Social media is a huge part of the world today. The ability to network with millions of people in countries all over the globe in the touch of a button has more benefits than you can count. It plays a large part in the economy, the political atmosphere, the academic and scientific communities, and in business. From how money is spent to how a relationship starts, being connected makes life pretty easy.
However, every advantage has a disadvantage. Being too connected can have downfalls. Some of the arenas of life that are impacted by the use of social media include:
Financial
Social media presents increased opportunities to make purchases via targeted ads and other forms of marketing. You can sell and advertise products and services, creating income opportunities for individuals that may otherwise be unemployed.
But with the millions of hours users spend on sites like Facebook and Twitter, and the focused advertisements that make it hard to say no, bank accounts are dropping fast. Between lost productivity and exorbitant online shopping bills, social media can be a real damper on your finances.
Physical
As studies have shown, screens have an adverse effect on our bodies. The blue light is infamous for ruining sleep cycles and slowing the production of dopamine. In addition, the prevalence of small mobile devices leads to joint and other issues in the hands, wrists and fingers, including carpal tunnel syndrome in teenagers.
Emotional
Cyber bullying is one of the most prevalent problems on social media. It can cause detrimental emotional effects on teenagers, and makes adults feel pretty bad too. Even when a post, photo or video is acknowledged with praise or interest, the poster is flooded with feel-good emotions, which causes them to return over and over for more of that positive reinforcement, leading to a further lack in productivity.
Mental
Social media also presents a unique opportunity to find and offer support for many issues and problems, and it allows a user to remain anonymous. This makes it possible for many people to seek help who wouldn’t otherwise consider it an option.
However, that ease in sharing ideas with vast numbers of people in mere seconds can lead many users to develop an over-inflated sense of self or feeling of entitlement.
Professional
More than a handful of would-be excellent employees have sacrificed their jobs due to social media. Whether they see slacking off at the office or witness some inappropriate picture taken at the office, bosses don’t take kindly to social media behavior.
Romance
On more than one occasion, social media has gotten in the way of a loving couple. Between shared accounts and dubious conquests, the number of happily joined people that have fallen prey number in the millions. The ability to immediately satisfy feelings of anger and revenge is one of the dangers of using social networks without restraint.
