Positive and Negative effects of social media

 This week's blog post is, about the effects of social media and whether it is good or bad.

First of all, it is important to recognize that there are many different social networking sites such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat. They all offer their own benefits and drawbacks. For example, Instagram can be really helpful for purposes such as photography, spreading your faith, posting your political views, seeing what your friends are up to, expressing who you are, etc. However, some drawbacks would be feeling insecure because of others' posts. This mostly happens because the majority of Instagram users only post the good/perfect parts of their lives. However, Snap chat on the other hand is considered more of a communication platform rather than Facebook or Instagram where you just see everyone's posts. Snapchat is more of a messenger app to connect with people more easily. There are quite a few drawbacks when it comes to this app though. One of them being the age limit is pretty limited mostly because Snapchat's goal was to target the younger generations. And when you send pictures it could create forms of insecurities.

          We have to realize social media can have many positive and negative effects on an individual's mental health. Facebook, like many platforms, has been linked to many cases of depression, feelings of loneliness, stress, and lack of self-worth. But of course, when there are negatives there are also positives linked. First, let's talk about how it can negatively affect one's mental health. Facebook can make anyone feel like everyone they follow has the perfect life. It really depends on whether you decide to just connect with close friends or family because that could lead to less stress/depression. But most of us follow anybody and everybody. This is because we are curious beings. The downside to this curiosity is that it can lead to insecurity or comparison struggles. But Facebook does show positive effects because it is such an amazing tool to connect with the people that you love or want to follow. Many families live far away, or for example, your best friend might have moved away but because of Facebook, you all can stay connected. Facebook also has commenting features so that can definitely be positive in certain scenarios. If someone comments positive and uplifting things of course that would boost anyone's self-esteem. 

Here is a video that contains some more information for you to check out if you are interested!