Sarah Brown: Be on the right side of screens and social media
Social media. Two words as non-threatening and simple as words can be, yet when placed beside each other, an entire society is controlled and defined. There are endless things in life that are not as they once were. As cliche as the phrase “you never know you’re in the good old day's until they’re over” is, it's true. Something that has become one of the most unequivocally influential aspects of life, only within the last two decades? Social media.
Now, this sort of evolution is not always a bad thing. Things shouldn’t always be “as they once were,” because life would be boring! There is a difference between reminiscing, and mourning, as if it is a major loss to change. However, while waves of change come and go along with the calendar, the epidemic of social media growth has come like a tsunami, leaving lasting benefits, yet simultaneous damage.
I’m a senior in high school, 17 years old; social media is something I grew up with. In elementary school, we played woodchip tag, and red rover, but we also were creating instagram profiles and snapchat accounts. Granted, whether or not it is a parent's job to monitor, or even allow such things to happen all together, is a debate regarding the vast world of social media that children are exposed to at increasingly younger ages, one I cannot say I have much experience with (other than the fact that I once was the child in this scenario). So, this poses an inevitable question that plagues all conversations about social media: Do the pros outweigh the cons? Even as a member of Generation Z, this is a tough question for me to answer. Initially, I say yes ... and no.
My solidly millennial older sister pines for the days that all a teenager had to compare herself to were the models in the Cosmopolitan magazines at the hair salon. Nowadays, all we have to do is click an app and we are overwhelmed with every friend, acquaintance and foe within a 500 mile radius, and the facetuned, sponsored celebrities, all ripe for our visual consumption. This is called the “social media comparison trap. A trap, set by the achingly endless rabbit hole of subconsciously comparing ourselves to others highlight reels.
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There is real research to support the notion that social media has negative effects, contributing to serious issues: body dysmorphia, depression, and bullying, especially in the young and impressionable. Kids my age no longer just face the scrutiny of dirty looks in the hallways, jealous ex-girlfriends and whether or not we made varsity team. We now face the unfollow button, the followers we have displayed on our accounts for all to see, and feeling that peopleyou have never had a real live conversation with, could form a negative opinion of you. It's an overwhelming and confusing thing to navigate.Yet, in spite of all this, I advocate for the use of social media. I know ... you might be thinking “How could someone in good conscious support what has the potential to do damage?”. I hear that. But, I know it can be a beautiful thing as well. While there is no denying that constant comparison is damaging, the majority of articles I read discussing this “comparison trap,” were written by someone over the age of 50. This doesn't make them any less correct, or credible, but I feel that perhaps it frankly makes them more out of the loop. Peers my age are more inclined tosee the pros of our endless swiping, and those who have known a world without it are more inclined to see the cons.
My biggest argument for the use of social media is that no other generation has ever had such vast information at their very fingertips. We are activists, before graduating high school. To some, perhaps this is nonsense. But, this is the most natural resource we have, young people with a phone. I get it, that sounds bad. I’m a believer in unplugging, doing things that matter, like spending time with those you love.
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Yet, why is there such a negative connotation surrounding social media when it has the power to do so much good. It brings those thousands of miles apart, together. It brings inspiration, hope in times of darkness. It brings education. It brings the future closer with every click.
Social media; It's a blessing and a curse. It’s up to you to choose what you do with it. There is always bad with the good. Don't allow yourself to fall into the ever so tempting “trap”, and instead, allow yourself to not become a slave to the screen, but a savorer of the endless knowledge it can give. If you choose to be behind a screen, be on the right side, not the wrong.
Sarah Brown is a Williamsfield High School student with a passion for writing. She contributes to the weekly Many Paths column.
This article originally appeared on Galesburg Register-Mail: Screens, social media: looking at the pros and cons — Sarah Brown
