Understanding the World of Social Media

Social media is a different virtual World where everybody spend their valuable time. Social media has become a very important part of life for many young generations in today’s world. Nobody had ever been thought that they would have the power to socialize with the whole world in the future through social media platforms. Technology has played a remarkable role in introducing platforms that enable users to connect with people they don’t know in real life social media, no doubt with every passing moment gaining fame, especially in the younger generation. There are many young people who keep on engaging themselves with social media without even caring to think about what would be the impact of Social Media on them. 

People of today’s generation give so much importance to social media nowadays that it has become their priority. They love being in the social media sites and forget about all the things that should come first for them like family, sports and schools. In the platforms of social media, we can only see the virtual side of the person. This means we can only see the side which they want they want to show us. Environment is a very powerful source of power, motivation and inspiration. Unfortunately not everyone gravitates towards the right environment or they can get stuck in the one they were raised in, the evaluations of understudies who are substantial clients of internet-based life will in general endure. People are influenced based on trends and leadership behaviors good or bad. The youth follows those that they trust - logical or not. 

When we are being influenced, it usually happens because of our emotions. You feel safe and informed because of the social media influences. Influences can be positive and negative based off of your experience and your goals. Many people try to portray themselves to others which they are not at all. It is making us judgmental and it stop us to see things different perspective and moreover nowadays people make quotes according to their -self and put that on social media and other people see those and think that it has been said by some intellect. And we are already suffering from a life where quotes and proverbs matter more that our own feelings. And there is some example which will prove that how it is making us judgmental. We only show our good sides and always try to be nice and good. And after sometime we check out our like and dislike and these things bring inferiority complex. And we start comparing ourselves with others and we expect people to react or comments on our picture. And when it doesn't happen we get disappointed. You may not talented in that way, or you are not that genius to go viral.

The impact of social media on youth can also be significantly detrimental to mental health. In particular, social media and teen depression are closely linked. Furthermore, overuse of the apps exposes teens to cyber-bullying, body image issues, and tech addiction, and results in less time spent doing healthy, real-world activities. And while the majority of parents believe they know what their child is posting on social media, according to a Research poll, a survey of teens found that 70 percent of them are hiding their online behavior from their parents. Friendship and social skills are additional areas in which the impact of social media on youth is both positive and negative. But there’s a difference between teens’ social media friends vs. their real friends. 

Scientists have found that teen social media overuse creates a stimulation pattern similar to the pattern created by other addictive behaviors. Hence, the brain responds to social media the same way it responds to other “rewards” with a release of dopamine. These dopamine rushes are catalyzed when a teen posts something online and is met with likes, shares, and positive comments from their peers. Social media use targets our limbic system through its susceptibility to intermittent variable rewards the same basic idea behind slot machine design that get us “hooked” and coming back from more. Our brains keep seeking the dopamine hit that comes with the next post we see on our feed or the next reaction to something we’ve posted. Research also suggests that these rituals may prime the brain for other future unhealthy dependencies or addictions.

Broaden Connection and Understanding of the World

Social networks can create peer motivation, inspiring young people to try something new, follow their dreams, and speak up about things that matter to them. Teens can also find positive role models online. Hence, the effect of social media on teenagers might actually result in more unplugged time and increased self-care behaviors. Social media is very important for them in order to get support and advice, feel less alone, and express themselves creatively, as well as for staying in touch friends and family while social distancing. And 43 percent said that using social media makes them feel better when they are depressed, stressed, or anxious. Among 52 percent said social media helps them feel better when they are experiencing these difficult emotions. The adolescents surveyed who spent more time on social media were more likely to report mental health issues; studies show that the frequency of a teen’s use of social media has a clear correlation to their mental health. 

Many experts believe that the constant over-stimulation of social networking shifts the nervous system into fight-or-flight mode. As a result, this makes disorders such as ADHD, teen depression, oppositional defiant disorder, and teen anxiety worse. Body image is one primary area in which teen social comparison leads to negative emotions. As with other types of social comparison, teens report lower self-esteem and self-evaluation when looking at peers on social media sites. For example, this includes looking at profiles on which peers post curated images about their significant others, social events, or accomplishments. And teens felt better about themselves when they make so-called “downward comparisons” looking at profiles of peers with fewer friends and achievements. Some research suggests a third possibility: that many young people who are experiencing depression whatever the cause are purposely and proactively using social media and other digital tools to protect and promote their own well-being. The social media effect on youth is driven by three primary factors: 

Lack of physical activity: scrolling social media on their phones or other devices meant that teens sat for longer periods of time and had less time for exercise. As a result, they missed out on the beneficial impact of exercise on mental health.

