The power of social media

Image source- Small Business Trends

Social media is something that has taken everyone under its control. Even if you are not on social media platforms, especially Instagram nowadays, it still leaves some impact on your life in minor indirect ways. With more users over time and its large impact on people, it often becomes larger than life itself. The reel is becoming more real.

The impact of social media depends upon how its users use the platform. A small positive initiative can leave behind a positive impact on many people, like a domino game, and negative use can even get people killed, literally or mentally.

Sharing information based on correct and complete knowledge, especially by credible people from related fields, can avoid misinformation and misunderstandings. Debunking myths, explaining jargon in layman's language etc. can help a lot of people. Say, for example, gynaecologists/embryologists providing sex education info, finance experts providing financial pieces of advice, or lawyers explaining laws in simple language without much technicalities of the articles, IPCs, etc.

Sharing stories and anecdotes on social media can motivate others and spread positivity. Examples would include sharing stories of life's struggles, getting out of unhappy/toxic/abusive relationships and marriages, etc. There is also sharing of one's experiences of dealing with mental health issues and trying to overcome them, which has been trying to normalize the concept of mental health and reaching out for help if going through mental health problems. Many pages and communities also work through social media to help people, through donations, and other ways possible. There are pages like India Love Project, which works on sharing stories of inter-faith, inter-caste and LGBTQIA+ couples and providing support to the Humans Of Bombay and People Of India, and similar pages, which bring forward the stories of common people of India.

As helpful as social media can be, its misuse can also leave small to massive negative effects on the lives of people. Defamation and media trial, trolling, objectification, sending nonconsensual pics of genitalia (which mostly comes from males), death and rape threats, and many other forms of cyber crimes can lead to harm to the physical and mental health of a person. Like nowadays, many parents are scared to put their kid's photos up on the Internet due to presence of paedophiles and stalkers on social media. 

When I was watching standup comedy videos of Indian female comics, I headed to the comment section and saw many comments along the lines of- "hasna tha?", "no female standup comic is worthy in India", or other cheap comments objectifying her or trying to establish that Indian female comics are not worth it or not funny. Of course, the majority of the comments are from men, or profiles with male names, who never heard about the concept of 'constructive criticism'. Even if the jokes were funny, they would just try to comment something cheap, disgusting or just trying to pull her down to their level. And this example extends to other women, and people of other genders, from all walks of life.

How misuse of social media can negatively affect a person's mental health was given with the example of Ahsaas Channa's character Vini in season 2 of Mismatched, where she says that some boy's excessive trolling and rape threats lead her to have acute anxiety. 

Sometimes, even when there is no misuse on either side, people view social media through the lens of jealousy. When others put photos and share stories of their achievement, some may take it as showing off. This lens of jealousy should be removed, both from real life as well as personal lives. And if one feels inferior, self-doubt etc. or just does not like the content, they can unfollow the page or person. 

The impact social media leaves behind can be quite massive. If social media is not misused but rather used for sharing positivity, bringing positive changes, and sharing stories that help others, and not viewed with the lens of jealousy, social media can leave behind a revolutionary change for the better.

The change starts with one person. So for better or for worse, the decision is yours.