With the rise of personal computing and the internet came Social Media. A way to connect with anyone around the world instantly. A means to keep up with what’s going on in friends’ lives and to never miss out on an event, even without showing up. Or at least, that was the idea.
The truth is, Social Media left the bounds of what we envisioned it to be; a long time ago. We’re no longer keeping up with our friends, we’re keeping up with every celebrity and model under the sun. We aren’t just connecting with people around the world, we’re connecting with every ad agency in the world. Platforms such as Facebook and Instagram have migrated from news feeds to algorithmic doom-scroll inducing systems. An entire afternoon wasted on Instagram isn’t just your fault, it’s what Meta (cough Facebook) designed its platforms to do.
We have all become slaves to Social Media. Mere members to add numbers to the wallets of multi-billionaires, and it has become high time to do something about it.
To take action, we need to understand the problems we’re fighting against. Here’s a list of the cons of Social Media that I think cannot be ignored.
The problems surrounding Social Media
-
24/7 tracking. With the introduction of algorithm-based feeds, Social Media platforms now make money by displaying the most addicting content that will keep a user on their platform for the longest amount of time. Then, data from the usage of their services coupled with those collected from the external internet usage of a user is used to serve ads that they’re most likely to click on. It doesn’t take long to figure out how much of a problem this is. Not only is your life being used as a means to generate revenue for these companies, but you are also actively being manipulated to do so.
-
Government over-reach. Social Media platforms have given Governments a tool to track users to their deepest thoughts. News regarding the use of Social Media to manipulate elections are becoming commonplace around the world. With all the information we share on Social Media, it’s incredibly easy to tailor ads that incite a certain response. Millions have taken out to the streets based purely on the content in their Facebook or Tik Tok feeds to oppose governments and launch campaigns. While these can be good things, the damage caused when they are not is too big to ignore.
-
Misinformation. Due to how easy it is to access and contribute to Social Media. Many platforms have become breeding grounds for misinformation. Nowadays, people so completely devoid of any doubt in their beliefs or knowledge of something is rampant. The numbers of Anti-vax communities and Flat-earthers are growing every single day. In a world with incredibly fast and unfettered access to information; people have dissolved into increasing amounts of ignorance and bigotry.
-
Unhappiness and Depression. With the ease of connectivity with anyone in the world comes the ease of connectivity also with those we do not want as well. Celebrities and influencers have taken over almost every Social Media platform. (This is not to say that they have intentionally set out with negative intentions.) But many of them have created an atmosphere of goals and levels that are simply unattainable for the average person. Suicide rates among young girls have skyrocketed due to completely ludicrous body images pedalled by influencers with multiple plastic surgeries on their portfolios. All this has allowed the lack of self-worth to grow in people.
-
Wasted Time and Lack of Patience. Hours upon hours are wasted each day scrolling through Social Media feeds, oftentimes with little to no return. The average speed at which people scroll has also been on the rise. This is directly contributing to the decrease in patience in people. We have become a species incapable of listening to someone for a minute straight without the punch-line hitting us right at the beginning. The inability to focus without immediate returns will hurt people by eating away at their ability to garner success in life. Good things do come to those who wait, but people aren’t willing to consider waiting anymore.
-
False Fame. People have started to see fame as an easily attainable thing, and not something that requires dedication. The lack of thought before posting online has increased misinformation and decreased quality content. Anyone can make a YouTube video or Facebook post, but not everyone puts effort into it. The depth of garbage on Social Media increases every year, hurting the ability of hard-working creators to prosper. Immature teenagers are posting challenges on Tik Tok and other such platforms that will hurt their futures and the lives of others with no thought whatsoever.
What can you do about it?
Despite how dystopian it seems, there are things we can do that will still make a change. Here are some practices I follow and recommend to combat the negative effects of Social Media on us and society.
-
Change settings on all Social Media platforms to those that respect your privacy. Google and Facebook have a comprehensive set of options that can improve your privacy on their services. But both platforms have also buried these settings well enough that not many find them. It’s a hassle at first but is worth every bit of the effort. Turn off tracking wherever possible, disable history, and revoke permissions that aren’t strictly necassary.
-
Switch to alternative services that respect privacy and prioritize the user. For example, use apps such as Signal to message, change your browser and search engine to privacy respecting or ad-blocking enabled ones. Switch email providers away from Gmail and embrace Free and Open Source software. The only advantage big corporations have anymore is being pre-installed on systems. They provide nothing else worth staying on for. Developers working on FOSS software and services, however, are always innovating without being anti-user. Many of them stand to gain nothing from their contributions; they’re truly doing this to help people and not as a means to line their pockets in gold.
-
Make it a habit to fact check. Consider things from different perspectives and develop empathy. Sometimes our beliefs and views stem from a place of hate or lack of understanding, and we may only be a google search away from changing it. Social Media platforms make it easy for us to get stuck in a bubble of our views. We’re never presented with anything contrary to our existing beliefs; thus, we never evaluate our stance on topics. Actively checking up about arguments against your beliefs; with a genuine interest to accept and change errors will change your life.
-
Stop comparing yourself. Is a piece of advice we throw around often. Many of us still fail to live by it. Social Media place our friends, followers, celebrities and ads all in the same feed. They all seem equal, but they aren’t. Some of them are out to make money, others to attain fame. Only the select few will add anything worthwhile to your life. Unfollow celebrities and keep only those you truly admire and would like to live up to, not follow. Followers never reach heights in their lives’ they perpetually stand below the ones they follow. Aspiring to live up to the legacy of someone or adopting someone’s good characteristics will help you achieve greatness and remain your own person. You are good enough the way you are, and it’s not wrong to want to improve. But if that improvement requires you to give up your identity; it’s not an improvement.
-
Limit your usage. Most devices offer the option to filter or even completely halt notifications. Stop unnecessary notifications from apps. Something I did for a long time was to delete Social Media apps and access them through the browser. Placing as many barriers to entry as possible will result in you visiting them when you have the time to spare. One of the best pieces of advice I can give that helped me a lot in life is reading. It’s one of the most productive activities you can use to fill your time.
-
Last but not least. Think. Think over and over again before posting something to the internet. Things indeed do stay on the internet forever once they’re uploaded. Companies have multiple copies of files in various data centres, and it’s often never deleted completely from all systems. Not to mention the people that may repost your content elsewhere or even keep a copy themselves. Don’t do things that you will regret. And treat everyone on the internet you for certain do not know in real life with a big bucket of caution.
Quitting Social Media
The best and most effective alternatives to all of the tips above that will improve your life in many ways is to quit social media entirely.
I did this a while ago and have never looked back. I have more time in my day now to do things that will benefit me. I read more, exercise more, write more and enjoy nature more. I also found out that we don’t miss much. If your friends are genuine, they will find ways to invite you to their parties and journeys one way or the other.
To begin, try deactivating your accounts for a month as a trial. Or delete the apps from your phone and try using the websites when necassary. Create barriers to entry that will make it a hassle to access social media.
It may be difficult at first, and people will ask you why you’re doing this a lot. But if you grit your teeth and pull through it, I promise there’s a better life ahead.
Conclusion
Perhaps quitting Social Media is too difficult for your current lifestyle, or your livelihood depends upon it. If this is the case, you don’t have to leave social media. Treat it like a tool, one that you need to be a bit more careful about when using it.
Either way, in all circumstances; changing settings, imposing limits and generally adopting a more mindful usage of Social Media will work wonders.
I hope you had something good to take away from this article. And I sincerely hope you live and happy and healthy life.
Thank you very much for reading. I’ll see you in the next write!
