Social media undoubtedly plays an important role in most people’s everyday lives. Whether or not social media is a positive or negative thing is a highly debated topic in recent news.

First, take a look at the negative side of social media. All around most websites and people say that cyberbullying is a huge negative to social media. A report published by the Pew Research Center stated that 59% of US teens have been bullied or harassed online. A large majority of teens, around 90% in this case, believe that online harassment is an important issue and that it affects them and their peers.

Although cyberbullying is an issue on social media, it doesn’t stop people from enjoying the less stressful parts of social media. Being able to talk to your friends or family easier actually strengthens relationships. Also, especially for teenagers, it gives them a space to figure out who they are in a safe environment.

Freshman Elizabeth Brown thinks, “[Social media] is both, positive and negative, because people can express themselves through their profiles, but people can use it to bully people that they don’t know or haven’t done anything to them.”

Brown isn’t the only one on the fence about whether or not social media is a good thing. When asked if she’d be better of with or without social media, 2016 FHS Alumnus Cam Goldsmith said, “Without it, because encourages judgment of others based on the way that they present themselves online (for better or for worse) and can often reduce in-person human interaction.”

Similarly, Forbes Magazine says that this generation tends to form artificial connections

 with people, this is due to the decreased amount of face-to-face interaction. The ability to edit messages before sending them removes an aspect of authenticity and vulnerability that is only seen in an in-person conversation. Also, people online often overlook the quality of the connections made and hone in on the quantity of “friends” one can get on social media. Follower count or the number of likes on a post seem to outweigh the quality of the relationships formed online.

As lucky as this generation is to have all this new technology and social media, there are many pros and cons to these advancements. What do you think? Would you be better off with or without social media?

Cover photo credit: Lily Bernheart