Social Medial VS Reality

Social Medial vs. Reality

Gian Mallqui

Author Note

Social Medial vs. Reality

As of today, there are over 3.2 billion social media users in the world who use social media as a primary mass medium to share their experience and feelings. With advanced technology, the authenticity of this platform is yet to be proven. Multiple factors including exaggerated news, bots, fake followers, and trolls add to the distance between reality and the social media world.

The greatest concern of social media is that the fake news is disguised, and it is done in such a way that the user is not able to identify the truth from all the information available. Unfortunately, there exist people who use unethical means on social media for their gain. They mould the truth or add false fragments to it which makes it more attractive. People mostly do not take time to unravel the truth. They believe what is fed to them through social media. Social media, which is thought to protect freedom of speech, provides means to people to exploit the needs and innocence of others. Another chief concern is that while an astonishing number of algorithms run to analyze the data on social media, data scientists are not yet sure if the data is meaningful. On the other hand, the public is unaware of the fact how their data is utilized. People use social media to escape from reality and live in their self-created imaginary world without everyday troubles. Social media has influenced people of all ages and indulged them in a fantasy world without any imperfections. However, the imaginative world is not only limited to the creator itself but shared with millions of people all around the world. People who post photoshopped images, fabricated news, and unreal experiences on social media tend to believe in what they post. It also affects the followers who believe in these and are immensely influenced. They tend to achieve unreal and hypothetical standards of lifestyle through any means whether legal or not. It has been lately observed that many people are opting for cosmetic surgeries and different procedures due to the influence of social media. Pictures depicting the lifestyle and appearance of celebrities and others are just reflections of a single moment of their life. There are multiple more factors and variables involved but people only pay attention to what is presented to them on social media (Dill, 2009). People distort reality and showcase a perfect and fantasized image of themselves. In this way, they start to ignore the real problems they are facing, and eventually, they are not able to keep up with the web of lies. Depression and anxiety take over the false confidence previously obtained through social media.

The even bigger issue emerges when the followers believe everything on social media. They begin to wish they could achieve what others have, not even considering what others have been through or the consequences. They are blindly aspired by the mesmerizing depiction of others’ lifestyle. They lose self-confidence and consider social media icons as their role models. Unfortunately, when they are not able to attain the unapproachable goals they have set, they feel demotivated and despise themselves.

It is an alarming situation as for many people, the reality and world of social media are intertwined. People are more interested in the images portrayed on social media. Many people serve others and volunteer only to show the world. Many times, without any real enthusiasm, efforts become meaningless. It is an alarming situation where people are more concerned with social media content rather than real-world problems.

However, there are also some advantages of social media use. Social media can be used as a platform to unite likeminded productive people to spread positivity. Together, they can help those in need irrespective of location, religion, and ethnicity. People can learn from others and improve their lifestyles (Sharma, 2018). The harms of social media cannot be ignored, however, through responsible use, the benefits can overcome the issues caused by it.

References

Dill, K. E. (2009). How fantasy becomes reality: Seeing through media influence. New York, NY, US: Oxford University Press.

Sharma, V. (2018). 7 Ways That Social Media Is Affecting Us Positively. Retrieved December 10, 2019, from Curatti website: https://curatti.com/social-media-positive-effects/