Advantages and disadvantages of social media: Arguments for and against its use

There are pros and cons to everything – including the use of social media. Social networks entertain us and make it easy to network with other people. However, Instagram and co. also have underestimated disadvantages that can be particularly harmful to our health

Advantages of using social media

Social networks offer both advantages and disadvantages. It is therefore difficult to make a categorical decision for or against the sites. The following points are clear advantages and speak in favor of using social media:

• Communication: Thanks to social networks, networking and communicating with other people is easier than ever. You can get in touch with people from anywhere and even meet people who are far away via video chat.

• Information: Thanks to social networks, you are not only connected with people you know, but also with news services and can find out things faster than before.

• Inspiration: Sharing information, ideas, art and more makes it easier to get inspiration and be creative yourself.

• Show yourself: If you have a talent or want to show off your creativity, you can share it with others through social networks and get comments and feedback.

• Collaborative working: Thanks to social media, collaborative working is made possible with programs such as Microsoft Teams, Slack and more, enabling work to be done together from different locations.

• Research and health: Social networks enable the dissemination of public health and safety information during crisis events. In addition, researchers around the world can work together on a topic and complement each other.

• Fighting loneliness: Isolated senior citizens in particular can often be lonely. Thanks to networking and video chats, they can get in touch with family and friends to combat loneliness.

Social media: These are the disadvantages of online services

While social networks can certainly bring us advantages, the disadvantages and potential dangers should also be considered. It is also important that you consider the following disadvantages in order to make better and more considered use of social media:

• Disinformation: Where a lot of information can be shared quickly, fake news can also be shared. In no other time has false information spread as quickly as in the current social media era

• Addiction: Social networks such as Facebook, Instagram and co. are specially designed to trigger an addiction in you. You can hardly do without the networks and waste a lot of your time on the services.

• Poor performance: Pupils and students who make heavy use of social networks tend to achieve poorer grades.

• On the net forever: Photos and other posts that are shared once can often not be completely deleted. This can pose a problem for the future in the event of bullying and accidentally published data

• Ideal picture: Celebrities and influencers only show their best side on Instagram and the like. This leads to feelings of inferiority for many people, as it seems to them that the world is perfect for others, but not for themselves. Since the social media era, the number of cases of depression at a young age has increased significantly.

• Cyberbullying: Depending on the network and circumstances, cyberbullying occasionally occurs. This makes people feel even more isolated than they were before and tends to lead to depression.

• Data protection: A lack of data protection or data leaks can result in information about you falling into the hands of third parties and being used against you.

• Publication of sexual content: If you have ever shared a nude picture of yourself with your partner, it can quickly end up on the Internet due to the slight violation in an act of revenge and be difficult to disappear from there.

• Transparent life: People who grow up with social media tend to share more about themselves online. This allows you to unknowingly share information that could lead to danger.

• Risk of intrusion: If an app has access to your location, others may be able to access your location. If you are not at home, burglars can use the information to break into your home when you are away

• Back pain: People who spend a lot of time on social media often have an unhealthy posture when using a computer or smartphone. This can lead to back pain and other health problems.