Inadequate sleep: teens stayed up late to continue scrolling through their social media feeds

Exposure to cyber-bullying: having harmful, false, or private content about them posted on social media

Don't say you lost faith in humanity because we're responsible for it. We all have the power to lift up those around us. Social media has also proved to be a useful tool for marketers to search, track and analyze conversation and trends. Cons can go on and on but social media has its pros that we cannot avoid. Some of them are 

• Updates about the present undertakings. On destinations like Facebook, Twitter and so on we get a great deal of learning from different pages about what's going on around the globe. Following the correct pages of your interests is helpful .

• Apart from current undertakings there are different educated articles being distributed via web-based networking media about innovation, current market status, economy of the nation and so forth. You don't have to peruse things in detail. Rather center around the feature and read quickly.

• Communication aptitudes are increase: at whatever point we read an article we discover words that we wouldn't have heard previously or a few words that we don't have a clue about the importance for. Whenever you run over such words make it a point to Google the importance right away.

• Jobs through online networking: Students who are searching for openings for work can likewise discover them on Facebook on different organization's pages under the area 'occupations'.

• Social media advertising is growing . Understudies on this field can learn inside and out and work for this area as an assistant or even in an all day work. There are many other sites and apps where students can spend more time at such as LinkedIn. In LinkedIn you can find not only good job opportunities but also many articles about the companies, newest technologies among many other things. 

Positive Impact of Social Media on Youth 

It keeps connected to their friends when they are not able to see each other always when they want to. Social media keeps you updates about the important things that are going across the globe currently or maybe in your locality. It is a great benefit to know about everything just by the simple click of your finger. The youths have the perfect place to express themselves in such a way in which they won’t be allowed to do in public. This is something which makes the youth feel better about them and they hold some position in society. It helps you in developing social skills and the best part is that a number of friendships can begin from the social website. Youths generally like make new friends and know about others as much as they can. All of this is possible with the social media platform. One more interesting impact of social media on youth is that it feels fun to interact with peers rather than talking to them face to face.

Collaborative learning: Children can learn and appreciate different perspectives and worldviews to better understand the world around them and build up their knowledge on a range of topics. With so many ideas shared across a number of platforms, they can discover areas of interest and use the platforms in an educational capacity.

Digital media literacy: Develop communication and technical skills; As social media is now a part of everyday life, it is important for children and young people to learn how to communicate online to prepare them for future opportunities in the workplace and support them in interacting with friends and family.

Mental health and well-being: Removing boundaries to develop connections; Social media removes the boundaries of meeting and maintaining people and forming bonds beyond borders. For children who may have a disability or may not feel they can connect with others within their community, it can be a great way to connect with other people who share their ideas and interests.

Strengthen relationships: Having access to family members who may live miles apart of friends who have moved from a local area can help maintain relationships and allow them to stay in touch and share their lives with ease.

A place to seek support: It can open up opportunities to offer support to friends and family that may be experiencing a particular issue. On the flip side for some young people, it can be a place where they can seek support if they are going through something that they cannot talk to those close to them about.

Campaigning for social good: Social media can help young people raise awareness of a particular cause that they are interested in to have a real-world impact on effecting change where they want to see it.

Develop a positive digital footprint: Young people can also use their accounts CVs to share their achievements, showcase their talents and build a positive online portfolio that can benefit them in later life. Research on youth transitions, and the well-being of young people, has to take into consideration the digital context in which they are immersed. Digital interaction of young people increase year by year, social networking sites play a key role in their personal and professional relationships, and a very high percentage of jobs require digital skills. 

Educational Aspects: Social media enables the teacher to collaborate easily and then communicate with the students and others. The students have free as well as easy access to the resources that are online and gain all the information. The grades are improved and the percentage of absentees are reduced. According to a survey, it has been found out that about 59% of the schools have admitted that their students take help of the social media for educational purposes. Along with it 50% them use social media in order to discuss the assignments of the school. 

Political Aspects: The participation of the voters has increased. The users of the platform of Facebook have admitted that they get the inspiration to vote in an election when they see online their friends have voted too. A survey reported that those who visited Facebook more than two times in a single day were more likely to attend a political meeting or rally- 43% more people said that they are sure to vote. Social media gives birth to the idea of change in politics. Social networking gives the social movement cheap as well as a quick method for distributing the information and make the people come together. 

