People eat Tide pods, shovel spoonfuls of cinnamon into their mouths and dump buckets of ice onto themselves because social media manipulates people to try harmful trends and share unsavory comments.
While social media acts as an outlet for self-expression, its content often negatively affects people’s in-person behavior.
For example, in high school, I have seen people walk up to someone else and call them ‘mommy.’
According to Urban Dictionary, ‘mommy’ refers to a “hot female version of a daddy.” A ‘daddy’ refers to “a confident and attractive man.” This reference takes away from the sophistication in greetings, rather than calling somebody by their birth name.
While the ‘Mommy? Sorry’ trend on TikTok is funny, it is an example of how social media is changing the way people communicate.
Most conversations nowadays are unfiltered. There are little to no repercussions for a crude comment made on social media, leading people to feel like it’s acceptable to say such things as “I want to kill myself.”
People have become so desensitized to the phrase, “I want to kill myself,” when it may be a trigger for some.
Another negative byproduct of social media is oversharing.
Looking at someone’s social media profile can often provide more details that may never have been shared in person.
For example, on Snapchat, people feel as if it is necessary to share every detail about their weekend. Doing so often destroys friendships.
Social media has also led to an enormous amount of brainwashing. Following the TikTok trend of stealing items, like soap dispensers from schools, shows just how far people will follow trends blindly, even when it is illegal.
Do not follow in the tracks of those who fall victim to the negative impacts of social media, but rather become more aware of the dependence social media causes. The outcome of social media has led to a downfall in teenagers’ behavior. Online platforms are thought to be an outlet, but they lead to a decline in quality physical interaction and trigger misunderstandings.
