It is ironic how after a long day of work, probably gazing at a monitor, that we would head home and turn on the laptop or spend the rest of our evening on our phones. The scenario when one spends hours, interacting with friends and strangers alike on social media is quite relatable, for we as a community have become so attached to social media, that opening up our Facebook or Twitter account has become an almost involuntary act, just like breathing. Some believe that social media is merely another tool, or an escape, that we use to make due with our stressful daily lives, and that it is safe as long as we are responsible. Truth is social media is highly addictive as it pulls the strings of our psychological weaknesses, it eases our human interactions …show more content…
However, extroverts are growing more and more dependent on social media, that they are getting addicted, combine this addiction with the negative health effects discussed earlier and you will conclude that the cons outweigh the pros in the situation.
There will always be those who play the devil’s advocate, and stand up for social media. Social media proponents while either claim that social media is not addictive if used responsibly, or will argue that even if it is addictive it is benefits overwhelm its harms, Dr. O’dea, a mental health researcher at the Black Dog Institute, concluded in one of her studies on the topic that even though social media can be harmful it still opens up a channel to reach out to those with a mental illness and help them (Amad, 2016).
These proponents fail to see the shallowness of the argument, asking someone to use social media responsibly is not that far off from asking someone to use heroin responsibly. Social media takes time to become addictive as it is a psychological addiction. As for O’dea’s study on the benefits of social media, it is true that social media is a great way to connect and help others, but that does not negate its harms, nor does it answer all the studies proving how bad it can