Social media has undoubtedly affected several areas of people’s lives. To a good extent, it has changed the way people interact and relate. The effects have been both positive and negative. Of all the population the young people are the most affected. Below are some of the effects of social media on young people; both positive and negative.

 

Improved Communication and Interaction

Social media has improved people’s interactions and hence, communications. Social media platforms with instant messaging, video calling, and other communications tools have enabled people to interact more easily. It has also become quite easy to meet new people and get new friendships. It is easier to find a long lost friend on Facebook than it would be looking all over for them.

 

Created Business Opportunities

Social media has, in a great way, influenced how people market and advertise their products today. It has provided a quite easy and cheaper way of reaching potential clients. Most young people have seized this opportunity and made some living out of it. For those in the informal sector and those working from home, social media has provided a platform where one can market their product and get genuine clients without having to incur a lot.

 

Creating Networks

Young people can create networks that are beneficial to them. For instance, students in a given field of study from different countries can come together and share ideas without necessarily having to know each other. Some of these networks have led to the birth of amazing ideas and inventions that are going to change the world for the better.

While the above are some nice positive effects of social media, it also has some shortcomings that are quite prevalent in the young generation. Some of them include:

 

Time Wastage

A lot of young people spend most of their time on social media instead of doing constructive things. Most young people spend an average of about 5 hours of their time on social media. This limits their ability to be productive, and if left unchecked, it may lead to social media addiction, which may pose other problems.

 

Inhibit Interpersonal Interactions

Another grave danger of overexposure of young people to social media is that it is quickly eroding interpersonal skills. Most young people are hooked to texting. This has made communication between people quite hard. Young people are these days unable to express themselves, and this is creating a communication gap between the older generation and the young people.

 

Erosion of Values

Due to the uncontrolled interactions, young people are having. There is a great chance that they are picking up some unhealthy values. These behaviors include perverted sexual behaviors, radicalization, and crime to mention but a few. Young people may not be well informed on how to carefully chose how to interact on social media, thus creating an opportunity for hem to be exploited.

These are just a few social media effects on young people. Young people must be well-educated on how to deal with social media to ensure that they are not ruined by it. This education will ensure that they take only positive effect.

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