THE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN TODAY'S SOCIETY

Years of human history have pointed to only one thing: human beings are social animals. Over the years, we have survived and evolved thanks to the human connections we made and continue to make along the way. An article from the University of Pennsylvania describes social relationships as “critical not just to our happiness but to our survival.” The way our ancestors socialized in the past is not the same as today. In the 21st century, there are multiple spaces, one of which is part of our daily lives—the internet, specifically, social media. The internet was first developed around the 1960s, a very recent invention in our society.

JACOB SAMS SANCHEZ LOOKING AT SOCIAL MEDIA; PHOTO BY JOSH GAETA

Social media has been a convenience that facilitates the way we think, act, and speak—here in lies one of our first problems. Social media has facilitated the way we relate to others, reaching a wider audience across the world. This ease of use not only makes those without any protection vulnerable, but also normalizes these bad actions. A study made by Stanford University stated: “Research has shown that young adults who use social media are three times as likely to suffer from depression, putting a large portion of the population at risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors”. This is largely driven by influences that take refuge in social media; be it toxic communities that instill suicidal thoughts, or videos that expose this without any decency or consideration. One solution to this problem is to teach schools, or homes, how to behave in this social environment, taking into account the consequences of its excessive use. 

Multiple social media platforms have meticulous algorithms that give you what you're looking for with subtle interactions, keeping us connected even against our will. This is where the second conflict related to the mentioned arises: the ease of manipulating material and collective thinking will be beneficial for a group of people or an individual. Dopamine is something you receive when you like a post, when you scroll through a video, or when you interact with it. The University of Utah claimed, "Having too much dopamine is linked to being aggressive and having trouble controlling impulses. Dopamine imbalances are also linked to ADHD and addiction." By constantly receiving rewards, you lose focus of your own thoughts, entering a zombie state. The zombie state is when you start falling from the balance of being emotional and rational at the same time, which is crucial for solving social problems. 

Being in this state, we are not fully aware of our actions and how they affect others, so we resort to hurtful and unprogressive actions, stagnating in the same place. An article from the University of Cambridge raises the question about the ethics of the companies that control these means of communication. They say “Never before in history has such a small number of designers had such a large influence on the thoughts and decisions of two billion people”. This is not only unfavorable for young adults, but for our society as a whole. The malpractice of these algorithms can make certain groups of people vulnerable, influencing their oppression. Collectively, we need to question the ethics of those who reside in privilege, the companies, being individually detached from the personal experiences that ordinary people have and share. For these main reasons, society as a whole needs to consciously manage the time we consume social media content, always staying away from it to maintain our own mental stability. Always looking for ways to question what we consume and ask ourselves: "Is this really what's happening, or is it simply propaganda for a malicious discourse?"