social media is a double edged sword essay upsc

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Social Media: A Double-Edged Sword

1. introduction.

We live in a world submerged in social media. Even the proud few among us who are unfamiliar with Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter can certainly refer to a time they have heard of or been told about it. Social media has not merely replicated interconnections or accentuated existing relationships. Rather, it has irreversibly changed social relations and even the nature of people's thoughts at work. Social media fundamentally transforms the relationship between individuals and their knowledge. Being permanently connected with those around us, wherever they may be, is transforming human society. Nevertheless, expanding our cognitive system is likely to come with costs, not just benefits. The present chapter will discuss our subsequent research and planning. The overall structure of the chapter will examine in detail how the internet and enhanced technological capabilities in the brain may change the way we act and interact and lead to social side effects through information overload, the formation of the echo chamber, constantly distracted attention, and ethical and privacy considerations at work. Social media creates the possibility to evolve cognitive systems by increasing our potential for knowledge and interaction with others. However, as in nature, extending our cognitive system is likely to come at costs. The ability of the brain to reflect on how we handle new information at work, communicate, and interact with each other and with whom is a large part of what makes us human.

2. The Positive Effects of Social Media

There are many positive impacts that social media has on society. One being that it allows for communication and connections amongst the world - through social media we can talk to people from all over the world, expanding and nurturing our relationships. Social media removes physical and economic barriers and allows us a medium to talk to anyone. Another positive aspect of social media is its uses as a media source. It acts as a great source of news and current events, especially in these times when traditional media is slowly being replaced. This allows us to learn from the world as well as building a community. Individuals look at social media as an aid to teach and learn as well as socialize. Lastly, social media facilitates political change. This is best demonstrated through the peaceful protests conducted by the Egyptian population in Tahrir Square and by the Turkish population in Taksim Square. Its ability to rally people to a cause and draw people to join together for an idea has led to the coining of the term "social media revolution." This shows the importance that social media plays not only in individual lives but in the world at large. These are the kinds of positive outcomes that social media can bring to society. Then, there is another side to the story.

2.1. Enhanced Connectivity and Communication

Increased connectivity and communication: The ability to connect with others is the primary benefit that these services offer, and they have become vital tools for business, politics, and social life. Advances in communications over the past few thousand years have had a tremendous impact on human society, shaping us in many ways. The increasing migration to urban living was driven first by the need for protection, back during the earliest days of our development, and subsequently by the need for centralized resources like specialty-goods craftsmen and food stores, and safety in numbers. Big cities have long gathered together most of the world's most brilliant minds, and wherever such minds gather, money and power follow. With the coming of the Internet, a broader-scale connection between similar minds spanning the entire planet came to fruition, changing both the complexity and timeliness of tasks from shopping to stock trading to social relationships. Society, human, development, specialization, resource, power.

2.2. Empowerment and Activism

From the Arab Spring to the Indignados movement in Spain to Occupy Wall Street in the United States, social media has provided a powerful medium for those who wish to channel their criticism of existing political and economic arrangements into concrete action. Societies historically noted for their political apathy are reinvigorated by digital networks. Citizens living under repressive governments find in social media a platform to criticize and organize in ways previously unimaginable. Witness, for instance, the role of social networks in the organizing of the Tahrir Square protests in Egypt. Similarly, social media is increasingly used where governments – or other entities – instrumentalize the media for their own political needs (as in, at various times, Russia). Social networks challenge this, providing a space for direct, unmediated interaction across society, helping political and digital change concur. Social networking sites aid mobilization by lowering costs and providing anonymity. Even first-world activists can benefit from these possibilities, seeing that they are often reticent and fearful of the potential repercussions of their activities. Social media is seen as a communication tool that transcends distance and builds a virtual meeting place and echo-chamber where people deliver information to a wider international audience even before the traditional (in some cases, state-controlled) media has a chance to flood or manipulate the information circuit. The very immediacy of social networking also acts as a kind of self-regulating quality control, thus dislodging the massive propaganda machine that sits at the heart of totalitarian control, as exemplified during the 2009 protests in Iran, when mass media's central role in shaping the way we understand events was pushed into the background.

