Social media is a very popular platform for people to create, share, and express ideas. A lot of students at Rio Norte use it to connect with friends, entertain, and post whatever they feel or want. Social media can also be something harmful to others who are negatively affected by it. It can hurt your mental health and what you think about yourself. Here are the pros and cons of social media.

There are many pros of social media. Popular apps like Tiktok, Snapchat, and Instagram, let you know what’s going on in your friends, school, and community’s lives. Social media can help you find people who you like, and to find people who have the same interests as you. Next, social media entertains, if you’re bored the first thing many people think of is scrolling through Tiktok, watching limitless YouTube videos, or exploring Pinterest. Social media platforms have a diverse amount of creators who have something to share that a lot of people like. There are videos/posts to make you laugh, inspire you, relate to, and more that will have something people will like on social media. You can post your ideas and there would be a whole lot of people who would think the same. Also, a lot of people grow businesses on social media platforms, which is called social media marketing. It can inspire and motivate you to do many good things, and you can inspire others, as well.

Social media also has cons. Social media is one of the well-known ways how rumors are spread, gossip, and where people can talk badly about others. This definitely causes so many people to feel upset or feel bad for themselves. This could lead to negative outcomes. This could put down their self-esteem. 7th English teacher Mrs. Abdullah says, “Despite companies presenting social media as a means by which to build connections and stay connected, the negative impacts it has had on not just students, but all people, outweigh any good it can bring. Social media was created based on the psychology of people; it was created with the intention of tapping into our vulnerabilities and profiting off of it. Any platform that benefits off of the harming of others has no redeemable qualities in my eyes”.

These are the pros and cons of social media. The pros include entertainment, finding similar communities, and connecting, while cons include the spread of hate.