solution to that: make friends online. Although many parents might think it is dangerous, it makes their children happier and have a safe space. Online services also give opportunities to you to find people who have similar interests which may result in friendship. 

Teenagers are not known to be interested in reading the newspaper or wanting to watch the news, so social media is a place where they can learn about what is happening in the world. Though the information might be not true, it is very easy to do a quick internet search to see if there are reliable sources that back it up. Another reason social media is not as evil as people say is that people can also promote businesses, ideas, events, or even charities or fundraisers– helping spread awareness to help people's lives. 

Social media can even be good for school; you are able to search and see what other people have said on a topic and get the opinions of others. Many people also use social media as an outlet for their interests or even just to talk to someone and are able to show and express their passions. 

Finally, people go online in search of help and support. Many people can not meet in person so they use social media to help each other out. Overall I believe that social media has many positives even though many people say that it is not good for you.