3. The Negative Effects of Social Media

The negative effects of social media are real. Parents who compete to upload the cutest kid photos or offer the wittiest or most heartwarming anecdotes about their children are often the same people who use the popularity of their social media posts as a measure of their own self-worth. And while life as parents becomes one competition after the other, the pictures and personal data of the children become part of the cyberspace infrastructure. We are frequently reminded about the dangers associated with personal data in cyberspace, and yet daily dose of social media is so tempting we often forget it could have devastating consequences. Besides leaving the children vulnerable to various types of scams and unwanted ads, we are increasingly worried social media also boosts a sense of insecurity among children, which may later materialize in narcissistic and reduced self-control behavior or develop into eating disorders. The desire to go back to a way of life we previously enjoyed might not be anything new to humanity. No wonder we are generally inclined to make parallels with the past, and compare the present with what we want to know about. Various experts have mentioned human traits from previous ages to point out social media dangers, such as declining reading interest, lack of privacy, disinterest in political matters, decimation of real contact with other people, decreased vigilance, reduced attention span, even less rational thinking. We have good reasons to believe that the internet, mobile phones and social media are shared human experiences, and as such not necessarily determinant factors of any of the said problems. Yet many do believe it contributed to our disliking for having to chat to others in a room, without a suitable filter, by generating continuous discomfort and reduced tolerance to potentially opposing perspectives.

3.1. Cyberbullying and Online Harassment

The growing use of technology has not been without consequences as technology has facilitated cyberbullying and cyber-harassment, complicating the balancing of an individual's right to freedom of expression with the right to privacy, dignity, and personal development under the European Convention on Human Rights. Three states - France, Austria, and Finland - suffered seven successful applications alleging violation of these rights. The most common form of cyberbullying considered by the European Court in these judgments was harassment through fake online social media profiles impersonating the applicant. Such accounts often carry messages or engage in activities disproportionate to the lives and dignity of the individuals they are impersonating. Another form of cyber-harassment at issue in cases against France was the posting of private photographs on dating websites, advertising casual relationships, and encouraging the use of forced sex. This is a phenomenon often referred to as "revenge porn" due to the motives behind the actions. In all cases, the Court underscored the potential toxic impact on the self-perceived identity of the victims. According to the Strasbourg Court, the right to privacy under Article 8 of the ECHR, especially when threatened by anonymity, requires the state to take sufficient protective measures to ensure smooth criminal investigation. This often demonstrates how difficult it can be to seek legal recourse for online victimization in practice when the attractiveness of a worldly welcome is replaced by digital ridicule and social ostracism.

3.2. Mental Health Concerns

Mental health concerns. Hundreds of studies have addressed the relationship between social media use and depression in the last decade. Concerns became a topic of concern after the release of studies that demonstrated an increased rate of depressive symptoms in college student volunteers after they had used Facebook for a two-week period. Since that time, several longitudinal studies have found that greater cumulative social media use over time is associated with greater losses in psychological well-being. A recent study of 9,000 young people aged 14-36 found that heavy users of several social media platforms at an early age experienced a decline in their mental health over the following seven years, while moderate use of social media was not associated with significant psychosocial harm. Additional evidence indicates that the association between heavy social media use and depression is especially high for children with lower physical activity, and greater general internet use was associated with a decrease in well-being, but greater general activity on the internet was not associated with any changes in well-being. Interestingly, using social media platforms that were "seen as fun" was associated with less deterioration in psychological well-being, while using platforms that were "seen as highly functional" was associated with more declines in well-being. The results from another study suggest that it may actually be possible to predict a person's mental health problems from the use of their social media data with some integrity. Overall, the results from these studies suggest that it is the nature of the time that is spent on the internet that weighs on a person's mental health.

4. Balancing the Pros and Cons of Social Media

Given the power of social media and the surging volume of usage by many people worldwide, it is important to be aware of and understand both the positive and negative implications of their use. On one hand, social media is providing an excellent and useful platform for communication; however, it can also generate tensions and conflict among the users. Some may use it as a platform for spreading fake or biased news. Many of the posts show material and business success and may increase the anxiety and sadness of those whose lives do not move as fast or those who experience failure. It may lead to increasing use of drugs and/or alcohol to cope. While platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram can increase their presence and provide alternatives and solutions to reduce the negative impact of social media, persons must be mindful of the excess amount of usage to prevent addiction which may also lead to negative health implications. The entry and close relationships of social media in the business and cultural environments make it essential to examine both aspects in considering the impact of the media on everyday life and personal well-being. As an increasing number of platforms and users are attracted to the advantages created by social media, the attention and study of multiple implications are important. The surge of social media platforms and users and its positive and negative impact has captured the attention of some research for both industry and academia. On one hand, companies are seeking consumer information, opinion formation, and marketing communication useful for platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. On the other side, however, attention to the increasing impact of social media on psychological wellness, addiction, and emotion and anxiety response has piqued the interests of many researchers. Examining the optimal usage of social media to maximize benefits and minimize negative impact from various points of view is the goal of this study, appealing to those who are heavy users of social media networks and platforms. Their heavy usage is recognized as a double-edged sword, with outcomes including possible positive versus negative health implications. Given its increasing importance as a factor in social and health policy formation, the question of optimal use of social media is crucial.

