When it comes to social media, it plays a significant role in our everyday lives. One can wake up and the first thing they do before brushing their teeth is check social media. They can also make it the last thing they do before they go to bed and repeat the same cycle again the next day. But as repetitive as that becomes, it does bring negatives to social media users and its effect on personal expression.
For starters, social media unites and connects users virtually by sharing thoughts, feelings, and creativity. It can be performed through live events or past ones. For example, through the years, sites like MySpace and Facebook provide users with statuses. Users in the social media community can get notified if some are single, or in a relationship. Others can see where they're at, or what they're up to.
But with the constant reiterations of the same things, it can take a toll on users. A lot of people nowadays have relied too much on social media to go through life. As aforementioned, statuses on platforms like Twitter and Facebook, Users can get a little too comfortable on social media and begin oversharing personal things. Users need to know severe the consequences, good or bad, about posting “too much” on social media.
For example, on apps such as Instagram, it gives you the opportunity to post your location. Say someone posts they are at Dave & Buster’s at Dolphin Mall in Sweetwater, Florida, it puts the risk of someone who sees their story or post. According to Equifax,
“Oversharing could also put your valuables at risk – for example, if you’re showing that you’re away on holiday, you’re essentially announcing that you’re not at your home. This could give criminals – including identity thieves – the chance to target your place of residence if they know where it is.”
If you want to ensure there is no danger of making your location known, make sure your phone location’s settings are turned off. Also, check privacy settings.
Here is what Equifax suggests in hiding your location settings:
Make sure that you’ve got location settings turned off on your phone.
Check the settings for each app on your phone to ensure that the location tracking is turned off for every individual one. This includes the camera on your smartphone, so that your images aren’t tagged with your whereabouts.
Don’t share your location manually – that is, don’t type it out in a social media post. This includes when and where you are on holiday.
Check that the privacy settings on your social media accounts are set to your preferences, so that you’re only sharing your posts with people whom you trust.
Should you share your location on social media? The risks of sharing your location on social media | Equifax UK.
Another negative social media has is on the younger generation as it leads to social media addiction. Addiction begins after overexposure to something, and it becomes a habit. And with the way technology has advanced through the last few years, it’s led to kids being glued to their electronic devices now more than ever. And with the “goodness,” social media brings to users, within the likes, reposts, and positive comments, it brings a feeling of dopamine, the chemical that gets released in the brain when something makes you feel good. So, the “rush” you get through social media, later affects your mental health. According to Exploding Topics, the average person spends 2.5 hours on social media daily, with Americans checking their phones 159 times a day.
According to a study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study showed that young adults who spend 3 or more hours on social media may have a higher risk of mental health problems.
“Social media platforms drive surges of dopamine to the brain to keep consumers coming back over and over again... resulting in a high similar to the one people feel when gambling or using drugs.” (Miller, 2022)
So, with social media sort of "identifying" users by their digital outlook, it navigates them in a more unusual manner. Plus, with phones being able to track their screen time on apps, can benefit people who want to cut back on being too much on their phones. In addition, it can even take away from having a face-to-face social life. Being attached, or addicted to typing on a screen, lowers the total engagement that they can have at a party, sporting event, or bar. But as research doesn't fully state into whether social media use is better or worse than not using social media at all, it can always be reduced so we can better ourselves and not allow it to alter expressing ourselves personally.
Informative articles and video's from topics mentioned here:
Ben-Joseph, E. P. (Ed.). (2022). Online safety (for parents). KidsHealth. Retrieved March 28, 2023, from https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/net-safety.html
What is digital literacy? Twinkl.com. (2022). Retrieved March 28, 2023, from https://www.twinkl.com/teaching-wiki/digital-literacy
Should you share your location on social media? The risks of sharing your location on social media | Equifax UK. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://www.equifax.co.uk/resources/identity-protection/should-you-share-your-location-on-social-media.html#:~:text=Don't%20share%20your%20location,with%20people%20whom%20you%20trust.
Health, J. (n.d.). The addictiveness of social media: How teens get hooked. Jefferson Health - Greater Philadelphia & South Jersey Region. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://www.jeffersonhealth.org/your-health/living-well/the-addictiveness-of-social-media-how-teens-get-hooked#:~:text=%E2%80%9CSocial%20media%20platforms%20drive%20surges,when%20gambling%20or%20using%20drugs.%E2%80%9D