Through quarantine, social media has continued to be an important aspect of people’s lives, having both positive and negative effects on our day-to-day lives.
Some positive effects social media has had on students is that it acts as an escape from our current reality and as an outlet for stress-relief. For example, if teens end up getting stressed from school and are left feeling burnt out, they look to platforms such as YouTube and TikTok to cheer themselves up. The content on these platforms can distract them from their stress and anxiety, which could be caused due to school or just from the whole experience of being quarantined and isolated from friends. In addition to relieving stress, social media has also been utilised as a source of entertainment and a way to connect with friends and family. It has continued to connect people even more than before, knowing that many are currently unable to meet up with friends and family in person due to the pandemic. Yet social media apps, such as Instagram and Snapchat, have helped people retain some of their sanity by keeping them up to date with their friends and family. These social media platforms are a great addition to the basic calls, Facetimes, and texts.
Although social media has helped many during quarantine, it also has its share of cons as well; one of these cons is that social media is a severe distraction from online school. Throughout the virtual school day, weary students tend to distract themselves by going on social media while their teacher is speaking or giving instructions. By doing this, they will end up missing out on key material, such as important assignment details or test information. They also won’t be able to grasp a complete understanding about the topic they are discussing in class. Even I, for one, am guilty of going on social media during class in the past; it has caused me to miss out on important homework instructions and led me to not know how to complete certain problems on my math homework.
Throughout quarantine, social media has continued to remain a significant part of our lives. But with this importance comes pros, as well as cons. Some pros are that social media serves as an outlet for stress relief, communication with friends, and as an escape from draining school days. But with these pros come cons, such as the inevitable distraction of social media on students. Ultimately, social media has immense power over most of our daily lives, whether we admit it or not.
Preethika Rao
Staff Writer
Graphic: Preethika Rao