Flashing lights, blaring sounds, things just yelling at you to grab your attention, these are all the aspects that make up our current digital world. In today’s day and age, social media is made up of vastly temporary blurbs of info, odd jokes, and feelings of instant gratification. Social media, while an amazing creation, could be compared to a pet snake, which is entertaining to have, but dangerous if not handled carefully.
I personally have a love-hate relationship with social media, and have held it mostly at arm’s length, treating it with respect. My father has always said “What you consume is what you become”, and I find it important to adhere to that rule throughout my life. With the speed of transmission that info has because of social media, people can spread messages easily. You could see this in the constant media activism that occurs whenever any type of event happens.
For example, political activism is abroad, with people posting articles on their instagram stories, about everything from bills to voting. People of any side love to express their views practically passive aggressively, especially around major political events such as elections and the passing of disagreeable bills. This is a great example of performative activism, with people role-playing as mini advocates within their friend groups. These types of activists can get extreme, and I’ve even seen such things as extreme as witch hunting just because people have a different view or have different actions than the majority.
On TikTok, people have been roped into questionable trends, things like a “Devious Lick” where students steal things from school like soap dispensers, desks, and even going as far as stealing an entire school bus. This trend has even caused official emails from school districts such as PISD advising against doing such actions.
Additionally, the perceived anonymity of being on the internet causes cyberbullying to flourish. To some it may be funny and laughable to poke fun at people who are less fortunate than you, and it’s encouraged due to the fact that people believe they are anonymous, but to the recipient, it’s painful to see hundreds of people just being rude to you for seemingly no reason.
It’s not ideal to have kids who are just developing in their early preteens to be exposed to these types of toxic environments, as they may believe that these types of behaviors are examples of proper role models and develop into people that are misguided. As such, it is important to give measured freedom to children and make sure they understand the risks that are involved and make sure they practice proper social media etiquette.
Overall social media can be a dangerous asset if used inappropriately, and it’s important to keep yourself safe. While a good tool if used correctly; being able to raise funds for charity; spread awareness; and provide information while also entertaining, it’s important to remember what it can really become.
