Some people believe that social networking sites have had a huge negative impact on individuals and society. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

In
this
modern world, technology plays an important role in
people
's lives. It is believed that some platforms in the digital world negatively influence both
people
and
society
. I strongly agree that
this
kind of socializing has side effects on individuals and communities for two reasons. There are many reasons why
sites
like
Facebook
harm
people
. One of the most important ones is individuals’ mental health. A large number of
people
could suffer from depression after spending lots of
time
on
Facebook
or other social media. They see attractive pictures of trips or luxury parties from some friends all the
time
,
whereas
they are facing a hard financial situation despite working very hard. Gradually, observing
this
huge gap makes them sad and might expose them to depression or other psychological disorders.
Moreover
, these
sites
take lots of
people
’s
time
.
Instead
of spending
time
with family members, they look for what others are doing or where they are travelling.
For example
, I had an account on
Facebook
2 years ago, and at least I spent 2 hours on just
Facebook
, answering my friends’ messages, reading their posts and putting comments or giving feedback on others' comments.
As a result
, I did not have
time
for more important events
such
as spending
time
with my 8- year old son who was so upset about
this
matter.
Hence
, these platforms could negatively impact our individual lives.
Society
could
also
be damaged by social networking
sites
. The security of the
society
could be compromised. On
Facebook
, some criminals may have accounts.
While
they hide their true identities, they could build social relationships with other
people
, especially, young ones. After gaining the trust of others, there is a chance of committing a crime, including homicide.
Therefore
, it could threaten the
society
's safety.
In addition
to
this
, it might promote some behaviour
that is
not accepted in
society
, to illustrate, when a famous singer smokes drugs on the stage and thousands of fans admire them, it could normalize
this
behaviour for a large group of
people
in
society
.
Consequently
, it could easily change negatively the norms and values of a community. In conclusion, there are some downsides to using social networking
sites
for both individuals and
society
. It could affect
people
’s mental health and family relationship,
as well as
the safety and moral values of
society
. I recommend considering staying away from these kinds of socializing
sites
.
Submitted by Rosa on

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Word Count

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Topic Vocabulary:
  • social isolation
  • virtual interactions
  • mental health
  • feelings of inadequacy
  • anxiety
  • depression
  • misinformation
  • destabilize
  • privacy concerns
  • data breaches
  • productivity
  • foster connections
  • educational content
  • social activism
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