The Benefits & Drawbacks Of Social Media
Although opinions vary on the topic of its benefits, compared to its destructive elements – social media is not going away. Some people hate and mistrust the entire genre, while others embrace it as a way to be seen, or heard, or to monetize, and garner fleeting fame.
The fame associated with social media seems to be short lived, but regardless many people have risked their lives for likes on social media. The selfie craze can be a selfish craving.
To outline some of the positives just as a matter of personal opinion, I think social media does have some benefits. It can help increase the voice of the ordinary person, from a democratic perspective in political commentary.
It can help people who are isolated, or disabled to stay in touch with, and have connection to the outside world.
It can also facilitate communication, gatherings, reunions, and family sharing, thus bridging long distances between people. It helps people to follow the activities, and growth of loved ones, as well as topics they are interested in.
It is good for hobbyists, gardeners, sports, photographers, campers, hikers, collectors, fishing, car enthusiasts, nature lovers, and a variety of niche interests, who are seeking like-minded people.
There are forums that help with learning, with technical skills, and sharing stories that could benefit others. The information or support groups that stem from some of the social media channels can help people to find common ground, and help with mental health, or healing.
It delivers a wide variety of opinions, and ideas on multiple topics. It also shows things we would not know about otherwise. Some people capture amazing pictures of storm clouds, animals, sports, and other unusual sightings or events, which they share on social media.
Without videos or cameras, social media would not be as vast as it is. Therefore, the widespread use of cell phones, cameras, audio, and basically surveillance, has both positive and negative impacts. People now have doorbell cameras that have picked up crime as it happens.
Many crimes have been solved as a result of social media. The body of Gabby Petito may never have been found if it had not been for another traveller, and content creator who happened to drive past Gabby’s van on a remote dirt road. She recognized the van from Gabby’s social media posts, and as it turned out, her body was buried just feet away from where that video was taken. In fact, it appeared they may have inadvertently driven past, when her fiance was in the process of burying her body.
When people have loved ones go missing, so much of the agony is in not knowing what happened to them, or where their body is. Without a body, it is much more difficult to prosecute the crime of murder.
Cameras have helped solve many crimes, and if the imagery is clear, it provides solid evidence for the trial. Jurors like all people, have different learning styles. Some of us are impacted more by what we hear, while others have better retention based on what they see. Therefore, visual evidence is very important when it comes to getting justice for victims, and their families.
In the case of Brian Kohberger, there were true crime sleuths who had him, and his car pinpointed long before he was caught. They also dug up many of his online aliases within days of the murders.
In the case of the Australian mushroom murders, Erin Patterson’s former FB posts cussing out her relatives was used as evidence in the trial. She had adamantly claimed how much she loved her in-laws, yet the social media posts told a very different story.
In addition, even though she tampered with evidence, and reset her cell phones, the police were able to pick up footage of her disposing of the food dehydrator she had used to dehydrate death cap mushrooms. Once it was retrieved, they were able to analyze it, and find the death cap mushroom spores inside.
From there, the police were able to track her movements. She visited social media pages that posted sightings of death cap mushrooms, giving the exact locations where death cap mushrooms were growing.
The police used those sightings to track her cell phone data, in order to prove she physically went to those locations. They also tracked her Internet searches, seeking specifics on the lethal dosages required. She also looked for recipes on social media, specifically ones with mushrooms as a main ingredient. Without social media, she may not have been convicted beyond a reasonable doubt.
In spite of how intelligent she believed she was, she left a detailed bread crumb trail leading to her own conviction.
On a brighter note, social media allows us to see parades, concerts, livestreams, and various other events we do not attend personally. It also shows protests, and can help determine how they are organized and managed, as well as if there is any vandalism or violence during the protest.
On the negative side, it seems to have increased vanity and narcissism. There are hundreds of cases where social media influencers have died trying to get the perfect selfie. Everything from dangling off cliffs, to various stunts, to standing next to wild animals, and even grabbing live wires above a train.
Although a high percentage of social media selfies do not end in death, it seems to detract from their mental health. Trying to create an image of perfection, is futile. It wears people down.
In one recent case, a young 16 year old girl who had become obsessed with her own image, and social media posts, ended up shooting her mother and stepfather. She seemed to think she could increase her fame, and number of views by pretending to be the victim of a crime. It was like she was acting out her own movie script as an Academy award winning actress.
Vanity is a pervasive part of human nature, and has been since the beginning of time. The book of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament outlines all that is vanity in beautiful and poetic language. It is also known as The Preacher, and although it has been attributed to King Solomon, it is not clear who it was written by. It is believed to have been written between the 5th and 3rd century BCE.
