It’s pretty certain that the majority of the population is using some form of social media to communicate. But to what extent and what cost?
It’s worth mentioning Twitter’s trending hashtag #DeleteFacebook. It’s not all fun and games for everyone, being open with their daily lives and in return being exposed to all kinds of negative news and comments.
Would you consider removing yourself from social media altogether? No, we guess not.
Studies this year show that we have more than 3 billion social media users all over the world. That’s a daunting number! Thankfully, we all know that it can be used to further good causes, as evidenced by the well-known ALS ice bucket challenge, for example. Facebook is also a useful tool in promoting important nonprofit organizations, such as WWF and Unicef, to name a few.
The problem is not with businesses and charities, however – individuals are affected negatively by online bullying or triggering content. Social media is still not regulated enough when it comes to protecting one’s privacy – that much is evident.
It’s not a secret that when we create a profile online, even with all sorts of privacy settings we might have at hand, we have little to no protection against misuse of personal data, online harassment or even just general misinformation. You would think people would be put off by this, but that’s not the case.
Oddly enough, if we look at the American use of social media, it’s still on the rise despite all the negative connotations. Facebook is used by almost 3/4 of the population while Instagram is getting more and more popular. Twitter is the third most used social media app.
In general, people are aware of the negative effects that come with sharing their personal lives online. At the same time, they also know that managing their own content is their responsibility and the user experience will depend almost solely on them. But since social media use is such an integral part of our lives nowadays, someone might inevitably have a harder time staying on top of all the negativity – say, someone who’s underage. For this reason, it’s crucial to reformulate regulations related to online privacy.