Technology in this day and age is a beautiful thing. It made the world much smaller and gave couch potatoes everywhere the gift of Netflix. However, it has also given us our own dose of poison. Here we are, constantly plugged into the universe with social apps like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Although they allow us to keep up with actual news and events, most people typically use them to post about their lives and what they ate for dinner. It may seem as though there couldn’t be any harm within these little social sites, but they do pose some big problems.
1. Porn is available at every turn.
Nowadays it seems ridiculous that people still pay for porn online or on TV. You can actually watch it on Twitter by following certain profiles that literally exist only to bring gifs (and often full length videos) of professional porn to the internet. As awesome as this may be for some, we know that people of all ages use Twitter, ultimately granting them easy access to the world of sexual images.
2. Online Bullying is much easier and harder to trace.
Apps and websites such as Yik Yak and Formspring were super popular not too long ago and their whole purpose was to allow people to post things anonymously. Yik Yak was just supposed to be an app where people could anonymously post about random things happening in a specific area. Formspring was a website where people could ask others questions without a username. With anonmyity comes power, and so many people used these websites to hurt one another. Since these apps usually had a huge number of people using them at all times, it was too difficult for the police to crack down on the bullies who were targeting people.
3. Temptation is constant.
Now that the world is a smaller place due to social media bringing us closer together, we can talk to anyone, anywhere as long as they have the internet. This is great for people trying to learn more about other cultures, languages and world events, but how many people have innocent conversations about culture with a foreign booty queen on Instagram these days. I have heard and seen both guys and girls getting jealous or questioning the loyalty of their signifcant other over liking someone else’s picture on Instagram. The fact that people can use just about any app to contact other people without getting caught makes the decision to cheat that much easier. Snapchat used to make it a little harder back when you could see a person’s best friend list, but now that’s been thrown out the window and all bets are off. Regardless of how much temptation there is on the internet, you should be able to control yourself, but it’s still something that was necessary to add to the list.
4. The Infamous Disconnect from Reality.
Everyone is constantly on their phones posting, texting, scrolling and calling to the point where they forget to pay attention to life in front of them. The worst of these disconnects happens when people are driving and surfing their phone. How many cell phone related accidents must happen before people actually stop using their phones on the road? The lesser but still annoying and rude disconnect is when people are on their phones in line at the store or as they attempting to talk to other people. I’ve worked in food service and it makes my blood boil when people ignore me as I try to serve them. Put the phone down. It’ll do you some good and make others less likely to want to kill you.
5. It Causes Erectile Dysfunction.
It actually doesn’t. Or maybe it does, who knows these days? Regardless, I have no information to back up that claim, so don’t believe it. The point is that even though the internet and it’s social media outlets are great for providing news and good information, there are definitely some incorrect things out there (like my statement above). Some people, for example, and I say this from experience, completely believe things posted by The Onion, which is a satirical online newspaper. Essentially, there are a lot of great and factual things out there but make sure that what you’re reading and reposting is actually true. Internet trolls can be very convincing these days.
All in all, just be cautious about social media and its almighty powers. Don’t let it make you less secure about your relationships, or turn you into an online bully. Be kind to people in the web universe and don’t forget to still be a part of real life as well. Social media is a great and wonderful thing in many ways, but just be wary of its role in your life.