Social media has revolutionized the way people connect and share information worldwide. It offers a platform for individuals to express themselves, share their thoughts, and engage with others on a massive scale. However, we see the negative effects of social media almost everyday. Studies by researchers and professionals constantly state that social media has negatively impacted today’s society, but why hasn’t there been any change?

With its user-friendly interfaces and instant accessibility through phones, social media has become an integral part of daily life for billions of people. Most teenagers today could consider social media one of the main parts of their lives. Sending snapchats to friends, posting and watching hours of Tik Tok, and keeping up with their instagrams is something that teens consider second nature. Senior Ky Quackenbush talks about his personal experiences on social media “It’s mostly to communicate with all of my friends. I don’t usually see or pay attention to the negative things from social media. I feel the parts of social media I see that are negative I can remove from my feed and control or I just put my phone down.”

However, it also raises concerns regarding privacy, cyberbullying, and the distortion of reality. With new editions like AI creators are able to create lots of different posture and unfortunately negative content that can be extremely misleading. Senior Cate Schnell shares her connection to ai through tiktok: “I can see videos of celebrities and even the president talking with different voices and saying things they wouldn’t normally say. I think it’s scary but sometimes I find them funny. I see some of them and I can almost easily tell that it isn’t what they are actually saying and the creators obviously made the videos for a quick laugh.”

Despite these drawbacks, social media remains a powerful tool for communication, networking, and promoting social causes. We are able to stay updated on worldwide issues faster and it is easier to promote activism through social media. Gender equality and racial discrimination have been amplified and have had a huge effect on society with gen z because of social media. It has enabled global activism, allowed marginalized voices to be heard, and facilitated the dissemination of information in real-time.

The impact of social media on society is undeniable, shaping both personal interactions and broader societal dynamics. While it has certainly come with challenges such as privacy issues and cyberbullying, its benefits cannot be overlooked. What society can do is notice these issues and be aware that social media is not always real life. We must learn to do proper research and fact check important pieces of information before we believe some of the major news that is written through social media.