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Social Media: 8 Harmful Trends People Overlook

Social Media: 8 Harmful Trends People Overlook

Social media has made it easy to connect with people all around the globe. It has brought a new revolution in the world. Over 3.6 billion people use social media worldwide and this number will rise further.

Just as every coin has two sides, how we use social media will determine whether it serves us or not. In this blog, we will look at the downsides and see how social media can affect us.

Cyberbullying

In cyberbullying, the bully uses technology to defame, harass, threaten, or embarrass the victim. The current laws and grievance redressing mechanisms are proving inadequate. The number of victims seems to rise every day.

Cyberbullying can push the victim into the spiral of depression and anxiety.

We need to take preventive measures by using all the tools provided by social media companies (privacy settings) to secure privacy. Also, we need methods and programs to raise awareness so that the victims of cyberbullying don’t feel isolated and helpless. And we need international laws against cyberbullying so that the victim gets justice even when the bully is from another country!

Fake news

Social networking sites have become a hotbed of fake news. The people fall prey to the tricks of media houses which try to create a rift in the society for their publicity.

Spreading fake news is dangerous. There were instances where the spread of fake news on social media led to chaos, confusion, and mob violence!

Every one of us should be vigilant about the content we consume. We should REPORT fake news and see to it that we don’t contribute or promote false content in any way.

Fake news is a big thing in the field of Social Media Journalism. Fake news can be as simple has spreading misinformation.or as dangerous as smearing hateful propaganda. – Fabrizio Moreira

Hatred, violence and communal politics

Social media is also used by some parties to play the card to communal politics and hatred. It is also used by people to spread propaganda-based hate messages. Such content often becomes viral as people tend to share politics-related things in large numbers.

People all over the world are demanding social networking sites to bring in change so that the violent and hateful content is tracked and subdued at the source. But the social media companies are hesitant to do the right thing because this fake news cycle is benefitting them.

Spread of age-inappropriate content

As children tend to become active online at a younger age, there is an increased risk of falling prey to content that might be inappropriate or harmful. Innocent children may get exposed to explicit, extremely violent images/ads that pop up on the screen.

Children may feel traumatized, confused and upset if they are exposed to such content. In extreme cases, the children may start showing violent behavior. So it is important to keep a track of all their online activities. Parents should install child locks and other preventive and protective tools where ever possible.

Hacking of profiles and Scams

Hacking social media account is illegal and has been made a punishable offense in many countries. But the victims often feel scared to report it to the authorities or think that creating another account might solve the problem.

Similarly scamming people is also illegal but till the time it is reported, the damage is already done! Scammers are thriving on social media and people lose their hard-earned money because of it.harsh realities of using social media

It’s easy for scammers to cheat so keep an eye on their (product) reviews, type its (alleged company/product/person) name on search engine and look out for the words “spam”, “complaint”. If you smell anything suspicious better stay out of it.

You should also keep a check on your privacy settings and limit sharing of personal information as far as possible.

Reel life vs real life

Social media creates an illusion of good life. People start believing that their life is not as happening and exciting as that of others. On social media, “the grass always looks greener on the other side.”

Social media, unfortunately, just makes it a lot easier to be jealous. It sets up false expectations of reality, so it’s really easy to look at someone else’s life online and assume that they have everything going great for them and that their life is perfect. – Franchesca Ramsey

Misuse of private information

We like to share snippets of our life with our friends online. We share photos and videos without thinking much about it. We forget that through our photos, videos we are sharing our private information. The sad truth is this information can be misused by anybody including social media companies, business organizations, scammers, or hackers.

Personal attacks

People from different walks of life find support on social media for their cause but there is an ugly side to it as well. There are elements in the society whose only work is to create and perpetuate hatred and disharmony. They will find a person and target him/her ceaselessly.

There are some people who do not hesitate to abuse, who indulge in moral policing, who derive pleasure from hurting others, and who feel powerful by downgrading others. Because of it, the victims have to face constant mental pressure, loneliness and anxiety.

If you are suffering from Cyberbullying you should contact the government helpline.

You can also visit our website to seek help from our experts.

 

 

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