Most high school students have access to social media and have easy access to it, but how do students feel about its impacts on connections and society overall? Social media’s impacts on individuals and society are rather controversial, as many opposing viewpoints exist on social media and its effects. On April 11, The Voice took to the halls to gain intel on how students at YHS feel about social media.
Students were first interviewed on how they feel about social media’s impacts on their personal lives. All students who were interviewed felt that social media broadened their connections and made it much easier for people to connect with others. Sam Spiegel stated that social media “impacts me a lot because I am able to communicate with people and see what’s happening in the world.” Sam added, “I think that social media brings people together with common interests.” Molly Coughlin also believes that social media expands people’s connections. “You could meet new people,” she stated. Drew Duncan also stated that social media creates opportunities for people to pursue their careers. “A lot of people make money, and get jobs from social media.” Apps such as Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, etc. allow people to reach out to one another online, and these applications create opportunities for people to pursue a career, such as starting an online business or becoming an influencer.
Although students see many benefits of social media, the interviewees also stated that social media has negative impacts on people’s connections and society in general. Sam Spiegel stated that cyberbullying can happen on social media. Molly Coughlin said that social media can set unrealistic standards for people’s appearance and behavior. Standards set online, whether that be by influencers or through any other form of social connections online, can create standards that someone might feel inclined to live up to. “It can be easily damaging for mental health,” she added.
Overall, students share many common beliefs in how social media affects society, both positive and negative. One common response from students is that it is good at improving social connections, as it allows people to communicate with one another online on many different platforms. Students also believe that social media creates opportunities for people, as many online platforms and possibilities allow people to pursue a career or follow their passions. They believe that social media can also give better insight into current events, as social media can serve as an outlet for news and information. Despite these benefits, students also see downsides to social media. They agreed that social media can serve as a source for cyberbullying, and the standards or misinformation that someone might learn from social media can be misleading and put pressure on people to change who they are. Overall, social media has many benefits, but one should be cautious of its potential harm.
