Social Media: Does Social Media Create Division?

There are a number of things that have been said about social media, and what is often said is that it connects people. This is something that can’t be denied; it no longer matters where someone is in the world, as they will still be able to talk to their ‘friends’ and family.

All Together

One can add their ‘friends’ and family to their Friend List, and this will allow them to stay up to date with them. By looking through their wall, one can see what they have been doing, and they can message them.

It is going to be a lot easier for them to find out about what these people have been doing by looking through their wall, but this approach is not always going to be enough. For one thing, not every they know is going to share their whole life online.

A Few Taps Away

However, even if one does send someone a message, it is not going to take a lot of effort. Talking to people this way it is going to take far less energy than it would if they were to call them up.

And while it could be said that sending someone a message is not the same as calling them, there are going to be moments when this is not an option. For example, if one has a friend who is in another country, it might not be possible for them to call them.

Another Factor

What would be even better than speaking to them on the phone would be for one to meet them in person; but once again, this is not always going to be an option. This is why social media is so beneficial.

Also, In addition to the fact that people are often so spread out in today’s world, there is also the pace at which so many people live their lives. Thus, it might not matter how close they are to their ‘friends’ and family, as they might not be able to see them very often.

Isolated

What this shows is that if social media didn’t exist, it would probably be a lot harder for them to stay in touch with people. It might then be normal for them to feel cut-off from others, and this would cause them to suffer mentally and emotionally.

There is also the chance that one uses social media to stop themselves form feeling cut-off for others. Perhaps one doesn’t have any real close friends in the real world, and going online gives them the chance to talk to people.

Better Than Nothing

Now, this is not to say that face-to–face interactions can be replaced by online conversations; what is comes down to is that going online can make it easier for someone like this to function. If this option wasn’t available, they could end up suffering in silence.

The support that they receive online can then give them the encouragement that they need to take the next step. From here, one can start to spend more time talking to people in the real world.

Out In the Open

This is also somewhere where one can share their worries and concerns with others, and they will be able to hear about what is going on for their ‘friends’ and family. Through being able to express themselves in this way, it can stop them from feeling weighed down and as though no one cares about them.

These people might just offer their support, or some of them could provide them with a number of different solutions. The alternative would be for one to keep their problems to themselves, and this is likely to have a negative effect on their wellbeing.

A Bigger Audience

If one had a problem or if they were aware of something that wasn’t right, they will have the chance to reach out to people who they don’t know. What this comes down to is that something they share could end up going viral.

One is then in a position where they have the platform to draw attention to something that needs to change. This shows how much influence someone can have through using social media.

Black and White

These are all examples of how social media brings people together and solves problems. Based on this, not only would people be more cut-off from each other without it; there would also be more problems in the world.

Having said that, if one was to take the time to read through the comments that people leave and what they write on their own wall, for instance, they might see that there is more to it. What might begin to stand out is that social media also creates a lot of problems.

A Big Difference

One of the reasons for this is that social media makes it easy for people to share whatever is on their mind. One can then share things that they would usually keep to themselves, and it is then not going to be a surprise if this causes them to create problems.

When one is in the real world, what they say is going to be influenced by the environment they are in. This will stop them from saying certain things and it will then allow them to get along with other people.

The Importance of Restraint

When this takes place one is going to keep certain things to themselves, but this will allow them to function in society. The reason for this is that by having the ability to hold certain things back; it will allow them to get along with other people.

If, on the other hand, they were to always share what was going on in their mind, it would set them up to experience a lot of conflict in their day-to-day life. They might end up pushing everyone away and this could put their survival at risk.

Part of Growing Up

When one was a child, there is the chance that they said whatever came to their mind, and then this would have changed as they got older. They would have realised that they were not the centre of the universe and that they have to think about other people’s needs.

Not only would this allow them to get on with other people, it would also allow them to fit into society. Yet, while one can behave in this way when they are in the real world, it doesn’t mean that they will behave in the same way when they use social media.

Out of Touch with Reality

What social media also does is give people a lot of control when it comes to what they see and what they don’t see. Through having this kind of control, one can end up living in a bubble.

Therefore, if they are exposed to information that goes against what they believe, they might not be willing to tolerate it. One of their ‘friends’ could say something that they disagree with and they could delete them.

Through spending time on social media, one will have come to believe that a friend is someone who has the same views as they do. If they have a different view, it will be necessary for them to remove them from their life.

​Conclusion
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One way of looking at this would be to say that just because one can do something it doesn’t mean that they should do it. Before one shares something, they could ask themselves if they would share what is on their mind if they were in the real world.