Social Pros and cons of Technology
​
Question
Does technology make us more lonely??
Cons
A FAKE PERSONA
- Allows us to hide behind a screen and wear a mask
- Social media and technology can make it harder to create real genuine relationships.
​
​
Negative Effects through social media
-
Lower self-esteem ​
-
Depression and anxiety
-
Low life satisfaction
​
Negative Effects through intense gaming​​​
-
Lower self esteem
-
Depression and anxiety
-
Lower social competence
Furthermore, social media and video games can cause us to have negative emotions. A study by Digital Youth Project of the University of Utrecht explained that both boys and girls face negative psychological symptoms when there is high engagement in video games and social media. However, boys tend to face a stronger negative effect compared to girls.
"Being on social media for two hours or more a day makes you 2x as likely to feel socially isolated" - American Journal of Preventive Medicine
​
​
Pros
"52% of teens say that social media has helped their relationships with friends" -Common Sense Media
Introverts
Some individuals are socially awkward and unable to express themselves in person. However, with technology and screen time, these people are able to have the social interactions they require comfortably and at their own pace, which is most important. This in-turn can help deviate from their awkwardness slowly.
Maintaining
-Phones, social media, video games, and technology in general allow us to maintain contact with friends and family all over the world.
​
New Opportunities
Technology provides us many opportunities such as: ​​
-
Creating new community groups with similar interests
-
Online Dating (1 in 5 relationships start online)
-
Finding jobs and networking more efficiently
-
Communicating with others around the world through media and games.
​
Freedom of Expression
Technology allows us to freely speak our mind and it provides us a voice in which the whole world can see. We can express our passion and our creativity through social media. Example:
​
​
#hashtag
​
The concept of the hashtag ultimately allows you to find other people in the world who posted something with that hashtag. For example, if we searched #food, then we can see posts that are related to food with that hashtag. Basically, we can share our passion and view others with the same passion.
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​