• Access to Community: Social media gives users access to many online communities outside of their own. This showcases more opinions, destinations, art, and jobs for the people to explore, with places like X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube being advertisement hotspots to find all of these. Along with this, it is much easier to find friends and accepting communities on the internet without being judged, with an almost disgustingly large range of them.

• Knowledge: Media gives us access to many different types of knowledge. With it, you have access to tips, courses, articles, and any type of informative media turned digital. It is a vast landscape where you have access to any specialty you want.

• Civic Engagement: Before you have access to the internet, you can only ask local communities for help on fundraisers and other support. However, social media is filled with different ways to ask for financial aid. There, it’s easier to find places to give and to be given to; sites like GoFundMe, X, Instagram, and Facebook all have ranges of communities that are willing to donate to people in need. Such is why it’s so effortless to find places in need due to war and other hardships.

• Cyberbullying: Cyberbullying has been a huge comeuppance ever since Social Media was released. We have a segment going more in-depth about it here, so let’s move on.

• Sleep: Phones are wildly known for increasing insomnia and ruining sleep schedules. With the infinite scrolling feature that keeps you on your phone for hours—which is now on every social media site—nobody is safe from staying up too late. Plus, the light emitted from phones is known to hurt your eyes and prevent you from sleeping.

• Private Information: It is now far easier for a person to find someone's information online nowadays than back when we didn’t have them on databases. Now, any skilled hacker can find a system online and break into it, which tends to be a common occurrence. Additionally, many people aren’t as wary with their information anymore and post details about themselves that trace back to their personal information without them even realizing it. With “doxing” (sharing someone's private information on the internet) becoming a common threat now, it’s important to keep your information as safe as possible and as away from the Web as possible.

“Over 60PC of World Now on Social Media: Study.” New Age | The Most Popular Outspoken English Daily in Bangladesh, www.newagebd.net/article/207462/over-60pc-of-world-now-on-social-media-study. Accessed 8 Feb. 2024.

Social media's origins can be traced to the early years of computer-mediated communication. Early forms of online interaction were made possible by platforms such as CompuServe and AOL( a web page/ online service provider) in the late 20th century. However, the advent of websites like Friendster and MySpace, which popularized the idea of interacting with people through online profiles, helped to popularize the term "social media" in the 2000s. When Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook in 2004, the world changed dramatically because it offered a social networking experience that was more inclusive and user-friendly. With its emphasis on brief, real-time updates, Twitter, founded in 2006, added a new dimension. Visual-focused platforms like Instagram and Snapchat became more popular in the following years, providing distinctive means of sharing moments and stories. Social media's development over time has been shaped by shifting societal demands and technological breakthroughs, creating a new way of communicating with others not only verbally but creatively with visuals.

Since the inception of social media, each generation has witnessed and adopted different views and habits on the internet. For instance, out of the adults compared in a 2021 survey, 84% of 18-29-year-olds (a mix of Gen Z and Y) use at least 1 social media site, while people that are 65+ (Boomers and older) are at 45% (pewresearch.org). As for how they use social media, we have witnessed an extreme change in how generations view the world and how they interact with others. If you think about it, you can assign a social media for each generation (like how we associate FaceBook with boomers). However, how has that affected us? For older generations, we have formed the “term” Karen; since they weren’t introduced to the diversity that social media has, they tend to be more closed-minded (however, since this is seen on the internet, it is very obviously exaggerated and makes a small percentage seem much larger then it is). Jumping forward to millennials, they tend to be more depressed and tired due to how aware they are of their surroundings (probably due to how social media has spread information). Millennials also use social media as an escape from these hardships. Gen Z, however, is just a pile of emotions as of now. Since they are all in the late stages of neurological development, it’s easy to see why. They are more susceptible to being obsessed with trends and people but also tend to stand up for themselves more. And for our youngest generation, Gen Alpha, they seem to be worrisome. Due to content farms on YouTube, they’ve grown obsessed with absent-minded trends and are more, rude, tantrum-driven, and behind in education. Although a lot of these traits are, again, exaggerated by the internet, it is still scary to see how a majority of a generation seems to be behind socially.

Maka, Money. “How To: Create a Consistent Social Media Aesthetic (Instagram).” YR Media, 2 Apr. 2020, https://yr.media/arts-culture/how-to-create-a-consistent-social-media-aesthetic/.

What Is the Difference between Social Media and Web 2.0? - Techopedia, www.techopedia.com/2/27884/internet/social-media/what-is-the-difference-between-social-media-and-web-20. Accessed 8 Feb. 2024.

Social media has changed significantly, revolutionizing how people engage and communicate. Social networking was first popularized by sites like Friendster and MySpace, which let users connect with friends and share personal profiles. A more widespread and streamlined approach to social networking was introduced with the launch of Facebook, which was a significant turning point. With time, social media sites like Twitter and Instagram surfaced, each focusing on various types of content sharing, from succinct ideas to visual narratives. The emergence of Snapchat changed the nature of online communication by introducing momentary content. Social media has developed into an effective tool for activism, connecting people worldwide, and disseminating information. But it has also come under fire for things like spreading fake news, invasions of privacy, and effects on mental health. Social media's constant evolution reflects its driving nature, which shapes communication patterns and societal norms.

The Best Digital Marketing Tools for Your Medical Aesthetic Practice. 30 Mar. 2022, https://www.venus.ai/news/the-best-digital-marketing-tools-for-your-medical-aesthetic-practice.

Social media has both a positive and negative effect on a person's mental health. There are several ways that social media can affect mental health. It endorses a sense of community by offering a platform for support and connection on the one hand. On these platforms, comparison is commonplace, leading to low self-esteem and feelings of inadequacy. Anxiety and depression may worsen by the continual exposure to carefully chosen pictures and lifestyles, which can set unreasonable expectations. Cyberbullying and online harassment are also dangerous and have a detrimental effect on mental health. Because social media is addictive and requires constant scrolling and notifications, it can cause stress and interfere with sleep. In the digital age, this generation is the most vulnerable to social media, affecting their mental health; most of this generation was born into these new technological norms. It is in our day-to-day lives and could be hard to cut off or limit. But, maintaining mental health requires finding a balance in social media use and encouraging positive interactions online.