The impact of social networks in our lives

The impact of social networks in our lives

In recent years, social networks have become a big part of our lives. Moreover, 81.71% of the UK population use social networks in 2011, which ranks them 3rd in Europe. Young and old alike are now using them to socialize or get information.

Social networks can allow commercial companies to communicate about their products, they use it as a promotional tool. Social networks are also used to inform the population more quickly and easily of the latest news. Social networks also allow to find old relationships. Several tools have been created for this purpose. During the Covid-19 pandemic, networks became essential to stay in touch with our loved ones by sharing moments of our lives. Indeed, many social networks like Facebook and Instagram allow to share videos and images that can also change the world. Many whistleblowing movements have appeared and would not have had the same impact without the networks. We also have the possibility to meet new people, some find love, other friendships. Thanks to the networks, we can also appeal for help such as fundraising etc...Despite the positive aspect that social networks can have, there are some negative points. First, bad people use networks to harass colleagues or classmates. It can start very young but also older people write insulting or hateful messages. There are also many pedophiles who use social networks to find and seduce young children and teenagers. Their goal is to get scantily clad photos. Indeed, the children can register on the social networks younger and younger so the people with bad intentions know where to find them. It is also important to be careful between professional and private life on social networks. The more we post on the networks, the more some people around us can know everything about us. Among these people, there may be our future employer, or simply people who want to harm you. Everything we post becomes public in the eyes of everyone and remains engraved on the Internet despite certain privacy settings, despite the images that “disappear” after a few hours... There are also hackers who are into identity theft. Some use it to gain access to your computer to steal passwords and important numbers. Social networks are also a source of false information. It is difficult to distinguish what is true or false. We also notice a decrease in self-esteem, especially among teenagers. By comparing themselves to “perfect” photos, to people who seem to have a so-called perfect life. In addition to this decrease in self-esteem, there are mental health problems. The symptoms of anxiety, depression and loneliness are accentuated in people who spend 3 to 6 hours a day on the networks.

I think that social networks can bring us a lot of positive things, like very good meetings, some constructive mobilizations etc... Social networks bring new possibilities but also give new dimensions to conflicts. We must therefore know how to define limits and rules with young people in particular.

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