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(+) POINT: Social media allows us to connect with others and to build deeper relationships. 

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(+) POINT: Social media allows us to connect with others and to build deeper relationships. 

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(+) POINT: Social media allows us to access, share and retrieve information easily. 

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(+) POINT: Social media allows us to access, share and retrieve information easily. 

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(-) POINT: Social media leads to superficial relationships.  

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(-) POINT: Social media leads to superficial relationships.  

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(-) POINT: Social media can result in social problems like cyberbullying, 'trolling', 'keyboard warriors' or online vigilantism.

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(-) POINT: Social media can result in social problems like cyberbullying, 'trolling', 'keyboard warriors' or online vigilantism.

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(-) POINT: Social media can affect individuals' self-esteem/ lead to mental health problems. 

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(-) POINT: Social media can affect individuals' self-esteem/ lead to mental health problems. 

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For instance, many may think we are overusing social media and losing interaction with our real life family and friends, but we actually gain more interaction with people because of social media. In the past, people have to interact face to face. Now with advanced technology, we are able to communicate with ease using WhatsApp, instagram and Facebook. A study from Department of Social Sciences from Lahore Garrison University explores the “Impact of internet on the social capital and relations” through survey using questionnaire as a tool of data collection. 73% respondents agree that they use the internet to know new people, as it helps the users to increase their online social capital. Among respondents 59% people agree that they use the internet to renew online contacts with old friends. Whereas only 25% respondents strongly agree they use the internet to intensify online contacts with their relatives .This shows that using social media makes connections between people and  relationships can improve

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(+) POINT: Social Media provides opportunities for entertainment. 

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(+) POINT: Social Media provides opportunities for entertainment. 

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For instance, one study out of the University of Pittsburgh found a correlation between time spent scrolling through social media apps and negative body image feedback. Those who had spent more time on social media had 2.2 times the risk of reporting eating and body image concerns, compared to their peers who spent less time on social media. This reveals that social media could affect one's mental health.

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Researchers have found that using social media obsessively causes more than just anxiety. In fact, testing has found that using too much internet can cause depression, impulsive disorder, paranoia, and loneliness. It is more than just the pressure of sharing things with others, it is also about how one may be comparing their life with others one sees on social media. Many people see that someone on Instagram or Facebook who has a great job and rich and they feel happy for them. But, others can feel jealous, depressed, or may even feel suicidal about their own life if it is not as “perfect” as those they see online.

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For instance, through using Facebook , we can keep updated about the hot latest news that are happening around the world and able to share information to family members or friends.Facebook is a platform used by news agency such as Channel News Asia to posts about the hot and latest news that are happening all around the world.Also it is used by organizations such as Singapore Police Force to post about their operations like the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) raid and more.Furthermore, users can easily share pictures of themselves for their friends to see and vice versa.Therfore that is why social media is a platform where its users can easily share and retrieve information easily

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For instance, with the advancements of social media like Instagram, content shared by people can often be viewed by strangers . The content an individual shares online – both their personal content as well as any negative or hateful content will create a permanent public record of their activities, and behavior. This public record can be thought of as an online reputation, which may be accessible to schools and employers who may be analysing an individual now or in the future. Cyberbullying can harm the online reputations of everyone involved – not just the person being bullied, but those doing the bullying or participating in it.

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For instance, researchers from Pernod Picard polled 3,053 adults and found their obsession with socialising online made many less likely to go out and meet people. In addition to this, 55 per cent of those polled believe social media has made relationships with their friends “more superficial”. This highlights that people nowadays prefer communicating online and diverts individuals from face-to-face interaction. This undermines the depth and quality of these relationships and will lead to superficial relationships. Hence, this weakens the bond within family and friends.

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For instance,  YouTube is arguably one of the best applications for entertainment. There has been roaring support from users of YouTube as a reliable source of leisure. Youtube is a platform which provides many categories of amusement based on your preferences. Examples of such categories are, Trending Music, Gaming, News and Films. YouTube also allows its users to post and share information for the sake of relaxation. According to the website blog.hootsuite.com, YouTube is at first place for the most used application for entertainment.  This proves that social media is the best way to unwind and relax by entertaining ourselves.

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(+) POINT: Social media can allow individuals form social networks to feel less alone. 

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(+) POINT: Social media can allow individuals form social networks to feel less alone. 

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For instance, Professor John Powell, a public health researcher at Oxford University, asserts that social media can be used to support people with chronic or mental illnesses. On online communities such as Tumblr or Instagram, individuals may share openly about physical or mental health issues like depression or anxiety and receive emotional support. Through connecting with others, they may also find that they are less alone. This reveals how the use of social media can help individuals feel less isolated when facing difficulties.

