Opinion: Social media has changed the lives of modern society

In our opinion, social media's impact on modern society can't be doubted. Let us explain.

There can’t be any doubt about it, can there? Whether your opinion is that it’s been for better or for worse, social media has unequivocally changed the lives of modern society.

For starters, it has completely altered how we communicate. At the dawn of the 2000s, the most common form of communication of non-face-to-face communication was a phone call. Calls allow those engaged in conversation to hear each other’s voice and pick up changes in tone and infliction. 

Since the rise of social media, non-face-to-face communication has become less about phone calls and more about virtual messaging. No longer is tone easily discernable, with messages allowing people to say what they want without immediate repercussions.

Moreover, communication has transformed beyond verbal communication and messaging. Now, communication is done through the re-sharing of social media content. Everyone has that one friend who endlessly sends reels or TikToks as their form of communication. This is the social media age playing out.

On top of this, social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter allow people to share their experiences with the masses, as opposed to the few. Such amplification of individual views isn’t necessarily good or bad. It’s just the new reality, one which has created a more interconnected society.

Speaking of interconnectedness, social media’s societal prominence has meant memories and stories that were once exclusively retold after the fact, can now be told in real time. 

For example, stories and adventures from an individual’s holidays can be shared immediately with family and friends. The same can be said for work promotions, or incredibly exciting personal news, like engagements and pregnancies.

In terms of media consumption, social media has completely changed the game. Long gone are the days of traditional media dominance. Nightly news networks, radio and newspapers have all been replaced by social media news outlets, such as the Daily Aus. 

These sites deliver the news in modern ways, through social media, in a manner that appeals to the younger masses that flood these platforms daily. Newspapers, nightly news programs and radio channels have their place in modern society. However, they’ve lost their prominence in recent years, largely due to the increasing availability of social media news. 

In some ways, social media has made its users informed and increasingly connected. Superficially, this seems like an extremely positive outcome. The reality is far from this. 

Social media has bred an environment of negativity for the large part. A wider, more connected world has normalised social comparison. Individuals leading a once respectable and so-called normal life now feel inferior when compared to the lives of influencers and celebrities slammed down their throats daily via social media.

Several studies have shown that prolific use of social media can have adverse impacts on an individual’s mental health, notably leading to increased anxiety, feelings of depression and loneliness.

This ties back to the interconnectedness offered by social media. Users consume the best version of their favourite creators and influencers and believe this to be their ever-present state. Such an environment breeds widespread feelings of inadequacy, particularly within younger generations.

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