before Social Media
Who else remembers a time when we would text our friends instead of snapping them, print out flyers to advertise events, or just take pictures for memories? The time I’m thinking of is about 13 years ago, when I was 7. Most of my primary school experience was free from the all-powerful grip of social media. This was a good thing I think and is something which today’s teenagers are not experiencing.
the rise
Then everything changed, from the late years of primary school onwards, everything was done through social media. Even the school would post pictures on Facebook and Instagram. The school captains in high school had their own Instagram account by the time I left. It’s crazy to think how much these platforms have grown and changed in such a short space of time.Â
after social media
Social media is still growing, of course, with the introduction of apps like TikTok and a steady stream of new features, and it continues to dominate our lives. It is clear there are benefits to social media – it allows us to keep up with friends we might otherwise lose contact with, for example.
However, as social media grows, it seems to attract more criticism. Social media is increasingly criticized for its impact on mental health, learning, attention span, and overall happiness. Many large countries have either banned or are planning to ban social media for certain age groups, often under 16s. The UK government is planning to pilot social media bans, curfews, and time limits in the homes of around 300 British teenagers. It will be interesting to see how bans and curfews change the way we use social media, especially among younger adults. Given that under-16s will have never known a time without social media, it is likely to have an effect, though no one can tell whether it will be positive or negative.
My experience in social media, through doing marketing for various organizations such as churches and The Tree in St Andrews, has been varied. I have learned a lot about the value of social media and how useful it can be for promoting or spreading a message. Sometimes, though, it is hard to know how to use it because so many people recognize the huge issues that social media brings. This means that those of us who use social media for business or promotion have to put on our thinking caps to try to find ways to stay relevant.
What now?
I think it is important to recognize that social media does have downfalls. Like everything else, if you watch too much television, you can end up with eye problems; if you play video games too much, your hands can end up with mobility issues; if you jog too much, you can find yourself with knee issues. No matter what you do, too much of something always ends up with consequences. Maybe the issue with social media is that, as it has grown, society’s use of it has grown. This problem seems to be what the government is trying to fix by trialing time limits.
So, is social media on the rise, or on its way out? Let’s face it – we will probably never have a world without some kind of social media; there is always something new out there. On the other hand, it seems possible that maybe a decade from now, social media will look a lot different. Maybe, that’s just what it needs – to be changed for the better. The apps we have now are somewhat old, and maybe a few changes would help social media to stay relevant in this age of criticism.