In the past, to be friends with someone, we just needed to go to their house and invite them to play. We played with them whatever games were available. Sometimes, we wouldn’t go home until our parents yelled at us to return. That was when the warmth of friendship was truly felt.
As time went on, everything changed. The friends who used to visit us, knocking on our doors, are now gone. Times have changed. Technology has advanced. Social media have replaced old-fashioned friendship. Who doesn’t have Instagram? TikTok? Facebook? If you don’t have them, there are two possibilities: the first is because you don’t keep up with the times, and the second is because you’ve decided not to use those social media platforms at all.
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As of 2024, social media usage continues to grow worldwide. There are over 4, 8 billion social media users globally, which represents more than 60% of the world’s population. At the same time, Indonesia has approximately 167 million social media users, which accounts for around 60% of the country’s total population.
This data, reported by We Are Social and Hootsuite, highlights the widespread adoption and use of social media platforms in the country. TikTok, YouTube, WhatsApp, and Instagram are among the most popular social media platforms in Indonesia, with each platform showing significant user engagement and reach.
Is social media bad? Of course, not everything new is bad. But it’s also not entirely good. Social media is like a double-edged sword. It has a sharp side and a blunt side. The sharp side can hurt us, and conversely, the blunt side tends to be safe for us.
If we use social media wisely, we will get many benefits from it. Good use of social media will benefit us. Our time will not be wasted in vain. We will have many connections with many people. If we do business, then social media is very useful for us. If we filter the content on social media, we will find many beneficial things and useful suggestions.
However, if we use it recklessly, we will suffer negative impacts. If we don’t use it wisely, social media will have a bad impact on us. Social media is a place where people upload various kinds of posts, so sometimes, many hoaxes spread without us knowing the truth. Cyberbullying also often occurs on social media. People also write comments without considering suitable words, which is unwise and unnecessary.
Not only that, social media can cause social jealousy. Maybe we don’t realize it, but when we look at social media, we often find it. We see people uploading videos or photos, showing that they can buy certain expensive items. Sometimes, this makes the person who sees it envious. They want to be able to buy the same expensive items, but their situation is different. They are not as wealthy as the people they see on social media.
Mental Health
Another common behavior of current social media users is to use it as a place to pour out all their feelings. When sad, they use social media to express their sadness excessively. They spend a lot of time exploring social media in the hope of finding tranquility to erase their sadness. They spend hours on it, reducing their sleep time. Initially, they may be able to deny their sadness by exploring social media. But over time, they just feel emptier. Little by little, they lose their mental health.
Of course, there are still many impacts of reckless use of social media. We will find it difficult to escape from these impacts. At least, we should use our minds well before using social media. Be wiser in using social media. Always filter out things that are not true, vain, and not beneficial. Set limits on the time spent on social media to avoid being engrossed in it. Control emotions well.
The era of development is growing. We may find it difficult to escape from this rapid technological advancement, including social media. So, like it or not, we will use social media. We will have difficulty avoiding it.
Social media can drastically change a person, even when they don’t realize it. When we are engrossed in it, social media can influence us. Social media is just a tool. If we use it well, we will find a lot of goodness in it. Conversely, it also has negative impacts. We need to be careful in using it. Don’t let social media have a bad impact on us, and always use it wisely.
Artikel ini ditulis oleh Abdul Basith Assiddiq, Mahasiswa Semester 2 Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Universitas Slamet Riyadi Solo
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