The Negative Impact of Social Media

Koikai, E (2013 May 8). The Negative Impact of Social Media on our lives. retrieved April 18 2014, from the moose Web Site: http://themoose.no/2013/05/08/the-negative-impact-of-social-media-on-our-lives/

The topic of this article talks about many of the ways social media can negatively affect us.  Koikai's purpose is to inform people of these ways and the effects it has on our lives.  Although Koikai agrees that social media has contributed to many positive things she also sees the negative effects.  Just like what I talked about earlier in my blog, the article discusses that addiction is a very real negative impact that social media can have on some users.  Koikai claims that even though social media addiction hasn't yet been linked to a disease or disorder, the countless hours spent on social media may be the cause of undiscovered behavioral disorders and has lately become the issue of much discussion and research.  And according to Koikai some researchers have linked anxiety, depression, sleep deprivation, and other mental disorders to people that spend to much time online.  Social media is also known to be a big distraction in our lives and a privacy issue.   Many of us who aren't addicted still check for updates throughout the day which causes us to get distracted from what's really important. Social networks are supposed to help us learn and connect but sometimes it makes us feel distracted and unproductive.  As for the privacy issue, many people think their information is safe on the internet but really that's not always true.  On Facebook most people list their full name, birthday, age, school, work, family members, hobbies and more.  It may seem harmless but in reality it increases the risk for identity theft.  Koikai also talks about how social media and bullying is a big issue.  She claims that a majority of kids and even adults will experience cyber bullying in one form or another, because on social media sites people can post whatever they want without facing any serious consequences.  Although social media has already affected the way we think and act, it is not going anywhere so people should work on examining their social media habits.  Some facts from this article relate to and expand on some of the issues that I've discussed earlier in my blog.  This article gives a really good explanation of the negative impact social media can have on people.