Social Media Impact

Project Description

This project is about the impact of social media on the average person in the United States and the demographics of users. Although the findings indicate that the negative impacts have a far higher rate of 64% due to misinformation, cyberbullying, harassment, addiction, and so on, 25% of the study population posits that social media has a positive impact because it keeps folks informed and connected.

Social Media Addiction Survey Results

The result after taking the "Am I ADDICTED to social media?" QUIZ shows “You have a HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP with social media - well done!”

I agree with this evaluation because it is a vivid reflection of my social media usage.

Interesting Social Media Statistic
I used the statistics, with the image attached below, which states that “25% of Americas who say social media have a positive impact on the country cite staying informed, aware” (Auxier, B. 2020).

I chose it because it resonates with me and mirrors my use of social media. I have two social media accounts, but I post content or respond to those of others only once or twice a year, but I view the account weekly to get informed and be aware of what is happening in the environment and in the lives of people I know.

If I took part in this survey, I would have added to the number of people who chose this option of using social media to stay informed.

What makes this finding interesting is that even though it shows that the negative impact of social media is overwhelming (64%), there are still those who use it as an avenue to stay informed and be aware, and to those people, social media is a beautiful thing.

Social Media's Impact on Society

There is no doubt that social media is inundated with misinformation and being a fertile ground for its spread, cyberbullying/harassment, and addiction to the screen. This is because there is either a total lack of or inadequate moderation to the tone expressed in the social media environment; even the social media companies and government are culpable. However, to view the impact of social media mostly as negative is not a fair assessment because social media impacts are both positive and negative; and on the positive side, people connect to stay informed; create and assess job and employment opportunities; enable creativity and learning; and enhance civic and communal living. This view is corroborated by Roeder, A (2020) who opined that “having a strong social network is associated with positive mental health and well-being. Routine social media use may compensate for diminishing face-to-face social interactions.”

Lessons Learned
The main lesson from this project is that the impact of social media usage is not completely negative. Social media is known to be a fantastic way of connecting people in a country where people’s lives are overwhelmed by hyperactivity and depressing events.

Sources

Auxier, B. (2020, October 15). 64% of Americans say social media have a mostly negative effect on the way things are going in the U.S today. Retrieved from Pew Research Center. https://pewrsr.ch/3dsV7uR

Roeder, A. (2020, January 6). Social media use can be positive for mental health and well-being. Retrieved from the T. H. Chan Harvard School of Public Health.

https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/social-media-positive-mental-health/

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