Social media has become a regular part of people’s lives. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

Humans are historically hardwired to indulge in entertainment.

This

tendency persists to

this

day, and

people

's obsession with social

media

is one of them. Whether or not

this

is a positive development is up for discussion. Some

people

see social

media

as nothing but a setback.

In other words

, it is as though social

media

platforms are designed to doom humanity.

For example

, Instagram and Tik Tok, the two dominating social

media

apps popular with teenagers, hamper

people

's attention span. They do so by grabbing the user's attention thanks to their incredibly entertaining, albeit disappointingly short 'reels'. Clearly, exposure to

such

content is likely to compromise

people

's ability to do tasks that would require undivided attention,

such

as studying. On an individual level,

this

may appear to be trivial, but given that more

people

than ever are engaging in social

media

, it raises serious concerns. That said, it's not all bad news. Social

media

is only an updated form of TV,

for example

. Just as

people

in the past were alarmingly addicted to watching television, so are they hooked on social

media

for some time. The sense of novelty is likely to wear off

at the end

of the day, and social

media

will — or has perhaps already - become normal. In fact, most

people

have been quick to use

this

seemingly disturbing commodity to their advantage. One

such

example is teens, and possibly some adults, running a YouTube channel,

such

as video game enthusiasts. Not only are these

people

able to tap into their craft in a way that entertains them, but they are

also

fortunate enough to make the kind of money they

otherwise

couldn't. But money isn't the be-all and end-all — there is more to social

media

than just that. The social aspect of it, as the name suggests, is what matters.

In particular

, it is thanks to social

media

that all those introverted

people

finally

have the chance to socialize without being overwhelmed by in-person conversations. These

people

could get in touch with their fellow internet users and carry out conversations on any topics they like from the comfort of their beds. Even more importantly, social

media

can make

people

's lives easier on all fronts. For those living far away from their families, it can be

such

a valuable tool — apps like Instagram have video-call features that connect to users in a face-to-face conversation in a matter of seconds.

This

would mean that social

media

only streamlines our lives in terms of communication and

thus

contending it destructive isn't justified. In conclusion, it goes without question that social

media

dominates everyone's life in

this

day and age, which begs the question: does it do more harm than good? It makes sense to assume that it is a force for destruction because, after all, it is undermining

people

's intellect in certain ways.

However

, I believe that the financial and social benefits that come with it outweigh any potential threats associated with

this

medium of entertainment.