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Is Social Media Hurting Your Mental Health? | Bailey Parnell | TEDxRyersonU

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It's the age of "fake news" and gone are the days of waiting for the morning news for breaking stories or reading gossip magazines for the latest celebrity dirt. We now have all the information we need at the touch of an app and most people now get their news information online, specifically from social media.

Social media has become the main source of news online with more than 2.4 billion internet users, nearly 64.5 percent receive breaking news from Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat and Instagram instead of traditional media.

In a recent survey, 50 percent of Internet users surveyed said that they hear about the latest news via social media before ever hearing about it on a news station. Many internet users will see the breaking stories on their feed and go to the news sites to learn more. The survey found 57 percent increase in traffic to news sites referred from social media.

However, there has been a decrease in how much of an article that people read. Most people will just scroll through their newsfeed and stumble upon relevant news content but just read the headlines or a short video clip of the piece. An average visitor will only read an article for 15 seconds or less and the average video watch time online is 10 seconds.

However, social platforms have a control over what news and information we see. Our social media friends have become the "managing editors" deciding what we see. An article needs to be "liked" and shared multiple times before many people see it in their feed. Therefore social media and your social friends have control over what news pieces you see and what you do not. There are also many "fake news" websites that compete for attention with sensational headlines and ridiculous storylines that tend to get shared more often due to the lack of readers fact checking or reading more than the headline. That means that authentic content is hard to come by now. In fact, fake news is actually more likely to spread than the truth.

"Falsehood diffused significantly farther, faster, deeper, and more broadly than the truth in all categories of information, and the effects were more pronounced for false political news than for false news about terrorism, natural disasters, science, urban legends, or financial information," the team, led by Sinan Aral of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, wrote in the journal Science.

Also, timely and sensational news does better like Buzzfeed who has 17.2 million subscribers. Content needs to be shareable and likable so often times it is overly exaggerated for social. Brands can pay more to appear in news feeds and get noticed. While syndication is nothing new, it is more prevalent in social media with so much information allowed to be given at once and 24/7.

News happens fast now. Today's story will be tomorrow's forgotten story. It is easy to miss things now because of how quick stories can get turned around and shared. While having so much information at our fingertips is great, it is worth always checking sources and not taking headlines as truth. With social media as our new news managers, it is up to us to be the new fact checkers for media.

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How Social Media Has Changed How We Consume News

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Social media has become the main source of news online with more than 2.4 billion internet users, nearly 64.5 percent receive breaking news from Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat and Instagram instead of traditional media. Here's how social media has changed how we consume news.

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Addiction to social media is getting in the way of making friends in "real life" a new study has claimed.

Researchers polled 3,053 adults and found their obsession with socialising online made many less likely to go out and meet people.

In fact, six in 10 adults admit they spent less time catching up with friends since the world became more digital.

In addition to this, 55 per cent of those polled believe social media has made relationships with their friends "more superficial".

The research was commissioned by Pernod Picard and found just 23 per cent of friends on Facebook are considered genuine by those polled.

It could be the reason why a third said they wished they had a greater number of close friends.

British anthropologist and psychologist Professor Robin Dunbar said: "The limit of friends you have is set by your capacity to invest time and mental effort in them.

"That's why people who are in love can typically only cope with four other close relationships and that's because they're already investing a lot of time and effort in the object of their affections.

"However the more close relationships you have, the higher your levels of happiness.

He added: "With this in mind, making small changes to our lifestyles, like cutting down on social media, can give us more time and space in the 'real world' to embrace convivial moments with friends.

"And doing this is what creates close, fulfilling and happy friendships."

The research also found social media, busy lifestyles, long working hours, parenting and living too far can lead friendships to fizzle out too.

On the flipside, the positive impact of social media has also been felt by 22 per cent of those who were polled.

Furthermore, over a fifth have made a new and genuine friend through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram within the last six months.

The research, carried out via OnePoll, found the typical Briton has an average of 12 friends, yet feel they can only truly confide in four of these.

Meanwhile, 56 per cent believe conviviality - sharing genuine moments with family and friends - is key to maintaining close friendships.

Saying that, 59 per-cent believe the UK is a lot less convivial than it was five years ago.

Alexandre Ricard, chairman & CEO of Pernod Ricard, said: "There is a real yearning for connection and sharing in today's world."

In an effort to encourage more people to be convivial, Pernod Ricard has made a film called The Power of Conviviality.

