Pros and Cons of Social Media | Rose Scholars Spring 2018

On Monday, I went to the table talk to join GRF Sara to discuss the use of social media. The talk was inspired by a TedTalk by Cal Newport, who does not use social media. In the video, Dr. Newport was attempting to crown himself as a better man than social media users because he does not feel the urge to use these applications. Dr. Newport only considered the negative aspects of social media, when in reality there are many beneficial things that individuals can gain from social media platforms.

In my experience using social media, I have found that it has done an exceptional job of keeping me up to date with personal relationships as well as global news. I will say, however, that Dr. Newport is probably right, and that I could probably be more productive without social media. Just today, I have found myself constantly being distracted by social media when trying to study. I do blame myself for this, however, rather than the actual applications, as it would be just as easy to be distracted by television.

At the end of the discussion, we discussed how social media provides a platform for anonymous cyber bullying. To me, this is the biggest problem that social media presents. Many people feel unbreakable and powerful because they can hide behind a computer screen and bully other individuals. This has caused a lot of depression and even suicide among young teens in recent years. Additionally, privacy has become a huge concern regarding social media due to the latest Mark Zuckerberg scandal. In all honesty, I have known that my data probably has been unsafe for years, and it has not really bothered me all that much. In conclusion, I think that Dr. Newport did not consider the benefits that social media has to offer, and while it can be distracting, it provides entertainment, connections, and happiness to billions of people.

4 thoughts on “Pros and Cons of Social Media”

I really like the point you brought up about how it would be just as easy to be distracted by a television, or a book, to take it a step further. It’s true that I think part of the allure of social media is its speed – we take in information almost faster than we can process it, and that’s what also makes it more distracting and dangerous, perhaps, than a book or a television. However, if I’m interpreting your point right, I think a lot of people don’t realize that humans have been distracted since the beginning of time by a variety of things – it’s just that now, social media makes those distractions slightly more accessible and visible. Human society hasn’t collapsed yet – I think we’ll be fine if we don’t all quit social media.

It is very sad to think about all of the cyber bullying that happens and its detrimental effects to the victims; probably the worst part about it is that the ones who are doing the bullying don’t even know (or care enough to know) the person who is at the center of the criticism.

It seems like a very engaging and interesting discussion of social media. Indeed while it allows people to be more connected and share their lives with friends and family, yet it also produced a lot of unforeseeable problems, such as cyberbullying. However, I still think overall the benefits and changes that social media brought to our lives outweighs the problems it produces.

I relate a lot to this post. There are so many times I wish I could put my phone down because I always see myself comparing myself to others and making me more accept. I don’t know if it’s the fear of not being up to date on what my peers are doing or just the feeling of boredom which has preventing me from my addiction of social media. I would like to try an experiment for one week to go off social media and see whether that has an impact on me.

zx53 on April 16, 2018 at 9:52 am said:

I really like the point you brought up about how it would be just as easy to be distracted by a television, or a book, to take it a step further. It’s true that I think part of the allure of social media is its speed – we take in information almost faster than we can process it, and that’s what also makes it more distracting and dangerous, perhaps, than a book or a television. However, if I’m interpreting your point right, I think a lot of people don’t realize that humans have been distracted since the beginning of time by a variety of things – it’s just that now, social media makes those distractions slightly more accessible and visible. Human society hasn’t collapsed yet – I think we’ll be fine if we don’t all quit social media.
epr38 on April 16, 2018 at 9:33 pm said:

It is very sad to think about all of the cyber bullying that happens and its detrimental effects to the victims; probably the worst part about it is that the ones who are doing the bullying don’t even know (or care enough to know) the person who is at the center of the criticism.
yy354 on April 21, 2018 at 2:42 pm said:

It seems like a very engaging and interesting discussion of social media. Indeed while it allows people to be more connected and share their lives with friends and family, yet it also produced a lot of unforeseeable problems, such as cyberbullying. However, I still think overall the benefits and changes that social media brought to our lives outweighs the problems it produces.
aa2473 on April 22, 2018 at 1:30 pm said:

I relate a lot to this post. There are so many times I wish I could put my phone down because I always see myself comparing myself to others and making me more accept. I don’t know if it’s the fear of not being up to date on what my peers are doing or just the feeling of boredom which has preventing me from my addiction of social media. I would like to try an experiment for one week to go off social media and see whether that has an impact on me.