Final Essay

According to Kit Smith, “There are 2.3 billion active social media users” (Smith 1). Many people are vulnerable when accessing the Internet. There are many problems concerning the use of social media and it needs to be taken seriously. Past experiences in my life have made me more alert with the use of social media. I use to be an avid user of social media, but decided to put it on the side and make more productive decisions with the Internet and not let it use up my time.

Anyone behind a computer screen can become invincible. Anonymous users of social media who produce uncivil behavior on the Internet relate to Plato and his ring of Gyges. Julie Zhuo, the author of “Where Anonymity Breeds Contempt” states, “That mythical ring gave it’s owner

Many users fall victim to this phenomenon far too much online. These certain people do not realize the risks they are taking while posting on social media. When I signed up for Twitter, none of my friends considered any of my posts to be offensive. I would post civil tweets without including too much information. I have deleted my twitter a long time ago because back in 2013 a friend of mine fell victim to oversharing and people started to criticize her and her posts. She kept getting hate comments the following week for posts that she didn’t think hard about. Kids at school made fun of her for her overdramatic personality. I thought that social media was a big waste of time and instead of twitter I decided to do more productive activities. To this day, I have realized that social media is not what it used to be. Our society needs to understand that “It’s a public game of Frogger, hopping frantically to avoid being crushed under the weight of your own narcissism, banality, and plain old stupidity” (Ham par. 5). Online users who include their selfish, dull, and pointless posts should take it easy and lay off social media. We input unnecessary information online for hundreds of people to view. We need to be more mindful about what we post online and understand the

Social media should not expect me to make friends with people I barely know with a click of a button. Instead, I think I am going to start making actual connections with people and perform activities with them instead of liking their photos or commenting on one of their posts. For future references, I am going to delete any social media that’s useless to me. I plan on being more social with actual human beings. As shown in the Venza commercial, the girl is sitting at her computer scrolling through posts determining if whatever she’s looking at is a dog. She also talks about how her parents only having 19 friends while she herself has 687 friends on her social media. The girl claims she is living while her parents have no life. The girl’s parents on the other hand are out with all 19 friends exercising and having a great time. (Toyota Venza). This displays the fact that social media is consuming people’s lives. I would never choose 687 online friends on social media over 19 close friends. I enjoy living a healthy lifestyle and meeting new people who enjoy going on hikes and taking adventures. For future purposes, I will limit the use of social media when I am older because it limits the ability to bond with new people in the real