Dixya Poudel

Social media is an interactive site where users can communicate with one another virtually. It has certainly changed the way people communicate. Today, there are social media apps such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat among others. One can download such apps for free on electronic devices via an internet connection. Thus, on the palm of individuals can have nifty smartphones to connect to the world through several taps on the screen.

Events in life and memories are now encoded on social media that facilitate and expedite communication while also imparting daily news and information. As more and more people spend their time online, there has been a spurt of apps designated to aid the users for a better online experience.

Time Consuming
According to studies, in 2020, the average time spent by users on social media amounted to 145 minutes a day. Most of these users are connected to the internet and social media through their mobiles. Now in 2022, such users keep surging by the day. Thus, one cannot refute the combined influence of the internet, social media and the smartphone.

Today instead of attending a talk show, people can watch their favourite speakers speak on social media. Users can add or follow fellow users from around the world. Social media has become a platform to showcase the best and brightest in not just appearances but also talent, knowledge and expertise. If you are a writer, you can find fellow writers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and so on.

If you are artistically inclined, there is an entire community of artists on Instagram and Facebook. Even if you aren't a digital creator, you can still create your niche in social media. Doctors can reach out to more patients, engineers can showcase their tech wiz and therapists and counsellors can dole out therapy. Thus, social media has a diverse reach and its impact isn't just individual; it is also social, economic and political.
Most people these days access their news through Facebook posts. Thus, it isn't surprising that politicians vie to make the most of Facebook's reach in the social scene. Political campaigns are rife with parties competing to outdo one another through viral posts.

Such posts get viewed in millions and are hugely liable to influence the political opinions of the masses. The rise of former US President Donald Trump to the White House in 2016 has been attributed largely to inciting, incendiary and prejudiced posts on social media against his opponents.

As the New York Times reported, "The election of Donald J. Trump is perhaps the starkest illustration yet that across the planet, social networks are helping to fundamentally rewire human society." Given the leverage of social media sites, it isn't surprising that political parties use such platforms to sway votes in their direction.

Besides politics, social media impacts the economy as well. As more and more businesses, institutions and organisations reach out to their customers to build revenue, it has become important to be smart about online content.
Businesses today are likely to use social media to stimulate demand, generate insights and advertise products to a targeted audience. E-commerce is a growing field that has seen an exponential expansion in the past few years. Online stores continue to surpass most of the physical stores in sales, revenue and profit.

People prefer to shop online since products are available with a few clicks and taps on the phone. Thus, with the ease of online shopping, people are now buying and selling on the internet. Social media is fuelled by advertisements of such online stores. With shrewd acumen, businesses can target their specific audiences on social media thereby increasing their sales. Consequently, businesses, organisations and institutions can create a prominent online presence.

However, there are dark sides to social media as well. People tend to open up more on the internet, especially if they are posting anonymously. And they take to disgrace fellow users. On the anonymity of social media, many people feel free to cyberbullying as well. Social media is also charged with aggravated breaches of privacy, acceleration of propaganda and the spread of misinformation.

Due to its misleading nature, misinformation can create rifts between members of a community. However, the most malignant effect of social media is the degradation in the mental, emotional and psychological health of its users. One can often hear about social media anxiety and how it affects most users, especially youth. Many quit for the sake of their sanity only to log back on because social media can be addictive.
The world of social media is dominated by posts, images, videos, memes, articles and publications among others. And every now and then, there are posts where users confess how exhausting social media is. As the popularity of social media continues, users find themselves constantly looking at numbers.

People often lose their cool at the algorithm that decides how many viewers can look at their latest posts. The algorithm claims to serve users equally and impartially but can be a nuisance to most rookie social media users. It only confirms and limits users to their primary interests. The more they like, follow and share certain content, the more such content bounces back to them.

It certainly explains why people can see an ad on Instagram about a product or service that they had liked previously or searched online. With monetisation and financial rewards on social media, often there are buzzing competitions as well. People in society continuously try to better their competitors. Thus digital creators and influencers are competing and comparing each other when it comes to the numbers in their feed.

Unhealthy Practice
As such, constant comparison and competition on social media lead to unhealthy practices, especially among the youth. It further doesn't help that the younger generations like to flaunt their looks, wealth, success and affluence on the online platform. Envy and jealousy are the driving factors behind increasing dissatisfaction and feelings of inferiority.

Thus it is necessary to consider the delicate psyche of the youth and encourage them to seek a better and healthier approach in the online world. The world state is currently an anxious one that must be abated with the right social media campaigns that support teenagers and adolescents so that they turn into well-adjusted adults.

Social media has both pros and cons and since it is here to stay, it is in our best interest to make the best of it. It is important that our time spent on social media adds to our overall well-being.

(Poudel is a free lancer)