Oversharing online

 I believe that any social media platform has its benefits and drawbacks. Some benefits in my opinion and experience with being a user is sharing important information about the world/politics, finding a sense of community, and sharing experiences from your life that you find interesting. Drawbacks would be unrealistic body images, cyber threats, and even cyber bullying. Social media platforms should not play a role in mental health, if one finds that they are obsessing over a follower account then they need therapy or serious help. Facebook, while a little dated within the various platforms, still promotes unhealthy lifestyles and misinformation, while it can be very effective in building confidence, especially when one has a following. However many humans aren’t built for big platforms and often abuse or mistreat their fans and don’t know how to deal with the fame that comes with attention. By providing its users with suicide prevention hotlines, reinforcing certain guidelines, and have a good reporting system certain Media platforms can prevent any in life harm outside of the community itself. 

I believe that Facebook, along with various platforms do have a responsibility to promote positive mental health awareness and provide the proper support. Within The Process of Interpersonal Communication chapter 4, there is an emphasis within the thought of self within communicating online. Therefore the link between emotion and social media presence is high, when media becomes negative or harmful to one’s self, it is up to the platform to help guide its users to be more friendly and give those who are struggling a chance to get the help that they need. Ultimately social media and facebook can be extremely impactful on one’s life, which is why it is so important to remain safe, vigilant, and healthy when digesting and creating media. I have seen first hand what the media can do to someone and have had personal experience in the past that put my mental health in jeopardy, due to this I always exercise caution when meeting new people online or creating a new account. While many platforms have implemented certain safety measures there is still room for improvement, many often are not well versed in media literacy and therefore many are still falling victim to the overwhelming addiction to social media and often tie their self worth to their following list. While I do not believe media platforms will ever truly be safe, there are ways to improve them.

Image source: https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2023/05/03/suicide-rates-for-girls-are-rising-are-smartphones-to-blame

Adler, Ronald B., and Russell F. Proctor II. Interplay: The Process of Interpersonal Communication. 16th ed., Oxford University Press, 2023. Chapter 4.