News/ Awareness: The information in the social networking sites spreads much faster than any other forms of media. More than 50% of people in the world nowadays get the breaking news from a social media platform. The social networking sites provide the benefits academic research to the people along with the online access. This helps the people to get access to the resources that were unavailable before. The people who use the platforms of social media get empowered and informed to change their communities and themselves.

Social Aspects: With the help of social media, people can communicate with friends and this enhanced communication online strengthens the relationship between them. Survey says around 52% of the teens that remain online say social media have helped them with their friendships and around 88% of the people say that staying online has helped them stay in touch with the friends they don’t see regularly. As said earlier, young people always have this tendency to make new friends. 

Jobs for the Youth: Social media is one of the best ways for marketing products, connecting with people and find business opportunities. It helps the employers to get the employees and those who are in search of new jobs. Around 87% of the job recruiters have found their employers through LinkedIn, around 30% through Facebook and 15% through others. The social media sites are the reasons for creating thousands of job opportunities for the people and they have brought new avenues of income. Thus, seeing peers eating nutritious food, doing something creative, or getting outside in nature can encourage other teens to do the same. social media provides a forum for teens to practice skills related to identity development. These include self-presentation and self-disclosure sharing their opinions, beliefs, and preferences.

They can spend lots of time and try many things to be that famous person. They just see success as their. They have not seen those lots of people who also have tried to be famous and they could not. Losers are not seen. only there are winners and all wants to be winner. and talk to themselves “I’m better than others. If they could, I can too.” and they go on the way. There are few who succeed. and if they don’t it may be too late. To build up a new life again. They may get depressed. Some also get depressed because of seeing others doing something that they cannot. They become envy to those. They have luxury houses, cars, wears… They see them but they cannot afford to have them. Now being luxury is their main goal of life. They do not enjoy casual games we as an adult have done in our childhood. They do not enjoy playing outside. They just want to be famous and earn money. On the other hand, some of teenagers use social media to find new friends. learn new things. and more. But there is a few ones who are doing that in comparison with others. There are both positive and negative effects of social media on youth.

Negative Impact of Social Media on Youth

People of today’s generation give so much importance to social media nowadays that it has become their priority. They love being in the social media sites and forget about all the things that should come first for them like family, sports and school. In the platforms of social media, we can only see the virtual side of the person. This means we can only see the side which they want they want to show us. Many people try to portray themselves to others which they are not at all. Young people have this habit of bullying their peers which is ok to some extent. But when it comes to cyber-bullying, it affects a lot to the other peer as this can be on the news-feed of any person and can go viral easily. Sometimes such things can lead to depression as well as suicidal thoughts. There are some young people who are very easy to get influenced. They may feel the need to change their appearance physically and compare themselves to every next person they see in the social media. There is a very strong temptation in social media. It can become an addiction for the youth and begin to side-track them.

Work/School : Social media helps the students to cheat on school assignments and for those who work can get some idea about their work. If social media is used on a light scale, it will help the students to improve their grades. However, for those students who are heavy users, their grades tend to fall incredibly. The social media platform affects the productivity of the employees to .51%. These workers are generally between the age of 23-45 and check their social media during work.

Lacking Privacy: One thing that is seen common among the young people is they often get too open in the public and share their personal information. Most of the people don’t read the privacy policies and are unaware that their information that the information is read by the insurance companies, advertisers and the IRS. They expose themselves to the governmental and corporate intrusions. 

Cyber Bullying: One of the very prime negative impact of social media on youth as some of the negative minded individuals use it for bullying someone. People use it for sending intimidating messages to others that sometimes create trauma for the others as well. Misinformation or false propaganda is another negative impact of social media on youth. The advertising business companies got information from user’s social accounts and get information about their likes and dislikes and then create products to attract users to buy their products. So, teenagers usually got manipulated through these advertisements appears on digital media.

Social media is playing a positive and negative role, but the users need to take care of using social media carefully. Although social media can present some risks, it’s important to understand what the benefits are to give your child the guidance they need to make the best out of their social media use. Some Social media influencers are paid, this is the reason, recently, image of influencers is morally getting down, but despite all this there are some influencers who still manage to influence people. These are two types of influencers; Genuine influencers, they're not biased with their fans and they promote the most important and practical things or what they themselves use. This is the reason their followers trust them. And Fake influencers they play with human psychology, they actually know how to influence, they're sometimes genuine but most of the time they play the game, they use psychology, they're fake. How can we identify fake influencers?

