The World Revolves Faster: The Impact of Social Media

The World Revolves Faster: The Impact of Social Media

“Our attention spans have been reduced by the immediate gratification provided by smartphones and social media.”
Katherine Ryan (Canadian Comedian)

According to an article on datareportal.com, there are about 5.22 million social media users. This means that more than half of the world population (64%) use social media; that over 5 billion people are connected across several social media platforms.

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Companies and businesses take advantage of the popularity of social media to sell goods and services, and to scale up their businesses. Stats from webfx.com suggests that 90% of social media users follow at least one brand, while 74% of consumers rely on social media to help guide their purchasing decisions.

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Beyond corporate businesses’ success using social media. Individuals make money by posting content on social media platforms. Influencers get paid by brands to make sponsored posts to promote brands and products. Comedians/actors, artistes and artists rake in money by posting videos on platforms like YouTube, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).

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One question, however, is social media all rosy? It is true that it connects billions of people over a vast area of space and time, allowing for cultural exchange, business expansion and financial rewards, but we must not forget to point out that social media also has negative impacts on individuals and the society as a whole.

This is the age of information, and with social media, distribution is made easy. Individuals with malicious intent have seized the opportunity offered by platforms to pump the world with waves of disinformation. In 2014, for instance, during an outbreak of the Ebola disease, there was a post making rounds on social media platforms that drinking and bathing with salt water could prevent one from contracting the disease. Nigerians, including several people I know believed it. Imagine developing health issues as a result of excess intake of salt when you're only trying to ‘protect’ yourself against another disease. This is one of the dangers of disinformation and social media helps to spread disinformation faster.

In 2023, Mina Boazak, a psychiatrist, claimed that there is a relationship between Attention Deficit & Hyperactivity Disorder and addiction to social media. In another study cited by Stonewater Recovery, 2500 teenagers were sampled based on their use of social media (visiting pages, texting, etc.) and were asked to self-report any symptoms of ADHD. It was noted that teens who did not frequently use social media are less likely to report symptoms of ADHD. It is instructive to note that it is not the use of social media that is harmful, but the addictive use of it. As with most things in life, excessive use of social media may be detrimental to persons.

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From the foregoing, it is clear that social media has both good and negative sides, but does the good outweigh the bad? That's the question I want you to answer in the comments. I would like to advise, however, that to further lessen the negative impact of social media, one must take steps to ensure that one is not addicted to it. You can, for instance, monitor your screen time and make adjustment when the need arises. I see no reason why one should have more than 8 hours screen time daily, except of course if you work virtually. You can monitor your screen time on android smartphones through the Digital Wellbeing pane in the ‘Settings’ of your phone. There you can see the amount of time you spend on each app. Peep mine below.