SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACT ON HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND SOCIETY

In social media, the 'social' refers to interacting with other people by sharing and receiving information from them and the 'media’ refers to an instrument of communication, like the internet (while TV, radio, and newspapers are examples of more traditional forms of media). From these two separate terms, we can pull a basic definition together, social media are web-based communication tools that enable people to interact with each other by sharing and consuming information. But keep in mind that social media is a very broad term. This is likely as specific as we can get without zeroing in too much on a more specific subcategory of social media.

What makes social media unique is that it is both broad and relatively uncensored. While many social media companies impose some limitations—such as taking down images that display violence or nudity—there are much fewer limitations on what someone can share than there with other means of mass communication like newspapers, radio stations, and television channels. Anyone with internet access can sign up for a social media account. They can use that account to share whatever content they choose to, and the content they share reaches anyone who visits their page or profile.

In little more than a decade, the impact of social media has gone from being?an entertaining extra?to a fully integrated part of nearly every aspect of daily life for many. This has many positives and negatives. Since its clear social media is here to stay even as it evolves, it’s important to embrace the positive effects of social media and understand the negative effects of social media and use it accordingly. This knowledge will help us learn to use these platforms for the right reasons and avoid problems with social media and?mental health.

Social media is an important tool put into the hands of an ordinary person. He or she can express views without going to conventional means of mass communication like TV, radio, etc. Of all the creatures, only human beings have the faculty of expressing themselves through language, written or spoken. It is for this purpose; freedom of speech is the most basic rights protected in all democratic setup. But at the same time, it should not eat away other rights through the spread of misinformation. A coordinated regulation is necessary so that it is put to good use, not the bad. Whether social media is a boon or a bane, entirely depends on how we use it.

?PROS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

?1. MAKES IT EASIER TO MAKE FRIENDS- One of the biggest positives of social media is that it has never been easier to make friends. Just a few decades ago it was pretty tough to connect with people, unless you were the overly outgoing type able to make conversation with anyone and everyone at a party. The rise of smartphones helped change this, connecting people in a new way, but then social networks sprang up and the whole idea of friendship changed again. And there's no going back. It's entirely possible to have hundreds of friends on Facebook. They may not be friends you spend time with in the real world, but they're friends nonetheless. There are several people I consider friends who I have never met in real life, but that doesn't lessen the connection we have thanks to our interactions on social media.

2. ALLOWS FOR SPEEDY COMMUNICATION- Writing a Tweet takes all of 20 seconds, and with cross-posting to other social networks switched on, that update can reach everyone you want it to reach (and probably more besides) in an instant. One of the reasons many people dislike making phone calls is the unnecessary banter they necessitate. You can't just say what you want to say and then hang up. Because doing so is seen as rude. Instead, you have to swap pleasantries before saying what you want to say, and then swap more pleasantries before the conversation comes to a natural conclusion.

3. MAKES THE WORLD SEEM SMALLER- It isn't just your inner circle of close friends and even closer family members that social networking sites allow you to communicate with easily and effectively. One of the good things about social media is its power to open the world up to you, making it a smaller place than it has ever been before. So much so that I actually haven't a clue where many of my contacts reside. When it comes to social media, everyone is equal, regardless of location .Family members living abroad can be kept abreast of the latest happenings in your world as quickly as those living next door. Friends you haven't seen since school, and who have since moved away, are able to keep in touch. Social networking sites mean someone's physical location has become a lot less important.

4. HELPS YOU BUILD RELATIONSHIPS- There is no doubting that having social networking in our lives can lead to relationships breaking up. But there is another side to the story, which is that people are moving onto other, perhaps better, relationships. Social networks can put you (back) in touch with people who you have lots in common with, and that common ground is often the starting point for long-lasting relationships.

5. HELPS YOU FIND COMMON GROUND- social networking sites can help you find people you share interests with. Facebook, for example, asks you to list who and what you are interested in right from the start. This makes it much easier to find common ground with other user. On Twitter you should be following those who have something to say that you're interested in, making connections with like-minded individuals much easier than you would offline. This does require the sharing of information and giving up a certain amount of privacy. Which is enough for some people to reject social networking outright. Keeping key personal information private is necessary, but sharing your likes and dislikes and interests and obsessions can actually contribute to an open society.

CONS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

?1.DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY– Social media lets you see the selected parts of everyone lives, which then compare to the negatives in your own life. Comparing yourself to other people is a path to anxiety and unhappiness. Spending too long on social networking sites could adversely affect your mood.

?2.CYBER BULLYING – Perpetrators of bullying can use the anonymity that social networks provide to gain people trust and then terrorize them. They might create a fake profile and act friendly to a classmate, then later betray and embarrass them online. These online attacks often leave deep mental scars and even drive people to hurt themselves.

3.FEAR OF MISSING OUT– It is a phenomenon that became prominent around the same time as the rise of social media. It is a like that you are scared of missing out on a positive experience that someone else is having.

4.UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS– Social media sites have a severe lack of online authenticity. People use Snapchat to share their exciting adventures, but in reality, it’s not true it looks like good, but actually they are more with problems in their life. You should not judge others life by seeing their post on Instagram or Facebook.

?5.NEGATIVE IMAGE– It’s really important that you are not influenced by others personality they should take themselves as negative. You should love yourself who you are, and you shouldn’t try to copy with their image.

6.UNHEALTHY SLEEP PATTERNS– Another bad thing about social media is that spending too much time on it, can lead to poor sleep. Numerous studies have shown due to excessive use of social media lead to poor quality sleep.

7.GENERAL ADDICTION– social media can be more addictive than cigarettes and alcohol. Social media sites want to keep you scrolling for as long as possible. You can’t spend full day without checking any social media accounts.

Balancing is important in every phase of life. We should try to balance social media witreal life. It makes your life happier and simpler and your life will not move around getting likes or accepting friend requests.

CONCLUSION

The effects from social media are very complex and vary from person to person. The pros and cons of social media actually depend on how we use them. It is the user who decides whether they want to use it as a boon or a bane.

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