PSYC FPX 4210 assessment 4 Implications of Social Media
Capella University
PSYC FPX4210 Cyberpsychology
Prof. Name
December, 2024
Introduction
PSYC FPX 4210 assessment 4 Social media has revolutionized the way people, organizations, and communities connect, communicate, and access information (Aichner et al., 2021). Today, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn can serve as effective tools for disseminating ideas, creating networks, and influencing social change. This is a transformation medium that also carries very complex implications: it is both personal and professional. This information is democratized through social media, but simultaneously social media creates a host of issues related to privacy, misinformation, and mental health. Unverified information flows rapidly across the networks and causes fragmentation within the society, and the relentless pursuit of curatorial personas that exist only online often affects the users’ self-esteem and wellness adversely. In addition, misuse of social media at work will lead to violations of confidentiality, damage in reputation, or violation of organizational values. Such a scenario suggests that there must be a critical engagement in making ethical decisions regarding the usage of social media. With this introduction, it is setting the stage for exploring more complex impacts of social media. There is privacy, mental well-being, misinformation, and professional ethics. An assessment of the opportunities and challenges it presents will provide a better understanding of how to maximize its benefits and mitigate its risks in today’s highly interdependent world.
Physical & Psychosocial Impacts Regarding Social Media
Physiological effects will be highly observed from using social media that is associated with excess time sitting in front of the monitor and screen, as stated by Gupta et al. (2021). Prolong hours spent on social media also results in sedentary behaviors that cause problems related to overweight, bad posture, and even musculoskeletal disorders. Another physiological impact relating to sleep disorder is that when these screens emit blue lights, they interrupt the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin production in the human brain, thus causing a condition of disturbed sleep and less quality sleep. This will thereby affect overall health, thereby decreasing cognitive functions and creating weakened immune systems. Other than the physical problems, repeated use of a mobile device leads to conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome or “text neck” through scrolling and typing.
On the psychosocial front, social media influences mental health and relationships with others on a significant scale. While there is so much that these platforms make one feel positive regarding connectivity and community, social media can exacerbate loneliness, anxiety, and depression (Smit et al., 2020). More so, the pressure of that idealized online self makes people indulge in those unhealthy comparisons, which usually leads to lowering one’s self-esteem and more body dissatisfaction. In addition, people are likely to develop psychological distress from cyberbullying or hate speech, especially amongst vulnerable teenagers and adults. On the other hand, social media allows support networks and mental health resources for users to avail themselves of when necessary and also share their experiences. Adhering to this balance of usage and making people aware of its effect will neutralize the detrimental effects while leveraging the positive potential.
Current Issues Regarding Social Media
Today, social media is being highly scrutinized due to the spread of misinformation and disinformation. False or misleading content spread at a light-speed rate often gets amplified through algorithms prioritizing engagement and, in this manner, confuses public opinion on many matters such as health, politics, and climate change (Morris, 2021). In general, during a pandemic situation such as the COVID-19 scenario, false information on vaccinations and treatments spreads around. Increasing such an issue of poor content moderation on most of these platforms creates an echo chamber where users only obtain information that is aligned with what they believe, hence enlarging societal divides.
The second pressing issue is the degradation of privacy and data security. Most social media applications function on mass data collection as fuel for targeted advertisements, raising several questions regarding the users’ consent and control over their personal information (Schyff et al., 2020). Several major breaches and unauthorized use of users’ data, like in the case of Cambridge Analytica, exposed vulnerabilities in such systems. This further complicates it, with the integration of artificial intelligence to monitor and manipulate user behavior, which has led debates about surveillance and autonomy.
Of much more importance than misleading information and lack of privacy are the significant effects on psychological well-being due to social media presence. Constant exposure to created content would give unrealistic demands; it raises cases involving anxiety and depression, especially at young age users (McCrory et al., 2022). Cyber bullying and harassment are widespread even though there is a very few safeguard mechanism that help in keeping victims away. As more changes occur, it must be addressed by policymakers and technology companies together with the users involved to have a safer and ethically better online environment.
A Rationale for Proposed Research
Rapid growth and widespread social media influence call for more research to understand the varied impacts on the individual and society (Dwivedi et al., 2021). On the one hand, social media has transformed the way people communicate and gain information; on the other, it has created numerous issues, such as spreading fake news, invading privacy, and affecting mental well-being. These challenges are timely since digital platforms increasingly give shape to public discourse, professional practices, and personal relationships. Existent studies have shown community building and resource access to be on the positive side but highlighted the need to come up with ways to offset risks. While doing so, research on psychological, social, and ethical dimensions of use has the potential to inform the types of policies and interventions put in place to promote more responsible digital engagement. Moreover, with emerging technologies such as AI and algorithm-driven content delivery, the implications for user autonomy and societal cohesion are also profound. The proposed research, which studies the interplay between technologies and user behavior, aims to develop evidence-based strategies to improve user welfare, ensure data security, and prevent the proliferation of harmful content. Such insights will be of paramount value to educators, policymakers, and tech developers as they make efforts to foster a more ethical and sustainable digital environment. Ultimately, such findings could empower individuals and organizations to unlock the benefits of social media in a way that limits the negative consequences.
PSYC FPX 4210 assessment 4 Conclusion
Social media forms an indispensable part of today’s lives (Farsi, 2021). It offers access to so much communication, collaboration, and information dissemination, but in its large-scale adoption are significant risks of misinformation, privacy erosion, and deterioration of well-being. So, resolving these issues will require better insight into the dual nature of social media – empowerment and potential harm. Through research and collaborative work, the risk of exposure to social media can be minimized while benefitting from social media.
PSYC FPX 4210 assessment 4 References
Aichner, T., Grünfelder, M., Maurer, O., & Jegeni, D. (2021). Twenty-Five years of social media: a review of social media applications and definitions from 1994 to 2019. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 24(4), 215–222. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2020.0134
