90 percent of teens in America use some type of social media. Social media is a great way to express yourself and find new friends. But, is social media really all that good? “In every seed of good, there is always a piece of bad” (Edelman 1996). Let’s unfold the secrets of social media. 

Over the years there has been a very controversial view of social media. Some people love it and see it as a way to express themselves. While others despise it and hate the negativity that comes with it. Meanwhile, others are just along for the memes.

It is a platform where people can express themselves and meet new people. They can keep in touch with their loved ones and can see what others are doing in their lives. People can learn new information on social media as well as find things to do when they are bored. 

An 8th-grade Algebra I teacher at WMS, Mr. Van said, “I hadn’t spoken to many of my friends in a long time, so it was an easy way to reconnect with them.”

Not only that, but social media is a great way to find out what is going on around the world. World History and Civics teacher, Mrs. Liastro said, “It is a good way to find out information, as long as the information is factual.”

Hardeep Kaur, an 8th-grade student at WMS, said, “I feel like the people coming into middle school have such a different mindset now compared to when I was their age. I didn’t know half of the things that they know now.” Students now-a-days know way more than necessary, but is that all a bad thing? It’s just information…right?

Not only do teachers realize the importance of getting information, but students do as well. Alexander Grabon, an 8th-grade student at WMS, said “Information is a good thing, too much information is not a good thing. Young kids don’t need to know things that don’t apply to them.”

Social Media also creates a sense of community. Grabon continued, “The big benefit about it is you can help people out of dark places.” When the pandemic hit, many people were able to use social media to find people to talk to and were helped through a difficult time.

However, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. There is a lot of negativity spread on these social media platforms. Mrs. Liastro continued, “There are a lot of ways to be intimidated. Whether it be from being bullied or from seeing ‘a perfect picture’, which may lead to you thinking you’re not good enough.” 

Many students also feel the same way. There can be people with fake accounts pretending to be someone they are not, for the sole purpose to make others feel bad about themselves. 8th-grade student Madelyn Brenner said, “I feel worse about myself after scrolling through social media. I know some things are fake, but it still leaves me in doubt.”

Middle school students have a constant worry about having whatever they do end up online. This could be bad, since some people may not want to have their information shared with the world. Mrs Liastro said, “I can’t imagine how hard middle school would’ve been if everything was on social media. It would have just been a constant worry.”

Moreover, social media causes a lot of distractions and can lead to procrastination if not used sufficiently. It also leads to much doubt about oneself and can leave people feeling cautious about the way they present themselves. Grabon agreed that Tiktok and Snapchat have the “biggest impact on our minds.” 

In reality, Grabon said, social media had “initially started to be a benefit to society, but if people don’t do something about it soon, then it will start to go downhill.”

Students believe that social media has hope, and it can be fixed! 8th-grader, Mika Golden, said, “More rules could be put in place to make it a better place.” 

Grabon stated a good point, “Everyone could just limit their time on it. Humans COULD be nicer, but they can’t because they are, well, humans.” 

8th-grader, Leilani Wiggins, said, “More education on the negative effects of social media may be able to help make it a more positive place. Also, more age restrictions should be put in place to categorize the content that is posted.”

We can’t predict what the future of social media will be. If used correctly, social media can be a good thing. However, if we all come together and try hard enough, we all believe that we can make social media a better place!