Since the internet became accessible to a broader audience and social media took the responsibility to build the online community, the word “social media ” became one of the most talked about phrases on the web.
Social media content is read by a large number of people all around the world. People spend much time on social media watching videos, reading posts, and interacting with the community on essential subjects.
Businesses are also leveraging the success of social media platforms to increase the pool of customers. It is easier to sell on social media than traditional selling through the physical store. Easy online payment, fast delivery service, and instant customer support through digital media are helping online businesses to sell their product to a broader audience.
Social media have changed our society and allowed us to talk to anyone worldwide without border restrictions. Businesses can reach across the border and help people who are in need. At these moments, everything looks great about social media; however, we should also examine some pros and cons before we reach any conclusion.
Pros
- Noble cause and Practices
Social is an excellent place to spread peace and happiness in the community. Encourage people to support those in need and boost their morale by showing support for the weaker group of society.
NGOs use social media to bring more hands to support their charity to continue doing good work for society. Institutes running a campaign on noble causes do a great job on social media.
- Marketing and Promotion
Social media have created a community where companies can promote their products with the click of a button. Promoting your brand on social media and reaching millions of people overnight is easy. Social media have reduced the marketing cost for companies. Businesses can promote the product by spending a few dollars and gaining the necessary exposure.
- Community building
Social media helping elevating the skill of individuals by bringing bright brains to the common platform. The primary objective of social media is to build a community of people who share similar interests or skills. Several communities are built on social media sites where people join and share their knowledge with others so others can learn from their experiences.
- Real-time information
Real people run social media, and the information is shared instantly as it is happening in the world. Users get real-time information about the event through community sharing. News sites are using social media to find the problems of the people, current events, and even the earthquake alert can be identified from the social media sites.
- Education
Most importantly, social media helps the learner to get educated by experts. People love to teach others, which is a good gesture in modern society. Experience people share their views on the subject and assist the juniors in solving the problem. The merger of experts and learners supports our community to grow faster. Social media made education cheaper for the lower income group of people.
Cons
- Trolling
Social media is criticized for bullying people. Trolling is one of the popular terms used on social media. People are trolled for their advice on social media, joined by many who give their opinions as free speech rights in the community. Trolling is unhealthy for the person who faces backlash from social media users. It can kill the person’s reputation and portray them as evil.
- Hacking
Celebrities’ social media is always on target of the top hackers worldwide. Hackers are trying to gain access to these social media pages to manipulate the content and spoil the celebrity’s image. Personal data could get leaked through hacking which is dangerous for the individual identity. It is one of the biggest threats every person on social media must face, and stay alert to avoid it.
- Reduce face-to-face interaction.
Due to easy access to social media technology, people have stopped physically meeting each other. Everyone looks for an instant messaging application to pass information or interact with the person.
Face-to-face interaction with people is becoming less common. We only see people meeting these days physically if there is a requirement. The physical meeting will decrease over time as technology allows people to get the message reached through video conferencing.
- Fake News
Another considerable drawback of social media is the spread of fake news. People start believing the message shared on their instant messaging apps and social media sites without verifying the details.
Fake news spreads hate in the community and makes the social structure unstable. As a responsible citizen, you should first confirm whether the news received on the mobile is true. You should not believe such information until the reputed institute or news agency confirms the story.
Conclusion
Social media have the power to change our society, but every individual should be conscious of the information they share on social media. Any societal disruption is unsuitable for the people; thus, we should avoid it at any cost. We hope the analysis of the pros and cons of social media has helped you learn something new. Share your comment.
