“The Good and the Bad: How Social Media Affected Me as a Gen Z Individual”
Technology has been playing an important role in our lives. It had a very big impact on society and made our lives easier. And now that technology is continuously advancing, social media has also emerged into the picture. Social media being a big part of many teenagers’ lives has affected youth in today’s generation, mainly the Gen Zs. It allows us to experiment, find, and create our identities as teenagers who are doing their best to survive from this cruel society. Teens also use social media for entertainment and self-expression. Our voices can also be amplified, especially those who have platforms or to those who are in need of help. Another good that we can get from social media is communication and interaction. It makes it easier for the people of this generation to be able to communicate with someone who's far away and helps us to still keep in touch with them. We can also find and make new friends that may be a help to alleviate loneliness and depression. Social media has helped us get information much faster because of its accessibility. We can now be aware and be updated on the news and important events that are happening in our surroundings, our very own country, and even every corner of the world. Because it’s easy to get in touch with a large group of people, information can be shared and can spread quickly and effectively. And fake news is not an exemption.
Social media taught me/us as Gen Z individuals to always fact check news/information before sharing it because it can greatly affect us once it is all over the internet. It taught me/us to always be careful in whatever I do and whatever I click. Most (if not all) of the Gen Zs are most likely prone to having poor time management and wasting hours by just scrolling and checking through their different social media accounts. Gen Zs spend too much on their phone that it disrupts their sleep, and develop a possibility that can damage their eyes and mental health. Yes, social media has a big part in protecting our mental health because it makes us more anxious, more fragile, and more depressed because aside from making us isolate ourselves without realizing, the norms and standards that are very far from reality and so hard to reach are also one of the reasons. We, as Gen Zs, believe that reaching those standards are so important to avoid backlashes, or worse, cyberbullying, and gain more praise from other people. This results in creating more insecurities about ourselves which shouldn’t be happening. Let’s use our influence in social media to promote self-love, uniqueness, and acceptance. Social media definitely has affected me/us as Gen Z individuals but it molded us into a more mature and responsible user who knows their limitations and worth.

















