Social Media: A Boon or Curse

Social networking is a medium today used by each and every person all over the world. Its main purpose is to promote communication among people living nearby or far away in different countries by sharing messages, videos, photos, etc. The various social media platforms are a stage for people to unite and to socialize, either from the same place or somewhere on different global locations. However, every coin has two sides; similarly, social media also has its own pros and cons.

If we talk about Social Media as a Boon then we get limitless information on our fingertip. It is now possible for us to connect with our friends or family members living miles away in an easy, fast and convenient way. If a person is an introvert he/she can communicate their thoughts and present their perception over different topics in front of large number of audiences. Nowadays the politicians are also using social media to promote their parties, organizing mass movements and rallies and social media also plays an important role at the time of elections. Many companies’ uses social media to advertise their products, connect to their customers by taking feedback and improve their services according to the feedback received. Students can make projects, do their research work easily on internet. It is an open society in which we can find like minded people with whom one can easily gel up, to not only share viewpoints but also to converse, meet, participate in events etc. There is no age barrier, everyone can use it. Social Media has made working easier along with being time saving and is very easily accessible.

Now if we talk about the other side of the coin, means Social media as a Curse, then it may have its share of positive aspects but has some negative effects too. Many studies have shown that excessive use of social media leads to addiction. Children nowadays get addicted so much that they are getting prone to diseases like obesity, weak eyesight’s, etc. as they avoid moving out of house to play outdoor games and participate in outdoor activities. They are becoming premature after seeing the adult, violent, criminal content which is not at all good for them and may lead to committing any such act themselves. It leads to isolation as the person using social media totally gets engrossed in using it that they don’t even care to know what is going on around them. They may get “socially active” on internet but they actually end up as a loner because extreme usage will reduce real human interaction. Cyber crime is yet another negative aspect of social media, which is frequently seen nowadays. One should not share excessive personal information or data on social media that can land them in serious cyber crimes.

As I said earlier, everything has its own negative and positive aspect. Social media should be used as a tool only and should not be treated as an important aspect of our life. According to me, the effects of social media is balanced, there are many good things as well as bad. It is Me and You, who decides about how we want to use it; in our favor or against us.

         The author of this opinion article is Ms. Astha Singh at PR Professionals