Effects of Social Media on Our New Generation- A Case Study of Instagram and Snapchat

Effects of Social Media on Our New Generation- A Case Study of Instagram and Snapchat

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Effects of Social Media On Our New Generation- A Case of Instagram and Snapchat

Social media is the leading cause of global dilemmas as well as the answers to such problems. The current generation especially the millennials will have no knowledge about the world without social media. It is the most used media platform especially amongst the teenagers considering the facts about internet connectivity, thanks to the evolution of technology like computing. The social interaction has become a leading trend as most of the current generation engages through social platforms. Most youths use media like Instagram, Snapchat, Myspace, Twitter, YouTube and gaming sites for interaction and entertainment. It is because of these that social media use has rapidly grown. In my case, I often use Instagram and Snapchat for interaction and communication. Irrespective of the social evils associated with such media, I find it difficult to live without it since the benefits associated are many.

Instagram is a site where we share pictures and videos about the moments of our lives. It entails capturing and sharing the world’s most experienced and fun moments. I use Instagram to post, comment, like and follow my relatives and friends when on vacation. The site also allows me to share and receive the things I love with the rest of the world. Such instances help to bring back to life my lost glory especially in times of difficulty through sharing. The site further enables me to discover new things in life and also provide a platform for healthy discussion about life experiences.

Snapchat, on the other hand, is a social media application recognized worldwide that is used to send and receive messages. Because of its smooth programs and ease of management, it helps me to keep in touch with my friends and relatives no matter how far they are. Snapchat has made my life to be of fun since I live to full satisfaction through the information sharing. The application has enabled my friends and me to chat, play and further to make some discoveries. I discovered that life is enjoyable if one lives to the moment and the application has just done that.

Our new generation would not be satisfied with the world without social media. Most of us perceive it to be part of our daily lives hence we cannot live without it. According to my understanding, the world will be incomplete without such things as Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and Twitter among others. The basic behind this is because of the numerous benefits derived from them some of which are discussed below.

Social media acts as an interaction site as people share their views and chats with their friends and relatives. Through Instagram, I am in a position to communicate with my relatives and friends worldwide. Instagram also allows me to share photos about my fun moments with those closest to me. The Snapchat creates an enabling environment for the messaging system which allows several people to chat online about their lives and the activities they undertake. The problems solutions are enhanced through information sharing based on such applications. In addition, the proper communication through proper chats and discussions promotes peaceful and healthy coexistence among friends. All the benefits which come with effective communication are associated also with such social sites.

The social sites also provide platforms for entertainment through the picture and videos shared through the site. Watching videos is an entertainment and really I do enjoy watching some of the videos sent to my Instagram account by friends. Some of the videos shared through Instagram are funny clips which most of the time arouse my moods especially when stressed-up. In most cases, they relieve me from inner feelings of pain and anxiety about life. Snapchat also provides an interface for video sharing though in this case they don’t long last. Entertainment is one of the ways to relieve stress, burn-out and breaking boredom which is healthy for the daily upkeep of mankind. I really enjoy such fun clips, videos about nature and some of the real-life videos. I also enjoy photo taking and snapshots through Instagram on different vacations which I consider to be part of the entertainment.

Furthermore, social sites act as learning sites which teaches us about experiences in life and ways of tackling challenges. Information sharing encourages learning especially ways of solving life challenges. The Snapchat provides a messaging system which is used by many including myself to share our problems with the experienced personnel in the media. Through the sharing, I am able to learn from my previous mistake and follow the right channel. In our modern world, it is evident that some lessons nowadays are carried online. For instance, through Instagram lessons are done through video links. This has in return eased the classroom lectures and assignments. Today e-learning is very common and it has assisted many students to take up their classes, I being a beneficiary.

However, social media comes with its challenges depending on how the youths perceive and make use of it. It runs from affecting the user to the societal ethical deterioration. One of the outstanding negative effects is the addiction to the social media, where the user cannot do without it. Addiction to social media is just like being addicted to a drug substance. From my personal experience, Instagram and Snapchat have become part of my life and I cannot do without them. Just like many of my age mates, I consider the world without the social media sites incomplete and worthless to live in. In facts, me personally a day cannot pass without visiting my Instagram or Snapchat accounts for information about current issues in the world. Thus, it encourages laziness among the youths which have a negative impact on the economic position of any country.

Social media also affects the way many youths view themselves in that it has impacts on the cultural values of society. Nowadays we don’t send handwritten letters since the use of Snapchats and photo taking is like a norm to most of our current generation. Although our generation has more confidence in the use of social sites, such sites have led to cultural erosions especially the ethical values in society. At times I come across dirty video clips like porn materials in my Instagram, are easily shared across the social sites. It is because of the societal moral depreciation which is being encouraged by social media, where youth don’t think about what they are posting.

In conclusion, I learned that as much as social media is perceived to be bad, it is also good in several ways. Social media encourages learning platforms, interactive environment and entertainment sites among other benefits. All the benefits attributed to the reduction of the world into a global village by the internet are attributed to the existence of social media. On the other hand, it has not lacked side effects ranging from personal effects like addiction to social evils like cultural erosion. Such have promoted immoralities in the society and also encouraged laziness. Therefore, I learned that the positive or negative impacts of social media generally depend on how the youths use such media for interaction.