A student distracted by their smartphone at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta. Many students walk the campus glued to their screen. (Ayden Bragg, CMRU.ca)
With social media, families are able to easily share photos of that time everyone’s favorite uncle tried to do a kickflip and friends can stay in touch better even after they’ve graduated. Social media is great. However, there are a few upsetting strings attached with the extra connectivity these platforms provide us. Strings so upsetting to the point that I believe social media existence causes us harm.
Face-to-Face
Though social media has granted us exciting new ways to communicate with each other; our old-fashioned methods have fallen to the wayside. For example, the age-old practice of meeting up face-to-face with one another has been in decline since social media made its debut. More and more people prefer leaving some interactions with others online.
Unfortunately, the more we choose to communicate through online mediums: the more our communication skills will decline. Ironic. Compared to talking face-to-face, chatting through social media is less risky. Embarrassing yourself by asking your crush out in person is avoided when you can plan out and send an over-manicured text message. However, not taking these risks in-person can lead to a lack of development in your social and emotional intelligence.
Self-Esteem
We’ve all been there before, scrolling through Instagram, taking a break, and you stumble on a picture of a missed connection or past relationship out on vacation or doing something fun and it makes you compare yourself to them, wounding your self-esteem. With all the cool things social media lets us do it also gives us access to an arsenal of ways to shred through our self-esteem and the self-esteem of others.
On social-media, people post the best version of themselves. We don’t talk about the bad online like we do in person. This can be harmful when all you see is everyone you know going on ski trips while you’re at home on your phone.
These platforms have also created and armed cyber-bullies who are ready to pounce and tear apart anything you post. With a Facebook account for example, it lets your aunt send you a nice hello, but the guy from the grocery store who doesn’t like the way your face looks can also send over a less friendly hello.
Connectivity
Are there more pros than cons when it comes to having a social media account? I would say connectivity social media gives us far outweighs the self-esteem sabotage that comes along with that benefit. Getting to talk and see what your aunt in Arizona is up to is worth keeping a Facebook account even if it means Dale from Safeway shoots you a message about punching your face in every once in a while.
Plus, if you use social media as a tool responsibly you can avoid its pitfalls. Don’t get too caught up in the world you create for yourself online. Go lay down in the grass sometime, and bring a friend.
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