“Is social media bad for you?” is a common question that’s heard frequently. But how bad is it really?

Let’s take it back to the beginning of social media. 

Social media was introduced to us in the early 2000s as a place where people could post silly videos and chat with their friends or family. However, during this time it was not as popular as it is today leaving only around 5% of the population using it according to Brown University Health.  Social media really started mainstreaming around 2010, and has continued to take off. At this point in time there were many new apps being introduced such as Instagram and Facebook. 

Now let’s take a look at how social media can be good for you, but also bad for you at the same time. 

Social media does have both pros and cons to it, but let’s start with the pros. 

The pros of social media could be: 

• Easy way to stay connected with friends and family: If you have long-distance friends or family, you can easily chat with them. 

• Easy access to get information for a research paper or other information: If you need quick on-the-go information for a paper, your writing, or a project, you can easily access it.

• Great Marketing: You will see people all over social media trying to sell something to you, which could be a great marketing strategy.

                                                                                                               (Brown University Health)

All of these pros to social media can be a great way to keep in contact with people, market something, or find information. Yet, despite these great factors, there are also cons to social media.

The cons of social media could include: 

• Online vs. reality: Some things you see on social media can be fake or false advertising, leaving the question in the air: Is this reality?

• FOMO (fear of missing out): Can cause someone to feel left out of something, whether that be seeing your friends all hanging out together without you or something similar. Social media in this aspect can be upsetting for some.

• Social media can be addicting: Once you start scrolling through it can be difficult to stop, increasing screen time for many.

                                                                                            (Brown University health) 

Due to the cons that social media presents, it should encourage users to look into the long-term effects when they make a decision on whether or not it should be used. 

Now let’s take a look at what else social media can bring. 

In addition to the cons previously mentioned, social media can also cause bullying. People who post videos online can receive hate from others in the comments. This particular type of bullying is known as cyberbullying. By spreading hate or rumors about an individual, it can hinder self-confidence, in addition to other issues. To avoid cyberbullying, instead of spreading hate or rumors, individuals could spread kindness in the comments, making someone feel better and more confident about themselves.

Although there can be many great things about social media, there also can be downfalls too. So, you answer the question: Is social media really bad for you?