5. Conclusion

In conclusion, culture can greatly affect the ways in which individuals interact with social media. Gender, in particular, can greatly change the ways that individuals use social media. In one study, Jill Walker Rettberg and Revsciecki found that gender was one of the best predictors of communication style and technology, and understanding who influences patterns of usage is telling of how power is distributed in society. Twitter was a place for opinion, for humor, and for sharing. It is interesting to note that there is a difference between feeling and self-deprecating humor, which allows us to analyze one way in which Twitter calls and encourages gender to be a social medium that people feel comfortable using. It was often seen as a competitor to the sighted of its audience. In terms of how powerful people choose to express themselves, in many ways, the greatest use for Twitter liberals has mostly been more phenomenological than conversational. With celebrity, social capital, but with great depth in the senses climate. But it's an impolite person facing great disadvantage. We do not get it, it's or it faces there important dimension. The answers that the prayers of question suggest is that women use Twitter for a great number of centrified purposes. It's time for a limited number of typically male purposes. Because personality allows citizens to exercise power in many different substantial ways. When women began to be among Twitter's earliest and most pre-losses adopters, were they, perhaps, open to hope this time, we can get it right? In conclusion, a person's personality is a filter that we have to understand if we are going to bridge the digital divide. Social media has led to the creation of a new type of society, a virtual society. In this virtual society, there are a number of individuals acting independently as a result of network creativity. The voice of bloggers in the Islamic world and especially in Iran, Myanmar, Syria, Egypt, and Tunisia has been a source of hope in countries where brutal regimes crush opposition by traditional means. It is a place for opinion, for humor, and for sharing. It is interesting to note that there is a difference between feeling and self-deprecating humor, which allows us to analyze one way in which Twitter calls and encourages gender to be a social medium that people feel comfortable using. It was often seen as an alternative to the status quo. It was promoted as a platform that levels the playing field.

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UPSC Issue at a Glance | Social Media, the double-edged sword: 4 Key Questions You Must Know for Prelims and Mains

Social media has become an omnipresent force, permeating every aspect of our lives. here's everything you need to know about social media, from its impact to regulation. take a look..

UPSC Issue at a Glance   is an initiative of   UPSC Essentials  to focus your  prelims and mains exam  preparation on an issue that has been in the news.  Every Thursday , cover a new topic in Q&A format and don’t miss MCQs towards the end of the article. This week’s topic is Social Media .  Let’s get started!

If you missed last week’s UPSC Issue at a Glance | Air Pollution from the Indian Express, read it here.

What is the issue?

On November 28, Australia approved a Bill  to restrict social media for children under the age of 16, termed a “world-first” set of measures . The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024 puts the onus on social media companies to prevent children from accessing their platforms. It says companies can be fined up to $32 million if they fail to do so.

Why is this issue relevant?

Social media has become a daily habit in our lives, especially among young people. Individuals from various age groups use social media platforms for communication and networking, indicating a growing dependency on these platforms. Thus, knowing about the social media and its impact becomes significant. 

Additionally, awareness in the field of information technology is mentioned in the UPSC CSE syllabus, and previously UPSC has asked questions on this topic. This topic is also relevant for essay writing and current affairs, making it important for candidates preparing for their personality tests.

UPSC Syllabus: 

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies-I, III: Effects of globalisation on Indian society, Awareness in the fields of IT.

Question 1:  Why Australia is planning to ban social media for teenagers?

Australia approved a Bill  to restrict social media for children under the age of 16, termed a “world-first” set of measures . The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024 puts the onus on social media companies to prevent children from accessing their platforms. It says companies can be fined up to $32 million if they fail to do so.

Studies say problematic social media use — inability to control usage, experiencing withdrawal and neglecting other activities to use social media — has been on the rise. It has been associated with lower mental well-being, higher levels of substance abuse and less sleep.

Challenge of age verification

One of the biggest challenges in implementing these bans is age verification. While platforms like Instagram currently have age limits, they only ask users for their date of birth without requiring any verification. As a result, many children provide false information to gain access to these platforms.

The South Australian report highlighted age verification methods used by platforms, such as government IDs, credit cards, and facial recognition to identify underage users. However, these practices raise serious privacy concerns due to the sharing of minors’ data with companies.

Question 2: Why social media is a double-edged sword?

In today’s world, social media has emerged as a powerful force, connecting people on local, national, and international levels like never before due to previous technological advancements.  However, it is often referred to as a double-edged sword due to the negative impact it has on multiple fronts. In this context let’s understand the advantages and disadvantages of social media. 

