Social Media Changing the World…for better or worse?

Forty years ago, the internet was invented and changed the way people live. As the internet evolved, other brilliant individuals created software, games, iphones, and social media. Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook in 2004, and the use of social media skyrocketed. Today, individuals spend over seven hours a day on the internet. That statistic is alarming. However, the more intriguing statistic is the percentage of individuals who use social media to fill time. Rather than work out, cook, draw, or find another hobby, they simply scroll through social media. 37% of consumers use social media to fill their time. 

Unfortunately, I am one of those individuals who use social media to fill my time. Although I spend many hours in classes, studying, working at Starbucks, working out, cooking meals, and hanging out with friends, I frequently find myself drowning in TikTok or Facebook. I put off working out or studying and scroll through TikTok for an hour. I often have a difficult time falling asleep and I try to stare at my ceiling, but with little luck in falling asleep. I end up picking up my phone and scrolling through social media until I doze off into slumber. It saddens me that this is the norm for my generation. I would love to see the statistics for the difference between how well individuals sleep with their addiction to iPhones and social media, versus the sleep patterns of individuals before the internet was created. Hopefully, I can expand my knowledge of the impact of social media over the next few months!