Social Media Impact

For this project I researched on the impact of social media in out society today

According to the "Am I addicted to social media quiz" I am very addicted and attached to social media and it recommends logging off for some time and participate in a detox. 

[You NEED to get a grip on your social media habits! Scrolling through social media is your number one past time - you're never off the. gram, or TikTok, or Twitter or... (insert your favorite platform here). You spend an excessive amount of your day on social media, feeling that if something isn't recorded and posted on one of your accounts it didn't really happen. Sleep, eating, work, even your relationships, are all suffering as a result. Did you know that, in a famous study from Denmark, adults who spent a week off social media felt much happier with their lives? They also reported an increase in real-world social activity and were significantly less angry and lonely than those who stayed on social media. It's time to take your social media addiction seriously and embark on a digital detox.] - quiz feedback.

Honestly, even before taking the quiz, I already knew I was highly addicted. I have a very unhealthy relationship with my phone. 

I think the most interesting part of the whole article was how many teens that they say are on the internet constantly . it was very interesting to me because it was highly relatable. ( unfortunately I cannot paste the image on here for so I just attached a link to the image , its shows the increase over time from 2014 till 2022 ) https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/?attachment_id=28533  

Social media, in my opinion, has both beneficial and detrimental effects on society. On the plus side, it has aided in the communication of ideas, improved connectivity, and given voice to underrepresented groups. it has also allowed for family and friends in very long distances to stay and keep in touch with each other. However social media has also had a lot of detrimental impacts. It has aided in the dissemination of false information, the creation of echo chambers, and the polarization of society.  mental health problems like anxiety, depression,  and sadness are also linked to excessive screen time and social media addiction.

The most important lesson I've learned from all the information I've learned in this entire module is to be intentional with the information I consume. I have also learned that I need to spend less time on my phone and more time in the real world. More real life human connection helps your mental health and overall functioning. 

Vogels, E. A. (2022, August 10). Teens, social media and technology 2022. Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/08/10/teens-social-media-and-technology-2022/