As far as the authorship is concerned the very first line tells us in 1:1 and the next few lines tell us “all is vanity”.
1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
3 What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?
4 One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.
5 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.
In 1959 Pete Seeger wrote the song Turn! Turn! Turn! based on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. It became wildly popular in 1965 when the Byrds released their version of the song. Pete Seeger chose verses that reflect the nature of time, and the cyclical seasons of life.
Probably one of the worst and most prevalent aspects of social media, is the deception. People can pretend to be someone else. They can steal the identities and photographs belonging to other people, and use it to pose as romance scammers, or to lure investors into a con.
Images can be photoshopped to make it appear they are in a different location. They can photoshop bank statements, passports, driver’s licenses, logos, cheques, and whatever else you can think of.
With the rise and sophistication of AI and Chat GPT, the deception only gets more convoluted and difficult to detect.
However, just as it says in the book of Ecclesiastes, vanity is vanity. There is nothing new about it. The same goes for deception. It too, goes back to the beginning of time.
I think the essence of what social media is inadvertently telling us – is that nothing is hidden. The kiss-cam exposure of the CEO, and HR director’s affair during a Coldplay concert is an example of how people can be exposed in a matter of seconds.
For those who are Christians, we know from many verses in the bible, that nothing is hidden from God. Truth will always rise to the surface, one way or another. God is light, and light shines on darkness. God sees and knows everything.
Psalms 44:21 Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.
Proverbs 27:19 As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man.
Many of us are familiar with the ancient story of Narcissus dying while staring at his own reflection in a pond. The origin of this fable is from Ovid and Pausanias. Both were ancient world writers, but with a different background and focus.
Ovid was a Roman poet known for works with a focus on love and transformation. His most famous work was Metamorphoses.
Pausanias on the other hand, leaned more toward non-fiction, and gave a detailed account of ancient Greece. He wrote travel guides in ten books, describing the art, culture, architecture, religious practices, mythology, history, landscape, and topography of Greece.
In both versions of Narcissus, the storyline is that he became so enamoured with his own reflection in the water, he neglected to take care of himself. He was so besotted with his own image, he had no concern, or awareness of anything around him. He was unable to eat or sleep. He took his final dying breath, while staring longingly at his own reflection in the water.
Doesn’t this ancient story have some correlation with what happens to people who become so infatuated with their own image, that they die in the pursuit of perfecting themselves? The perfect image. The perfect face. The perfect body. And finally, the ultimate capture of those elements in action.
Beauty and perfection seems within reach, especially in our youth. Then there is the quest to hold onto youth, without ever showing signs of aging. It is a senseless struggle.
The illusion is reinforced, because the image of near perfection (combined with cognitive bias) is reflected back at people – yet it is intangible. Perfection is not achievable. Just look at the people who get one plastic surgery after another. It gets worse, not better.
Going back to what it says in the bible, we would be wise to be humble. In fact repentance humbles us because it shows us our faults, and we feel genuine remorse, as well as the desire to change. Humility puts us on the path to redemption, as opposed to the godless, and all encompassing love of our own image or reflection in a mirror, or a pond, or a camera. Vanity is nothing new in spite of social media.
The benefits of humility over vanity are written about extensively throughout the bible. Some examples:
Luke 14:11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Proverbs 16:18-19
18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.
In conclusion, it seems pretty clear – we are inclined toward vanity for personal gain, but paradoxically our own vanity can harm us.
Sometimes people who are gifted in looks or intellect, are mercilessly bullied, or exploited by wolves in sheep’s clothing.
It seems to be most unfair when people are persecuted for what should be a benefit, not a curse. This is an especially immoral type of attack, because the target cannot help being who they are. Nor is it their fault, if they happened to be born with certain gifts. It’s like kicking the dog because it is not a cat. Or perhaps, because it is better looking, or smarter than your dog. There is no shortage of abuse in this world.
Another drawback facing social media influencers is that they are open targets for criticism, and online abuse. It is often because of the jealousy of other people. Once the social media influencers put themselves out there, in addition to the likes, subscribers, adoration and fame, they also face the flip side of that kind of attention, and get negativity, and insults as well. It creates a world of polarizations that would be difficult to navigate for most people.
For those who are sensitive, or unable to separate their authentic self, from a well-crafted public persona, they are very susceptible to mental health issues. Being an influencer often has a damaging effect on self-esteem. Tragically, a significant percentage of influencers die by suicide.
Another often overlooked ethical grey zone of social media, is when people film and monetize children’s lives, when they are too young to give consent. It is one thing to show family photos, weddings etc. But it becomes questionable, when every facet of a child’s daily life is posted online. In the future, the child might resent the invasion of privacy, or feel like they were exploited.