Advantages of Social Media

Social media is reducing social barriers. It connects people on the strength of human values, not identities.- Prime Minister Narendra Modi

1. Advanced Source of Communication: Social networking sites enable individuals and organizations to share and exchange information at a speed unmatched by traditional promotional or educational methods. For companies and organizations, utilizing social networking platforms has become essential for communicating not only with the general public but also with professional communities.

2. Helping in Good Governance:  Social media has transformed the way information is shared among people. As a result, it plays a crucial role in promoting good governance by encouraging citizen participation in decision-making.

Citizens can utilize social media to report issues and communicate with the government, thereby holding it accountable. In turn, governments can use social media to engage directly with citizens, businesses, and experts to gather feedback on service delivery, develop programs, and formulate policies.

3. Medium for facilitating empowerment: One of the advantages of social media is that it has emerged as a powerful tool for empowerment. It provides a platform for voices that have historically been marginalized, allowing vulnerable sections of society to advocate for their rights, share their stories, and build supportive communities. This is particularly evident in the way social media has boosted feminist movements such as #MeToo and #TimesUp.

4. Social media and Democarcy: Social media has reduced the gap between citizens and their elected government and politicians, making democracy more participative.

Abhik Choudhury writes- “For the first time in history, we have an instrument that can question the seemingly invincible governments, make them accountable and bring sustained change driven by people beyond one vote in years.”

Disadvantages of Social Media 

Social media has become an essential tool for staying connected. However, it also has some drawbacks, including the spread of misinformation and its association with higher levels of anxiety and depression. Here are some negative impacts of social media.

1. Issue of Misinformation: Social media’s widespread reach presents a significant opportunity for enhancing access to information, fostering community engagement, and bridging the gap between ordinary citizens and decision-makers. However, the issue of the spread of misinformation has emerged as the biggest disadvantage of social media.

Ruchi Gupta writes- “Social media platforms have adopted design choices that have led to a proliferation and mainstreaming of misinformation while allowing themselves to be weaponised by powerful vested interests for political and commercial benefit.

The consequent free flow of disinformation, hate and targeted intimidation has led to real-world harm and degradation of democracy in India: Mainstreamed anti-minority hate, polarised communities and sowed confusion have made it difficult to establish a shared foundation of truth.”

2. Social media impact on adolescents : The rise of social media has exposed many teenagers worldwide to name-calling, harassment, embarrassment, humiliation, stalking, threats, and even fraud. This has contributed to an increase in mental health issues among teenagers and, in some cases, has led to tragic outcomes.

If a teenager is subjected to any form of online bullying, it can leave a  lasting negative impact, which can stay with the individual for years to come, said Dr Vihan Sanyal Advertisement

Studies have shown that children who spend more than three hours a day on social media are twice as likely to experience mental health issues like depression and anxiety based on images of what they don’t have in their lives.

3.  Issue of Internet Persona: As social beings, we inherently have a need for social acceptance, and social media often becomes a tool for validation. The number of likes one’s posts or images garners becomes a quantitative measure for many, in relation to their looks, and intelligence, and even extends to their worth as a person.

Individuals strive to maintain an ‘internet persona’ which paints a rosy picture of one’s life, using filters to hide parts considered ‘not good enough. Body dysmorphia- It is common among young people and has increased over the past few years. Use of algorithms on these platforms forces people to only watch similar content. It often leads to sense of disappointment among the youth, changes in behavioural patterns, feeling of inferiority and even cyberbullying, resulting in grave mental health challenges and illnesses.

4. Impact on mental health: Using social media in moderation is not necessarily bad. In fact, it can boost serotonin and other feel-good chemicals in the brain, helping to uplift a person’s mood. However, it becomes problematic when usage turns into a habit. As f requent social media use can alter parts of the brain that are related to emotions and learning. This is significant as the human brain develops a sense of identity and self-worth between the ages of 10 and 19.

There is also a correlation  between excessive social media usage and mental disorders like anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, ADHD, paranoia, delusions, suicidal thoughts and self-harm. – Dr Vihan Sanyal, a Psychotherapist. Advertisement

Thus, It is very important for users to keep a check on the amount of time they spend on social media. They need to recognise the signs of social media addiction and to take necessary steps quickly to ensure they do not become addicted to social media.

Question 3: What is the regulatory framework for social media in India?

The government is bringing laws and is taking other steps to make social media platforms more accountable for any slanderous content posted on their platforms.- Ashwini Vaishnaw , IT Minister

The government has taken various initiatives for the effective regulation of social media platforms. Such as,  Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (“IT Rules”).

