When Is Social Media too much?

How often do you find yourself scrolling through social media like TikTok or Instagram for hours on end? It is very far and in between that you will find a person who does not engage with any form of social media. In the Jubilee video below, teenagers gather and discuss their feelings toward social media. Likewise, in the video below, one of the underlying statements is “I spend more than three hours on social media a day,” albeit four out of the six teenagers agreed with that statement. One teenager, in particular, disagreed with that statement: Emi, who is on a stance of anti-social media, said, “I have an Instagram, I have a TikTok, but I never opened the app.” Emi goes on to add that he does not feel comfortable on social media due to having Alopecia and, as a result suffering from significant hair loss. Emi goes on to say that he sees people who look perfect, and it makes him feel conscious of his body and medical condition. More so, Emma, who is anti-social media, adds that she feels disconnected from her peers when she is trying to have a conversation with them, and they are undoubtedly scrolling through TikTok. Emma even went on to add that she believes through experience that social media can make people anti-social. I think this statement from Emma speaks volumes because this statement accurately represents the social struggle of generations like Millennials and Gen-Z. I can not even count how many times I have tried to have a conversation with a friend and been ignored because of social media like TikTok. I think social media is like everything else enjoyable: too much can be a problem. I believe that social media can be used for both good and bad. In my opinion, I think that social media is like the age-old Marvel saying: “With great power comes great responsibility.”