Social Media in the 21st Century
In the 21st year of the 21st century, while there are many prevalent issues, I believe the most significant is the constant presence of social media. For a creation that was intended to connect people, it seems that it does the opposite. While there are certain benefits to its existence, there are many cases where it goes from being an enjoyable pastime, to a new age addiction.
Social media often is nothing more than a tool that allows people to share brief moments of their lives that they want others to admire. While it is obvious people prefer to display the better moments of their lives, there are many who have a difficult time distinguishing the difference between reality and the molded image of their lives. As a result, many compare their own lives to others on social media, which can have destructive consequences.
There are times where a person may be more interested in capturing a photo just for the sake of a Snapchat story or an Instagram post, rather than enjoy the moment they’re in. It is one thing to take a picture to capture a memory, but it is a completely separate motive when someone wants to take a picture just to prove to their friends and peers that they’re having a good time.
As a result of social media’s presence, it seems that people today are in an age where mistakes can be made and publicly displayed. In a moment of weakness, a person may make a foolish decision and have it recorded only for it to find its way onto the internet. This can lead to any number of longtime potential issues and can appear at any point over a person’s lifetime.
In today’s world, people are less interested in engaging in real conversations and would rather just scroll through their feed. While communicating online is convenient, it has taken away many people’s in-person communication skills.
The issue of FOMO, also known as the Fear of Missing Out, is a frequent concern when speaking about the issues with social media. This is the problem where someone may see others they know enjoying themselves without their presence, resulting in a feeling of being left out. They may continue to monitor these posts, though it only feeds more into the issue. Thirty years ago, people would have had no up-to-the-minute knowledge of their friends' lives, which would eliminate an issue such as this almost completely.
It is foolish to assume social media will ever become irrelevant or nonexistent, though as with most things, some form of moderation is needed. If people were to just occasionally scroll through their social media throughout the day as opposed to monitoring it every break they get, it would reduce many issues associated with the presence of social media.