Riley Brennan and Katie Hunt
Staff Writer
Social media is normally a fun way for people to communicate, share, and browse, but it may actually be detrimental to our health and well being. It’s no secret that social media has changed the way our world operates. It has opened the doors to limitless opportunities, letting people experience other parts of the world and communicate with friends without having to leave their homes. But is it possible that society depends too heavily on social media, to the point where it’s gotten unhealthy? Unfortunately, thanks to recent studies, we know that it has; the social media craze has gotten to the point of addiction.
Social media has changed the way people interact with one another. When hanging out with friends, more often than not everyone is accompanied by their phones. Chances are, phones make many appearances throughout the time friends are together. And sadly, in some cases more time is spent snapchatting a friend across the room than actually talking to him or her.
Socializing with people has gotten tougher with everyone starting at their phones or focusing on taking a picture to post on a variety of different social media platforms.
These apps and websites are designed to entertain and entice people, so are we really to blame? In some ways yes; after all, we are the ones signing up for these websites. But there was no warning about Instagram being unhealthy when we made accounts. Can we actually be held accountable for being obsessed with something we didn’t know would become addictive?
Obviously addiction is a negative attribute to social media, but the list of downsides doesn’t stop there. Too much social media can cause people to suffer mentally, which can then lead to serious issues. In order to avoid the negative attributes of social media, limit the amount of time you spend on it. Social media can be great, as long as you know when to turn it off.
