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Alexys C. Woolard

Professor Maple

ENG 101-19

1 April 2019

Social Media, The Good, The bad, and The Ugly

Social Media has become a huge part in a lot of peoples every day lives. It’s the way we

communicate with friends and family. A way we spark new relationships and even a way that we

promote our businesses. We all know about the positive aspects of social media, but what about

the bad parts. This paper will discuss the good, the bad and the ugly sides of social media. It is

then up to you to determine if the followers and likes are worth it.

Nowadays it’s so much easier to make a post on Instagram and snapchat rather than have

an up close and personal conversation with someone. Which can be beneficial when it comes to

the spread of information (procon). 46% of American prefer to use social media as their form of

News rather than television, radio, and newspapers(procon). Even President Donald Trump said

he preferred to use twitter to send out information, because it was faster than press conferences

and releases (procon), but what about the false information that is spread throughout social media?

Because it is so much easier to send out information via social media, it has also made it easier to

promote “fake news” (procon) A study done by the journal Science stated that false information

spreads six times as fast as truthful information (procon). A study done at the University of

Michigan said that the number of people who share the correction of the fake news is drastically

lower than the amount of people who shared the the fake news when it was first posted(procon).
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As well as social media being so good at sending out information in a such fast pace

manner, it is also a great way to connect with people around the world and meet new friends

(procon). About 93% of users on Facebook use social media to connect with current and past

friends (procon). Teens also use social media to keep up with their friends and 70% of those

teenagers said that social media helped them feel more connect to the feeling that their friends

have (procon). Studies have also shown that although social media my isolate teens they are less

lonely than teens have been in the past few decades (knorr). Although social media is a great way

to connect with friends, it can also be the reason for tarnished friendships. At least 31% of

teenagers reported that social media has been the cause of a fight between them and a friend

(procon). Social Media also hinders communication and management skills in adolescents because

of the lack of face to face contact (procon).

In addition to social media being the cause of lack of communication skill, it has also been

linked to several other health complications. A study done at the University of Pittsburg found that

social media was the cause of increased depression in people between the age of 19 and 32

(procon). Another study done by the United Kingdom government found that children who spend

more than three hours on social media during the day suffered from mental health complications

(procon). Social media has also been linked to loss of interest in other outside activities, unhealthy

and destructive behavior, self-esteem issues, and several other psychological disorders

(CarrierClinic). Despite the health concerns that come with social media platforms, there are also

some health benefits that come from it. For example, some social media sites have given people

more insight about how to be healthy and live a healthier lifestyle (Yeung). Social media has been

found to not only increase the quality of a person’s life but actually reduce the risk of health

complications (procon).
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Although social media is a great platform to promote change in the world, it is also a place

where many attackers dwell(procon). Because social media does not always scan information for

viruses and scans a large amount of people have used that to their advantage (procon). Attackers

have used social media to steal information such as birthdate, location, and other personal

information to hack into a person’s account and even steal their identity (procon). Even though

social media is home to several attackers, it is also the place where we fight back against larger

attacks (procon). During terrorists like the Paris attack back in 2015 (procon), social media created

a hashtag #porteouverte which means “open door” to spread the world to people that there were

shelter open if anyone needed a place to stay (procon). In Sydney Australia people began to share

the hashtag #i’llrideforyou after the Sydney café was taken hostage (procon). This hashtag offered

support to Muslims that were in fear of Islamophobic attacks and backlash (procon).

In conclusion, social media has become heavily used throughout the world and has been

used to promote change(procon), share larger insists on healthier lifestyles(yeung), share

information(procon), and fight back against attackers around the world(procon); we have also

learned that social media can give way to an array of negative problems such as fake news(procon),

loss of friendships(procon), health complications (physically and mentally)(CarrierClinic), and a

platform for attacks to hack and steal(procon). Although social media has come with so many

different complications, I think one thing we can all agree on is that social media is now a part of

our everyday lives, and it is up to all of us to decide whether or not we want to use it in a positive

ore negative way. “As with any healthy relationship, use of social media should have its

boundaries.” Says Dr. David Buch, Chief Medical Officer of Carrier Clinic (CarrierClinic). That

being said we should learn to use social media in moderation and try to remember there is a whole

world outside of our screens.

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Work Cited

“Are Social Networking Sites Good for Our Society?” Are Social Networking Sites Good for Our

Society?, socialnetworking.procon.org/.

Knorr, Caroline. “Five Ways Social Media Can Be Good for Teens.” The Washington Post, WP

Company, 19 Mar. 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2018/03/19/5-

ways-social-media-can-be-good-for-teens/?utm_term=.2284803ad402.

“Pros and Cons of Social Media & Internet Addiction.” Carrier Clinic®,

carrierclinic.org/resources/good-bad-in-between-of-social-media/.

Yeung, Douglas. “Social Media as a Catalyst for Policy Action and Social Change for Health

and Well-Being: Viewpoint.” Journal of Medical Internet Research, JMIR Publications,

19 Mar. 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5881041/.