Social Media has come to be known as an effective tool for communication, community relations, news dissemination, business outreaches, social networking and all what not and all what not.
In spite of the very commendable positives that social media has brought to our lives, there are some attendant negatives which we cannot ignore.
I enumerate them below.
The uncensored nature of social media has been a major contribution to the evolution of fake news over the last few years. In simple terms, a 17 year old boy with a large social media following makes a post on his account with a figment of his imagination, which gets shared to thousands and thousands of people who take his words hook, line and sinker and might be stimulated to act on them. Governmental bodies corporate organisations recognize today that their reputations can be ruined and their businesses brought down by the machinations of fake news purveyors. That's the reality we face today.
2. Decline in the Book Reading Culture
The use of social media has brought about the loss of the reading culture as many users have grown more accustomed to the "media" a la pictures and videos without as much a consideration for the more conventional means of information dissemination. Experts believe a generation would arise who would probably have no books to read. Of note also is that better access to modern technology in forms of better devices has not been able to stem the decline in the reading culture especially within the generation X.
3. Tactless Posts
Okay. Not too much words on this. A story would suffice. I know quite a lot of people who get to hear about the death of a close relative from social media - the news of the death of a person posted on social media within minutes of the demise without consideration for the feelings of the bereaved. Everyone wants to be the "First to break the news".
4. Loss of Privacy and Respect
Closely connected to the last point is the inevitable loss of privacy that's accompanied the "first to break the news" syndrome. There is little discretion left as a person's worst blunders can find their way to social media within the twinkling of an eye. There is also the attendant loss of respect and camaraderie among folks on social media owing to the familiarity and proximity that social media assumes.
5. Unhealthy Comparisons
Last but certainly not the least of the ills associated with social media is the false reality that social media gives its patronizers. For every picture, every post, every achievement posted on social media, you must recognize that the poster posts what he/she wants you to see which may be starkly different from his/her reality. The attendant consequence of this is that followers have their psyche conditioned to always see the greener grass on the other side without diagnosing the false reality. E.g. there are social media "influencers" who do not have a stable source of income and cannot afford daily meals. Their sense of worth comes from the false reality they adopt, which could eventually affect the self-worth of their followers.
Point to note is that Social Media is a fake reality. It's not the real deal.
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