Social media: it’s turning our brains to rot and making everyone depressed… or is it? Since the early to mid 2010s, social media apps have made a permanent home in many people’s phones and spending time on social media has become as much of a daily activity as eating food or drinking water; practically everyone is doing it. Since so many people are on it for much of their days — especially kids, teens, and young adults — there is increased concern over what social media is doing to people. Many argue that social media is driving suicide rates in kids and teens up, it’s an unhealthy way to pass the time, and false information from online is causing panic and confusion. This type of thing happens with every generation when something new that people don’t understand comes along. So many people thought rock-and-roll was making teens worship the devil and have copious amounts of sex while being high, which really wasn’t the case. Social media is the new rock-and-roll: it’s a new thing, and people demonize change. While social media may sometimes be linked to negativity, social media is not as bad as many make it out to be. In fact, it can have very positive benefits.

   When people talk about social media setting unrealistic or unattainable body expectations, particularly for young girls and women, they are usually referring to Instagram. Instagram in the last five years has created a whole industry, where “Insta models” and influencers monetize their posts by doing ads for brands, according to The Guardian (theguardian.com). There is no denying that these “Insta models” rely on post-production services to elevate the quality of their pictures, but it is completely unfair to say that this is giving people body dysmorphia. According to the Washington Post, models, magazines, and movies have been using retouching tools for photos and media since Photoshop and other post-production services were invented (washingtonpost.com). Social media has made it easier to see more edited pictures, as edited pictures are pretty much the standard on social media, but social media itself isn’t making people want to look a certain way. 

   Even if people were to get rid of their phones and the Internet, this phenomenon would still happen in magazines and on screen. It’s unfortunate that people are unhappy with how they look, but the issue is that they need to realise that editing and Photoshop are used as art forms and the final product isn’t supposed to be a reflection of reality; it’s supposed to be an idealized version of the person in the picture. Those who are much more apt to get jealous and envious are confusing reality with fantasy, and they shouldn’t expect themselves to look flawless and camera ready at all times. The harsh reality of the world is that some people are naturally attractive and some aren’t, but looks aren’t everything. People should acknowledge that these pictures aren’t authentic, and the posts are made to look good on purpose. Social media is not to blame for body confidence issues when the things people want to look like aren’t even real in the first place.

   Moderation is the key to enjoying things without letting them become the only thing anyone does. With social media, moderation tends to just go out the window for many people. There are plenty of articles and studies showing that phone addiction can cause teens to be depressed, but could it really be that it’s just phones that are causing depression in teens? As it is with many cases, no single thing is the single source of all problems. An article from Providence summarizes what several studies say about excessive phone usage being linked to depression; however, nowhere does it say why phone use is so excessive (providence.org). 

   It is fair to say that the teenage years are hard and overwhelming, what with all the growing up, picking a college that will decide one’s fate, and the impending doom of world events. So it’s no wonder teens need an escape from thinking about all that. Back before phones, teens would listen to rock music as a form of escapism, watch TV, go to the movies, skate around on roller skates and skateboards, or dress up in crazy and eccentric clothes. Unfortunately, all of those things at one point in time were demonized and criticized for being a bad influence on young people. Social media is an outlet for teens to talk to one another, spend time looking at things they like, and consume content they want to see, and there is nothing wrong with that in moderation.

   With social media, anyone can say anything and post it online within a matter of seconds, which is great for talking with one another or expressing your opinions. Social media has given birth to a whole new way to advocate for important movements, and it’s easy to spread one’s message to reach a large audience. For example, the Black Lives Matter movement started with online advocacy and it eventually reached practically everyone around the world during the civil rights movement over the summer in 2020 (theguardian.com). Although ignorant people can also voice their opinions and reach a large audience, that’s just what is expected when discussing politics. Activists online can create informational fliers, post resources to further educate people on any given topic, and interact with like-minded people that want to help as well, all accomplished within a matter of minutes without even having to leave the house. Sure, there is a lot of garbage online that is wrong in just about any way it can be, but that’s easily avoidable by simply researching sources  or ignoring it and moving on. Social media has brought on a new form of activism and has made it easier to keep up with current events and hot button issues that people would otherwise not catch.

   Senior Honieh Hemati agrees that social media can be extremely helpful. “It can be really educational and inspirational. Sometimes it can open your eyes to a new perspective you wouldn’t have seen yourself,” she explained. Social media offers people so many new things they otherwise wouldn’t have seen. If people go into social media with a positive outlook, they’ll find what they want to see. A lot of people who think social media is damaging most likely go into it with a negative outlook as well.

   It seems like most issues around social media are user errors, like anyone complaining there are too many people voicing opinions they don’t agree with, or being addicted to social media. Not everyone is addicted to social media; people who have any grasp on reality wouldn’t spend every waking second on the phone. They might spend a lot of time, but again that’s their prerogative. It really is up to the individual how they perceive and use social media, and it is unjust to say that social media is a problem, when for a lot of people it isn’t an issue.