Does SNS Promote Hate and Superficiality?

Social networking sites or social media have proven to be anindispensable component of society. Unlike trends that come and go, social networking sites are becoming more and more deep-rooted in our daily activities. However, many people still insist that they only promote hate and superficiality.

People who agree state that social media put too much emphasis on social approval and social status. People, especially the youth, do not usually use social networking sites to make a genuineconnection with their community. They only use them because of the gratification they get from the number of likes and views from posts they share and the number of followers and friends they have. 

Moreover, they say that social media serve as platforms for people to build quick generalizations and judgments about events and people around them. For instance, shared video clips that are often taken out of context and news headlines that are misleading are very powerful tools for the public to form their own opinions and biases. On the other hand, other people take advantage of this feature of social media.

They finally add that social media encourage the promotion of hate and cyber bullying. The virtual space that people use has given them a pass to say mean statements and insults that they wouldn’t personally say to other people. Also, the bandwagon effect that is encouraged by social media can provoke people to take violent actions against others.

Supporters of social media say that social media are effective tools in centralizing news and current events from around the world. Posts that people see on Facebook, for instance, are no longer limited to photos and status updates from individual users. People can now see local, national, and international news just by viewing their feeds. They also get a chance to see the triumphs and sufferings of humanity.

They add that social media’s most important contribution in people’s lives is the connectedness that people are able to maintain with their families, relatives, and friends regardless of where they are. Aside from that, social networking sites also break barriers that are put up by geography and race. 

Finally, they say that aside from the connectedness that social media bring, they also serve as platforms for exchange of ideas and opinions about social, political, economic, and cultural events happening locally and around the world. People do not just share their feelings, meals, and getaways. They also share their thoughts on important issues which is a good exercise of democracy.