Round 1
Pro: Last week, the topic of social media and how it disconnects us was brought up. The argument was that social media only gives us a good perception of others rather than reality. This isn’t an uncommon thought; many people have a negative view of social media. But there are many benefits of social media. One thing that is beneficial about it is the spread of information. With so many methods of near-instant communication, one can become more aware of a variety of events and ideas. For example, social media can help speed up the spread of emergency information in a disaster situation, or alert people of a news event. There are several instances of social media users reporting events like attacks or outbreaks before traditional outlets. Social media can also aid law enforcement in catching criminals since some like to brag about it online. It also allows people from vastly different backgrounds share knowledge, thus contributing to an informal education to all who can view, or listen to, the discussion. There may be a gap between perception and reality, but only if you allow it to be so.
Con: Social media is useful if used responsibly., but with the amount of information that people share about themselves on social platforms it has become easy for others to use that to engage them in scams and obscene photoshops. In a bid to stay updated, people go to any extent to post their recent ongoings which scammers can track. Thus, the spread of information is not always a good thing as it can ruin somebody’s life if somebody accidentally filmed them and made it viral for negative reasons. Nowadays, fake rumors spread easily thanks to social media. Also, I don’t think people like to brag about their crimes. I agree that their online profiles have helped cops to catch them but many times multiple profiles and fake information have misled them. There is definitely a gap between perception and reality as people are completely identified with what’s on someone’s profile and try to act like them or beat them. There is this constant urge to portray yourself as a better person than the other, and the number of shares, likes, retweets and comments that your post gets decides the winner. What a silly way of living.
Round 2
Con: Social media is doing more bad than the good that it was developed for. People have thousands of online friends but few in person to share joy and sorrow with. Studies show that those in a relationship or married don’t have much to talk when they return home from work as they are exhausted with communicating on social media. Some use this online platform to hide their real personalities and fake to look more beautiful, intelligent or philanthropic. Many comments irresponsibly on others’ posts without having to personally explain to them or meet them. There’s so much information available through feeds that keep bugging your phone every other minute, making you almost phone-sick and addicted, fearing to lose out on some important update. More importantly, what you lose is the ability to concentrate. Too much information makes life boring as one is exposed to worldly things at the touch of a thumb and simple joys of life don’t seem to be exciting anymore. Feeling low looking at others’ achievements and that consistent itch to knock them has robbed us of contentment.
Pro: Yes, comparison with others is a quick way to become discontented with life. However, people have been putting forward only the best facets of themselves a lot longer than social media. Society has been been in a competition for the most wealth, the newest things, and the greatest prestige for centuries. The only thing that social media does to facilitate that is allow one access to a wider source of knowledge about others. This sharing of knowledge can be a double-edged sword if not approached properly, yet we can’t say that it is responsible for destroying communication. Social media is beneficial for the spreading of ideas farther and faster than they had gone before. In addition, it can be incredibly helpful for those with limited mobility or speech capacity to make friends and communicate without leaving home or verbally communicating their thoughts. Yes, one must be aware of the potential for false information that exists there, but people are just as capable of lying without using social media. Yes,social media might be changing our preferred methods of communication, but people said the same thing when the written word was created and when the printing press was built. The result of these was an increase of knowledge that helped to improve quality of life and an understanding of others from places farther away than they had previously encountered. What’s to say that social media isn’t the same?
Con side debated by Paras Ghumare
