Are there more positives or negatives for social media during this crisis: 2

Social media has become an important a part of our lives. Every morning, the first instinct of almost every individual is to check social media. However, like every other aspect of life, it has several positives and negatives. These days, people are spending an unusually extensive amount of time daily on these networks due to the pandemic-induced lockdown situation. However, social media used to even extract a substantial amount of time from our ‘social’ gatherings pre-lockdown. That is why we often end up asking ourselves if we are benefitting by using these apps and websites on our devices. And almost always after asking this question, we find ourselves contemplating and in a dilemma.

Having used these services for a while now, we can safely say that we as human beings have started trusting people less. But is that necessarily a bad practice? Social media has taught us to be more socially conscious by showing us how human beings react to different situations and how their heritage and culture affects their mindset. It has taught us how different people from different parts of the world can be, showing us the diverse world we live in. People have also embraced technology and have become technologically savvy. A lot of us would not have used technology as much if we did not get the chance to connect with known people through it. In turn, this has educated us on how to use the internet and has given us the ability to use other resources on the internet for our benefit.

At the same time, we cannot ignore the blatant misuse and inconvenience people have had to face on these web-based networks. Private data leaks and identity thefts have become regular news and we must regulate and look after these incidents and make the world what social media was initially built to make, a closer-knit, safer and better place.