The first and foremost way to identify fake influencers is their engagement, check the number of followers vs number of likes and comments. If there's massive difference between followers and likes, mostly likes are lesser then they're fake influencers with bad engagement. Their posts and videos are sponsored more often, almost all their posts and videos are sponsored. Their followers are fake, how you identify it? Check it through the accounts from where they get comments and likes, visit few accounts and if the account is not enough defined doesn't show like the original owner, name, bio, posts, following, followers and if the account is only following that particular influencer or just 2-3, chances are account is fake. 

Overnight popularity, what if you see sudden change in followers list, it is 100% fake because it takes time to build reputation. Fake influencers are not very transparent with their fans, they might be completely different as a person opposite of what they're on social media, you can check this by their social interactions, interviews, meeting them as a person, through live videos on their platform or with someone else, checking out their friends and relatives. They more often post the screenshots or photos of some people praising them, this is a attempt to build image, if you're genuine then you're absolutely similar for everyone and you don't need to prove it. They're diverted from their original content they collaborate and promote more in their videos or account than focusing on their own business. Fake influencing cause real destruction, people loose their faith on Internet, you find Internet toxic, garbage, fake. 

Youth can learn and appreciate different perspectives and worldviews to better understand the world around them and build up their knowledge on a range of topics. With so many ideas shared across several platforms, they can discover areas of interest and use the platforms in an educational capacity, young people can learn how to communicate online to prepare them for future opportunities in the workplace and support them in interacting with friends and family. Social media removes the boundaries of meeting and maintaining people and forming bonds beyond borders. Teens also use social media for entertainment and self-expression. And the platforms can expose teens to current events, allow them to interact across geographic barriers, and teach them about a variety of subjects, including healthy behaviors. 

Social media that's humorous or distracting or provides a meaningful connection to peers and a wide social network might even help teens avoid depression. Social networking services can provide an accessible and powerful toolkit for highlighting and acting on issues and causes that affect and interest young people. Social networking services can be used for organizing activities, events, or groups to showcase issues and opinions and make a wider audience aware of them. E.g. Coordinating band activities, fundraisers, and creating awareness of various causes. 

Teenagers are now more comfortable in speaking their heart out on chats rather than face to face. Which in turn is ruining their capability of public speaking. They are more attached to virtual people rather than real people which present around them. It have now become trend to first let people know whether you at sad or happy through status updates rather. They have become impatient as getting even 2 min late replies makes them angry. Although social media can carry some risks, it can also provide today’s youth with valuable opportunities to develop skills and even build a career. Technology was made so that we can benefit from it and make our life a easy. With proper discipline and guidance , we can make great use of social media .The feeling of connection has to be real to be helpful and healthy. 

Parents should educate their young kids and teens about the usage of social media. Even that we can raised our voice on any valuable topic through this social media because any burning voice spread faster than virus. Due to excess use of social media some people do their time pass. There are some few things that should be kept in mind while using it. We need to have certain decency to interact with the world without harming anyone. 

• Don’t put any content on social media which hurts religious sentiments of any community.

• Jokes and memes are good but think before you upload because whatever you share does make an impact on internet web.

• Stop sending too much time virtually , real life exists outside your phone screen . So just enjoy the nature around us.

• Don’t make fake accounts. Comment or like genuinely , do not raise false hope for others.

• No. of followers does not decide how good you are. It is your attitude and talent which makes you unique in this world.

• Stop believing everything you see or hear on social media. It can be a gimmick or marketing strategy to make you emotionally fool. Try to reach their original or genuine sources and check the testimonials before you buy out something. All that glitters is not a gold.

• Add just the general persons you know on your profile.

• Delete individuals you think of doing any bizarre action on your page.

• Inform your folks, teachers promptly if anyone’s troubles you via web-based networking media.

• Always make sure to log out after you've utilized your online life accounts from others' gadgets or at cyber cafes

A strong support network can be critical to help us through the stress of tough times. Social support is the physical and emotional comfort given to us by our family, friends, co-workers and others. It's the knowledge that you are part of a community of people who love and care for you, value you and think well of you. And the lack of social support can lead to isolation and loneliness. If you want to improve your mental health and your ability to combat stress, surround yourself with good friends and confidants. Answering phone calls, returning emails and reciprocating invitations let people know you care. Take time to say thank you and express how important they are to you. Be available for family and friends when they need support...

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