Think about how many toddlers you see in public that use a tablet or even toddlers in your own family. Although parents give their children tablets to keep them entertained, their social life is compromised. Kids are picking up on social skills today that are being forced upon them. Spending hours obsessing over games and even kid-friendly social media is affecting children. Most of them grow up so consumed with social media that their self-esteem is lowered and they are prone to anxiety.
How long could you go without updating your social media? Whether it be an Instagram post or a Facebook status, people constantly use social media. Social media can get in the way of grades, class time and people’s social life. Looking at this, social media is extremely addicting. Social media is taking over the world. People think teenagers are the only ones consumed with it but even adults are being affected. The most commonly abused platforms by both adults and teenagers are Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook.
Socializing has always been an important part of life. Humans were born to be social. Therefore, there is always this necessity to be included in something group-like. It is in our nature to perform as a group. In his “Theory of Motivation,” American Psychologist, Abraham Maslow states the social need of human beings is the third most important requirement after our physical and safety needs — the third tier in his hierarchy of needs. Some people’s confidence is even dependent on their social media popularity. This is one of the reasons why social media is constantly evolving. Sometimes people spend so much time on social media; they neglect the needs of their homework. Social media affects grades since people are not putting their full potential into their work. For example, if a student has something to do and is completely consumed with social media, when will they find time to do their homework? Homework should not be ignored for the likes of social status or entertainment. In other cases, students procrastinate which leads to poor performance. When little time is spent on an assignment that needs a lot of time, a little effort goes into work. Neglecting work results in the failure of assignments and later, the failure of courses. The free, distracting apps we use are the cause of hundred dollar classes being failed and repeated.
Many professors stress having to stop class to ask students to put their electronics away is both annoying and distracting. They claim it also causes them to lose their train of thought, which is highly unnecessary when the simple task of putting phones away can be done. Putting a device in a bag or off a table is made a burden.
In the past, when people wanted to socialize, they would meet up with one another. Social media has become crucial to people’s social life. Spending physical quality time with each other was therapeutic. People gradually moved on to talking on the phone for hours which lessened their human interaction. Eventually, talking to friends over text or a Facetime call became the most popular thing to do.
Communication has quickly dwindled over the years. Teenagers would hang out aimlessly in the mall or actually interact with each other. Now, what is the point? When seeing someone you want to speak to is so easily done over Facetime, it is pointless. Socializing is a huge part of growing up. It is expected for people to learn how to make friends and maintain their friendships. Instead of facing problems in their friendships, people would send a quick text to reconcile instead of meeting face to face.
When people are not getting enough real-life interactions, the dependency on communication becomes extremely risky. Life is constantly changing but is the change good or bad? To be social, you must socialize. People are more caught up in social media rather than building genuine relationships with people or getting the best quality of life.
