We have become slaves to our phones. Each day this new generation finds itself rotting in bed with a device two inches away from their face. Hours are spent overthinking, procrastinating, and wasting time, and people are learning to hide from the possibilities or opportunities they have to do something more useful. In society, we must connect, interact, and form a community. In some ways social media aids in this, but is it more beneficial than it is harmful?

Social media can never replace the need for real human interaction. The hormones that minimize stress and improve your psychological state are what’s released when you interact face-to-face with those around you. Ironically, the fact that social media was made to help bring people closer together, excessive use of it may exacerbate mental health issues like anxiety and depression and increase feelings of loneliness or isolation. Regarding social isolation, an estimated 81% of Americans check their phones while eating out with other people. This is most likely a phenomenon you have observed yourself, as many of us tend to check our social media accounts and skip out genuine conversation, even when we are amongst actual people.

This can also be associated with other mental health issues, or an idea called F.O.M.O – the fear of missing out. While F.O.M.O has been around much longer than social media, platforms like Facebook and Instagram tend to intensify it. The feeling that other people are having more fun or have better lives starts to mess with the way individuals think and live their own. Similar to an addiction, the belief that you're missing out on something can harm your self-worth, cause anxiety, and encourage you to use social media even more. F.O.M.O can force you to overthink, check for changes on your phone every few minutes, and obsessively reply to every alert, even if doing so puts you in danger while driving, keeps you up at night, or forces you to prioritize social media activity above in-person connections.

Innovations and technologies have also made it possible for social media to not be the only way to communicate or reach friends and family over great distances. Video calling and messaging services such as Skype and WhatsApp have made it easier for people to directly stay in touch with each other. Cloud computing has also enabled the storage and sharing of documents, photos, and videos online, making it easier to collaborate and share memories without having to post them.

The ability to post a wide variety of things also subjects people to hate comments and bullying, with severe cyberbullying still being a pressing issue. Throughout the past three decades, the rate of suicide among children aged 10 to 14 has increased by more than 50%, according to the American Association of Suicidology. Moreover, an estimated 10% of teenagers report having experienced bullying or unpleasant remarks. These damaging rumors, lies, and abuse can be widely disseminated on social media sites like Twitter, leaving long-lasting emotional scars.

Although some may argue that big corporations and small businesses can recruit or promote worthwhile causes or raise awareness on important issues, there are still many other ways to do so. For example, traditional promotion methods consist of handing out flyers, putting up billboards, direct mailing, broadcasting, or advertising. Additionally, anyone can post or publish anything online, lending a corporation with conventional marketing techniques greater psychological credibility. 

Even if digital marketing reaches a larger audience, it doesn't always provide the impression that a business is trustworthy or well-established. The fact that traditional marketing is typically associated with more established channels and larger budgets is one of the reasons for this and may imply that the business is expanding, prospering, and steady.

In conclusion, although social media has undoubtedly revolutionized communication and connectivity, it is important to prioritize in-person connections and be mindful of the probable negative effects of excessive or improper social media use. The prevalence of cyberbullying and the potential for manipulation highlight the need for caution and critical thinking, along with the fact that building and maintaining relationships through face-to-face interaction fosters deeper connections formally and sociably. For society to fully connect, interact, and form a community, we must reduce our online-dependent lifestyle and benefit our society in real life, in real time.