Social Media

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, social media sites are now being used by many people across the planet. In fact 1.15 billion people are active on Facebook as of 2013. One can comment on a picture of what their friends did during the weekend, congratulate a friend for their new baby daughter and one can be updated with breaking news with a flick of their fingers. Yet with this newfound way of communication, we are also creating many problems in society.

Social media has made it easier for identity theft. Identity theft is one someone impersonates another person and thus "steals their identity" usually for financial gain. Because social media sites earn money by targeted advertising, these sites encourage the users to post sensitive information about themselves. In 2011, around 12 million Americans were victims of identity theft, a 13 percent increase from 2010 according to a report from Javelin Strategy & Research. 75 percent out of 700 teenagers were found to be quite open with their personal information, which heightens their risk of being victims of identity theft. A report from The Japan News shows how easy people surrender their private information to fraud posts with links. These messages lead to another page which asks users for contact details. Because these links are thought to be sent by a trusted source, these teens rashly post their personal information, and could become victims of identity theft.

Social media sites also decrease productivity, especially in an office setting. Although these businesses use social media to attract clients, the employees, with access to Facebook and Instagram, are more interested in scrolling through their news feed than actually working. Studies posted by Wired.com show that British companies lose 2.2 billion dollars a year because of the distraction these social media sites provide. Mashable reports social networks could be costing the U.S. economy 650 billion dollars per year. They also report that for ever 10.5 minutes, an employee is distracted by social media, and 41 percent of this time is on Facebook. A study by Ohio State University showed a correlation between people who use Facebook and their grades. As time spent on Facebook cuts back on their studying time, people who do use Facebook tend to receive lower grades.

Social networking is also interfering with our social lives, as paradoxical as it may sound. For one, because we become more and more comfortable interacting with each other behind screens, we have less person-to-person confrontation, which impacts our language skills as well as our public speaking skills. We would have difficulties reading body language and isolation from one another isn't healthy as humans are social animals, meaning they need interactions with one another. And even though these sites let you make many friends, these relationships are superficial. In fact we spend more time with online friends than real friends

In conclusion, social media is, undoubtedly an asset to society, however, it also hinders it as well. Through social media, we are creating more and more problems for ourselves and at times, instead of moving forward, we are in fact, slipping backwards. As social media is becoming more and more widespread, we must also be educated on its effects.