In addition, all people should be mindful of the fact there are many online child sexual predators. Even though photos or videos posted are not intended to be the focus of online predators, parents have to be very careful, when it comes to protecting their children.
It is also worthy of consideration to question how much a child might be affected by constantly being photographed, or portrayed as being cute and adorable. Most of them are cute and adorable, but they are still autonomous, and unique human beings, who are going through multiple developmental stages.
Some people go so far as to take pictures of children having falls or accidents, as if it is hilariously funny. There was a joke circulating on Tik Tok for awhile, where the parent would crack an egg on a child’s head. In fact, there are many copycat type stunts that circulate online. Some of them are borderline assaultive, like cracking an egg on a child’s head. In every case I watched of adults using the egg cracking joke, the child looked very shocked, unhappy, and offended. That means it is not funny.
Other social media stunts are downright dangerous. Everything from eating contests, to planing, to sucking boiling water through a straw, have led to tragic deaths.
We can see how things are easily taken too far. People will also film pit bulls licking newborns, and all kinds of pet related, close encounters with very small children. Not every pet can be trusted with an infant. Infants, and young children should never be used in risk taking encounters of any kind, for social media.
Another fairly innocent social media trend occurred recently, showing pregnant women who were full term, dancing prior to going into labour. If the mom is healthy and feels like dancing, good for her. Social media has millions of dancing videos of all kinds, so why not?
However this craze was soon tainted by an attention seeking, pretend pregnant dancer. Meghan Markle gravitated toward this trend, and did a fake version of the pregnancy dance, with what looked like a pillow under her dress.
One thing most moms, as well as LDR nurses, midwives, and doctors know – is that the full term uterus does not move like a pillow. Therefore, the deceptive aspect of Meghan Markle’s pregnant dance, became another faux pas. She seems to be the queen of gaucherie.
All of the social media platforms love click bait, therefore when it comes to certain practices, anything goes. Personally, I think there should be a set of ethical guidelines surrounding the filming, and posting of vulnerable people online, who are unable to give consent.
Some people are posting the care of, along with the everyday life and struggles, of a family member with dementia. Some of the posts are very personal. Some are comical. Others are rather ambiguous.
One person may view such exposure as being poignant and touching. Another may see it as being educational. And someone else may view it as being a violation of confidentiality surrounding health matters. Others may think it is blatantly exploitive.
But the big question is – how does it affect the person who is being filmed? Does it align with their values, or any discussions they may have had about it when they had better cognition? After all, the person is being filmed, often in embarrassing circumstances, without realizing it.
Nor are they aware of the number of viewers, how widespread it is, or the reasons for it. Maybe they do not want to be seen by the outside world, let alone filmed in such a state. Maybe they have an ex, or certain people who they do not want to share any part of their life with. Maintaining dignity while aging, especially for those going through dementia, is very important to most people.
We have to keep in mind that the average person who is over 70 years old, was not raised with social media, or the Internet. They may not have even considered there was a potential for being filmed throughout phases of dementia. It is something most people don’t even have a conversation about, while they are still making their own decisions.
Similar to children being the focus of certain social media channels, I have often wondered about the filming of people with dementia, in order to show the journey, or the challenges associated with their care. Once again, the person is not in a position to consent. They are vulnerable, and could be subjected to mockery, or the sympathy from strangers who they do not know, or wish to know. Therefore it stands to reason the person with dementia does not want to open up their lives, and personal struggles to online strangers.
We can only speak for ourselves on what we would or would not want, and I can say for sure that I would not want to be filmed in every day life at any stage of my life. Not because I have anything to hide, but because I really value, and want to protect my privacy.
If social media is used in moderation for communication, mutual interests, education, or for entertainment, it can be a good thing. But if it is used for deception, vanity, or the exploitation of vulnerable people, it can be destructive.
Finally, to point out a minor social media irritant, is when content creators drag out the most simplistic information as long as possible. For example, they might have a title like “Five Foods You Should Never Eat Before Going To Bed” or “Ten Mistakes Gardener’s Make Planting Potatoes”
Isn’t it annoying when they use long-winded fillers before they actually tell you anything? Wordy, bloated, whitewashed stuffing, padding a very simple message, to make it as long and drawn out as possible.
Obviously they are trying to stretch a one minute video into fifteen minutes. They should concentrate on more informative content, not just beating around the potato bush, until you lose interest.
Knowledge is increasing at an accelerated rate, with some suggesting it doubles every twelve hours, in this modern era. Therefore, I think some of those content creators – should be a little quicker to get to the point.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2025). Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.