Our society is becoming closer to one where everyone is buried in their phones, scrolling through social media. It’s evident that social media has a huge impact on individuals and their lives. Some impacts are positive, but it’s been shown that social media has negatively affected things like our moods and stress levels. Personally, I always knew that social media had its pros and cons, but I stick to using it as a way to connect, share and learn. As a teen with a fervent passion for digital media and running social media campaigns, I also upload creative works frequently onto social media platforms, such as Bilibili, Weibo, Douyin, and Red. My life is heavily influenced by this powerful tool, but I wasn’t too worried because I believed that my presence on social media was mainly positively affecting my life.
What made me reconsider my use of social media was when I watched a documentary with my sisters called “The Social Dilemma” last year. To briefly summarize, the documentary talks about the advent of social media and how social media companies take advantage of users, especially teenagers. It focuses on how tech and social media companies manipulate their users by using algorithms that cause addiction to their platforms. The documentary exposes how companies like Facebook, Google, and Twitter damage society in order to both retain and gain users. There were multiple times while watching “The Social Dilemma” where I wanted to deactivate all my social media accounts. Indeed, it was an eye-opening documentary. I was shocked and frightened at what I learned, but I knew the importance of understanding how things we use every day work deep within and being aware of the issue surrounding this powerful tool in our world today. After watching it, I became more cautious when picking up my phone and often wondered whether I should be on social media. Because I was bothered by this, I started doing further research on social media, especially during the special period of Covid-19.
During the pandemic, social media was not only helping people interact and connect with family and friends. It was also a major source of entertainment. I’m sure that I wasn’t alone in feeling like I had less to do while restricted indoors; it saved many of us from boredom and loneliness. However, according to Suzin Wold’s September 2020 article “Covid-19 is changing how, why, and how much we’re using social media,” in Digital Commerce 360: “The majority of respondents agreed that their social media consumption (72%) and posting (43%) have increased during the pandemic.” Social media usage was increasing rapidly, but more time spent on social media means a bigger chance of cyberbullying, social anxiety, depression, and exposure to content that is not age-appropriate.
Increased social media usage can especially negatively impact teenagers. “Teens… have been comparing themselves more to their peers and have been deprioritizing healthy, in-person communication,” according to Neha Chaudhary, MD, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in the 2020 Business Insider article “How Social Media Affects the Mental Health of Teenagers.” “What’s more is, from a mental health perspective, social media has introduced new risks: teens can now harm or be harmed by others online.”
Going on social media was also my method of staying updated on the latest news. Since many of the accounts I follow on Instagram posted the newest updates on the pandemic, I felt that being on Instagram was teaching me more about the situation in countries around the world. However, social media was undeniably contributing to the larger problem of misinformation. According to the June 2020 article “Facade of media and social media during Covid-19: A review” published in the International Journal of Research in the Pharmaceutical Sciences, “Mass media and social media platforms played a crucial role in providing information regarding the Coronavirus. Since little is known about Covid-19, various fake news, misinformation, and rumors spread across the digital media that panicked people into making panic decisions. The rapid spread of misinformation and stories via social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube became a vital concern of the government and public health authorities.”
The spread of misinformation is also leading to increased pressures and stress. An October 2020 study by Sandpiper Communications, which surveyed 1,226 Gen Zs across Asia Pacific to better understand how Covid-19 has affected the mental wellbeing of this age group, stated that “it is this flow of news and information [on social media]that has become a double-edged sword. The number of negative stories is cited by 61% as the main reason why social media has had a negative impact on their lives during the pandemic.”
Social media in the times of Covid-19 has been a blessing and a curse. So, how can we use social media more healthily?
- When using social media, try to tune in with yourself and decide what’s best for you. Be mindful of how you’re feeling when you’re using it; if it isn’t a great feeling, perhaps signing off would be the healthier choice.
- Another helpful tip is to take time off of social media, even if it’s just for one weekend. Social media is addictive, and you can end up losing track of the time you spend on it. Use it moderately, and you might also realize that you can do so much more in your free time when you stop constantly reaching for your phone and clicking into those social media apps.
- The last tip is to mute or block people who trigger you. Know that you can be in control of how your social media page affects you.
Your social media profile can highlight fun things about you, or help you tell stories about the world and who you are, but it is not more important than you. Not using or posting on social media doesn’t make you not exist.
KEEP READING: Just An App Away: Safety and Social Media Friendships
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This article is part of beijingkids’ Teen Correspondents program. If you or a teen you know want to write for us, email editor@beijing-kids.com.