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Social media is getting in the way of real-life friendships, new study claims

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Addiction to social media is getting in the way of making friends in "real life" a new study has claimed. Researchers polled 3,053 adults and found their obsession with socialising online made many less likely to go out and meet people.

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Claims that social media can contribute to anxiety and unhappiness have been bolstered by a study which found that teenagers' mental health is being damaged by heavy social media use.

Research by the Education Policy Institute and The Prince's Trust found that wellbeing and self-esteem were similar in all children of primary school age.

However, their mental health begins to drop at the age of 14, after which girls experience a steeper decline.

The negative effects

According to the study, one girl in three was unhappy with her personal appearance by the age of 14, compared with just one in seven at the end of primary school.

Researchers also found that the number of young people with probable mental illness has risen to one in six, up from one in nine in 2017. Boys in the bottom set at primary school had lower self-esteem at 14 than their peers.

"Heavy social media use was linked to negative well being and self-esteem", the BBC reports, "with more girls experiencing feelings of depression and hopelessness".

The research used data from 5,000 young people in England.

A number of studies have found an association between social media use and depression, anxiety, sleep problems, eating issues, and increased suicide risk, warn researchers from the University of Melbourne's National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, in an article on The Conversation.

A 2015 study by the University of Missouri found that regularly using Facebook could lead to symptoms of depression if the site triggered feelings of envy in the user.

If social media is used "to see how well an acquaintance is doing financially or how happy an old friend is in his relationship - things that cause envy among users - use of the site can lead to feelings of depression", says Professor Margaret Duffy, who co-authored the report.

However, care needs to be taken when making a direct link between mental health and social media use, warn the University of Melbourne researchers.

Most studies examining social media and mental health "aren't able to determine whether spending more time on social media leads to depression or anxiety, or if depressed or anxious young people spend more time on social media", they say.

"The pathways to mental illness are many and varied, and to suggest mental health problems can be attributed to social media alone would be an oversimplification."

The positive effects

The same University of Missouri study that found a link between Facebook use and depression also found that people who use the platform primarily to connect with others do not experience the negative effects. "In fact, when not triggering feelings of envy, the study shows, Facebook could be a good resource and have positive effects on well-being," Psychology Today reports.

There is also compelling evidence that social media can benefit people already dealing with mental health issues by helping them build online communities that provide a source of emotional support. The UK Mental Health Foundation says it is "undeniable" that online technologies can be used to reach the most vulnerable in society, as well as helping to reduce the stigma attached to seeking treatment.

Social media is "invaluable for people with health conditions to know that they are not alone, that there are other people who have gone through this and got better", says Professor John Powell, a public health researcher at Oxford University, who has researched how social media can be used to support people with chronic illnesses.

Matthew Oransky, an assistant professor of adolescent psychiatry at New York's Mount Sinai Hospital, also says many patients make social connections online that they could not find elsewhere, reports USA Today. This is particularly true of marginalised teens, such as kids in foster homes and LGBT adolescents, Oransky says.

Are children more affected than adults?

For young people, who spend on average far more time than over-25s on social media, the problem appears even more serious.

A study by the UK's media regulator has found bullying of young people online has grown significantly worse in recent years. The Ofcom report revealed the proportion of 12 to 15-year-olds who reported having been bullied on social media has nearly doubled from 6% to 11% since 2016.

Children are also using multiple social media profiles to project a "picture-perfect self" to different social groups.

The rise of popularity in platforms such Instagram, which primarily focus on people's physical appearance, are "contributing to a generation of young people with body image and body confidence issues", says the London-based Royal Society for Public Health.

There is also concern at the failure of social media firms to protect young people from disturbing content online, specifically related to self-harm, given the fact that suicide is now the leading cause of death among under-20s in the UK.

Acknowledging the need to tackle the problems associated with increased social media use and "internet addiction" among young people, new forms of treatments have emerged.

One 28-day inpatient programme in the US called Reboot is targeted specifically at 11 to 17-year-olds.

It uses diagnostic therapy and psychotherapy to help those who have addictions that include online gaming, online gambling, social media, pornography, and sexting, "to escape the symptoms of mental illnesses such as depression", says Tech Times.
Anyone in need of immediate mental health support can call the Samaritans free on 116 123

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Is social media bad for your mental health? | The Week UK

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Claims that social media can contribute to anxiety and unhappiness have been bolstered by a study which found that teenagers' mental health is being damaged by heavy social media use. Research by the Education Policy Institute and The Prince's Trust found that wellbeing and self-esteem were similar in all children of primary school age.