The double-edged sword of social media: a tool that has serious implications

Photo Courtesy of Adobe Stock

Social media is a growing platform that poses ethical questions and complex challenges for students to navigate. 

Social media use has been linked to an increased risk of mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. 

The landscape of social media has significantly evolved to prioritize the companies rather than the users, marked by a rise in addictive features, monetized content, filters and invasion of privacy. 

These transformations pose ethical concerns and risks, including shortened attention spans,  addiction, and declining mental health among students, according to Kendra Day, a computer science professor for the Fowler School of Engineering. 

Day teaches a course on computer ethics and the evolution of technology that covers topics such as invasion of privacy, responsibilities of companies and users, freedom of speech in relation to technology and implications of artificial intelligence (AI). 

“I’m not saying social media is all bad by any stretch of the imagination,” said Day. “But I feel we are in a spiral right now, especially with our attention span.”

Day explained the impacts social media have on the attention span of students and even adults. 

“We are in need of immediate gratification, real short information, and our sustainability to information is just not the same as it has been,” said Day. 

Day said this finds a way into the classroom and that she herself falls victim. 

“It does not escape me that we are always checking our phones,” said Day.

Students expressed their concern over the direction of social media and the feeling of mindless scrolling and addiction. 

Molly Kern, a senior public relations and advertising major, expressed her dependency on social media. 

“I am 100% addicted to consuming content on social media, but don’t post often,” said Kern. 

Charlie Harvego, a senior communications major, said that social and media platforms feed into addiction and people are hooked on their phones. 

“I find myself mindlessly scrolling or opening social media without even realizing I am doing it sometimes,” said Harvego. “You can’t go anywhere without everyone on their phones waiting for the next clip they can post, hoping to blow up.” 

He further discussed how it is not only affecting attention spans but also that striving for viral contact can be destructive to lives.

“TikTok is ruining people's attention spans and encourages people to live for views leading people to exploit themselves or others to go viral,” he said.

Day also discussed how social media impacts mental health with elements such as filters. 

“We aren’t seeing the truth when it comes to images online,” she said. “We are looking at things that aren't as they appear in real life, and trying to achieve that for younger kids, children and young adults can be very daunting and challenging.”

Kern said she struggled with the false reality presented on social media.

“I think the biggest issue is people posting very curated things that make their life seem like something it isn’t, posting only the best things and not being real,” said Kern. “I definitely fall prey to only posting the good.”

Another harmful aspect of social media is the desensitization and access to graphic content that impacts mental health, according to University of California, Irvine experts.

The term “doomscroll” was coined to define the desensitization to scrolling from one negative news clip to the next. 

Bloody images of former President Donald Trump after an assassination attempt and the violent attacks in Israel and Gaza have been plastered across the internet. Social media has eliminated the aspect of an editor who has discretion over what images and videos can be published. 

“The amount of graphic videos and violence online is insane, and the fact kids, as soon as they have access to the internet, can access it,” said Harvego. “I think it’s going to continue to get worse as kids become more and more immersed online.”

Kern also talked about the spread of fear and misinformation on social media. 

“There is a huge spread of misinformation and fear-mongering on X (formerly Twitter),” Kern said.

Some social media companies have been taking action to mitigate these rising issues. 

Instagram recently revealed new updates to address inappropriate online interactions and content and enhance sleep quality for users under 18. The features directed towards minors include automatically making accounts for users under 18 private, limiting notifications between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., and features for parental guidance to monitor their children’s actions on the app. 

Although some companies are taking action to protect users, especially minors, there is still a debate over where the majority of accountability lies. 

“It is a challenging situation in terms of what can these companies actually do, right? When push comes to shove, there are always ways around it,” Day said. 

Day has integrated the social media dilemma into her course material, and is a key issue discussed in the classroom. 

“So that's a question I ask my students all the time,” said Day. “Are there ways for these companies to actually do it in a meaningful way that allows them to put these restrictions and keep these restrictions?” 

Day said one solution is education so that users understand the platforms they are engaging with. 

“I think it does ultimately come to the responsibility of the families and the individuals, but I think education is the most important tool,” she said. 

The dilemma also lies between user responsibility and company obligations. 

Harvego said he viewed user education as fundamental to being safe online but that companies also have a role to play. 

“It is the user’s responsibility to be an informed user and use critical thinking to be safe online. However, companies should make an effort to remove violent or graphic content such as drugs, guns, sex, and violence,” he said. 

However, regarding politics and the upcoming election, Harvego said that social media companies should not be involved. 

“Social media serves as a forum for its users to interact. When the company starts promoting certain stances and demoting others, that’s when companies are crossing the moral line,” said Harvego.

Kern said there is a delicate balance between the users and the companies, but it is ultimately up to the user. 

“I think it is a blurry line to draw because user guidelines can only go so far without limiting the whole self-expression thing that social media is kind of intended for, so It’s kind of a use at your own risk and discretion thing,” said Kern. 

Social media is a tool that has tremendous benefits, but it can also be used inappropriately. 

“It’s a double-edged sword,” said Day. 

Kern expressed the positive and negative aspects of social media in her own life. 

“I stay connected with many people, especially being a college student. It's a great way to keep up with people from my hometown and old friends,” she said. “It also causes me a lot of anxiety because I get really overly obsessed with how I am perceived on social media.”

The future of social media remains unknown, but the push for regulations on social media is not just from legislators but from students. 

Harvego said that in the future, parents will launch a campaign to oppose social media.

“I think in a few years, there is going to be a big movement amongst parents to keep their kids off social media,” he said. 

Many students struggle with the balance between social media as a platform that fosters creativity and community with the harmful implications of warped reality, graphic content and dependency.

As social media continues to evolve, where will companies step in, and how will students find the balance between the positive and negative effects of social media?