After extensive consultations with the public and stakeholders, IT rules has been enacted under the authority of section 87(2) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, thereby superseding the previous Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules 2011.

Under it all social media platforms are asked to set up a grievances redressal and compliance mechanism, which included appointing a resident grievance officer, chief compliance officer and a nodal contact person. The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology has also asked these platforms to submit monthly reports on complaints received from users and action taken. A third requirement for instant messaging apps is to make provisions for tracking the first originator of a message.

Failure to comply with any one of these requirements would take away the indemnity provided to social media intermediaries under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

Section 79 of the IT Act, 2000

Section 79 says any intermediary shall not be held legally or otherwise liable for any third party information, data, or communication link made available or hosted on its platform. This protection, the Act says, shall be applicable if the said intermediary does not in any way, initiate the transmission of the message in question, select the receiver of the transmitted message and does not modify any information contained in the transmission.

The protection accorded under Section 79, however, is not granted if the intermediary, despite being informed or notified by the government or its agencies, does not immediately disable access to the material under question. The intermediary must not tamper with any evidence of these messages or content present on its platform, failing which it lose its protection under the Act.

Notably, In April 2023, the amendments granted the government authority to determine what information is considered false. As a result, the government can exercise extensive censorship powers by requiring intermediaries to remove posts that they label as fake or misleading.

Recently, Ashwini Vaishnaw, IT Minister said “With the spread of misinformation and deep fakes, we must take strict and urgent action to ensure that this menace is removed. So we are amending the intermediary rules. We are coming up with provisions where there is a significant responsibility bestowed on the social media platforms so that they can detect deep fakes, they can detect misinformation and take early action.

Question 4: What measures should be taken for better regulation of social Media?

The power of an information tool is only as good as how we use it. It is crucial to tackle the ongoing systemic challenges in regulating social media use. Following measures can be taken for the effective regulation of social media in India:

Law for combating misinformation issue

There is a need for a comprehensive transparency law that mandates relevant disclosures by social media platforms. Additionally, content moderation and related functions such as standard setting, fact-checking, and de-platforming should be incorporated.

Ensuring Accountability for Social Media Platforms

Social media platforms play a significant role in the rapid spread of disinformation. Their design choices have contributed to making disinformation widespread and often indistinguishable from verified information. Therefore, it is the responsibility of these platforms to take action against the distribution of disinformation and its misuse.

Ruchika Gupta writes- “We recommend three approaches to the distribution of content that can be adopted by platforms:

(i) Constrain distribution to organic reach (chronological feed);

(ii) take editorial responsibility for amplified content; or

(iii) amplify only credible sources (irrespective of ideological affiliation).

The current approach to misinformation that relies on fact-checking a small subset of content in a vast ocean of unreviewed content is inadequate for the task and needs to be supplemented by a review of content creators itself.”

Prioritize mental health

We must also prioritize mental health by closely monitoring the incidence of psychiatric disorders, such as depression and anxiety, while identifying both risk factors and sources of resilience. With respect to teenagers, parents should be very mindful when allowing digital access to their children and discuss healthy use with them.

Post Read Questions

(1) In India, it is legally mandatory for which of the following to report on cyber security incidents? (UPSC CSE 2017)

1. Service providers

2. Data centres

3. Body corporate

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(b) 1 and 2 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

2. Consider the following statements:

1. Safe harbour clause is prescribed under Section 79 of the IT Act, 2000.

2. Safe harbour is legal immunity that online intermediaries enjoy against content posted by users on their platforms.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

1. What are social networking sites and what security implications do these sites present? (UPSC CSE 2013)

2. Child cuddling is now being replaced by mobile phones. Discuss its impact on the socialization of children. (UPSC CSE 2023)

3. Social media is triggering ‘Fear of Missing Out’ amongst the youth, precipitating depression and loneliness. (UPSC CSE 2024)

(Source:  How social media overdose impacts teenagers’ mental health , Social media has a serious disinformation problem. But it can be fixed, S ocial media ,  Mental health in India,   What it means to truly empower women through social media  , Why democracy needs social media , Social media and safe harbour )

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Roshni Yadav is currently working as a Deputy Copy Editor with The Indian Express. She is an alumna of the University of Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University, where she pursued her graduation and post-graduation in Political Science. She has over four years of work experience in ed-tech and media. At The Indian Express, she writes for the UPSC section. Her interests lie in national and international affairs, governance, economy, and social issues. You can contact her via email: [email protected] ... Read More

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Social Media as a Double-edged Sword: Better Life and Addiction

• Categories: Social Media

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Words: 1315 |

Published: Feb 9, 2023

Words: 1315 | Pages: 3 | 7 min read

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