Is Social Media Good for Society?

Encyclopaedia Britannica defines social media as “a form of mass media communications on the Internet (such as on websites for social networking and microblogging) through which users share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (such as videos).” Globally, some 64 percent of the population (some 5.24 billion users), and 94 percent of all Internet users, use social media. Seventy-three percent of Americans also use social media. At the beginning of 2026, 84 percent of Americans used YouTube as their preferred social media platform, followed by Facebook (71 percent), Instagram (50), TikTok (27), WhatsApp (32), Reddit (26), Snapchat (25), and X. The more recent platforms Threads (8 percent), Bluesky (4 percent), and Truth Social (3 percent) were utilized by fewer Americans. 339] [340] [346] [349] [354]
As a result, the question of whether or not social media is beneficial to society has been asked in light of the widespread use, if not obsession, of these online platforms. What do you think?
Is the Internet “Stupiding Us”? Investigate the Pro-Con debate. SixDegrees.com and Future Because it allowed users to create personal spaces and connect with friends online, SixDegrees.com, which existed from 1997 to 2001, is regarded as the first social media website. Friendster, created in 2002, popularized social media in the United States but was quickly outpaced by other social media such as MySpace (2003), Facebook (2004), Twitter (now X, 2006), Pinterest (2009), and Google+ (2012).
Facebook reached one billion monthly users worldwide on October 4, 2012, making it the most popular social media platform with one in seven people on the planet as members. 71 percent of online adults in the United States used Facebook, causing the tech company to manage 4.5 billion “Likes,” 4.75 billion content shares, and over 300 million photo uploads. As of September 2014, 51% of adults in the United States used YouTube, 28% used Pinterest, 28% used LinkedIn, 26% used Instagram, and 23% used Twitter. Over 500 million tweets are sent each day, and Twitter had 288 million active users per month. Among online adults, use of more than one social media platform increased from 42 percent in 2013 to 52 percent in 2014. [26] [142] [174] [175] [176] [177] [178]
Early User and Advertiser Demographics and Growth
As the sites became increasingly popular, the user base expanded from teenagers and young adults to include more people over the age of 50. Although Facebook started out as a site for college students in 2004 and only allowed users with.edu e-mail addresses to log in, it quickly gained users of all ages when it opened registration to anyone over the age of 13 in September 2006. By 2025, about 21% of Facebook users were between the ages of 18 and 24, 31% were between the ages of 25 and 34, 20% were between the ages of 35 and 44, 12% were between the ages of 45 and 54, 8% were between the ages of 55 and 64, and 6% were 65 or older; that is, more than half of Facebook users were between the ages of 18 and 34. [26] [147] [179] [180] [181] [343] [344]
Advertising is the largest source of revenue for social media. According to Statista.com, social media advertising is expected to cost $276.72 billion in 2025, with 83% of that amount going to mobile device ads by 2030. A recent Harvard study found that a significant portion of this advertising targets young users. “collectively derived nearly $11 billion in advertising revenue from U.S.-based users younger than 18 in 2022,” according to six platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X, and YouTube). [149] [150] [345]
Social Media & Politics
The political landscape has also been significantly influenced by social media. More than a quarter of U.S. voters younger than 30 (including 37 percent of those 18-24 years old) reported that they obtained information about the 2008 presidential campaign from social media. On the day before the US presidential election on November 3, 2008, Democratic candidate Barack Obama had 2,379,102 more Facebook supporters than Republican candidate John McCain, who had 620,359 supporters. [151] [152]
The White House made the announcement on June 12, 2009, via the White House Blog, that it would join Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and Flickr to “create… unprecedented opportunity to connect you to your government in order to obtain information and services and to participate in policymaking.” [153]
The administration’s efforts to respond to President Obama’s request to “reform our government so that it is more efficient, more transparent, and more creative” included joining social media platforms. On Sept. 16, 2009, the Washington Times broke a story that the White House had begun collecting and storing comments and videos posted on social media, bringing invasion of privacy criticism. Defenders stated that the White House was simply complying with the Presidential Records Act, which requires the preservation of all presidential records. [154] [155]
Dick Costolo, CEO of Twitter, referred to the 2012 election as the “Twitter election.” Facebook and Twitter accounts were used by all of the major candidates for president in 2012. Mitt Romney and Barack Obama both had MySpace profiles, and Obama also has a Pinterest profile. The 2012 presidential election set the record at the time for most-tweeted event with more than 327,000 tweets per minute being sent when Barack Obama was announced the winner. The image of him and his wife that Obama posted upon his reelection with “Four more years” became the most re-tweeted tweet with over 816,883 re-tweets as of Nov. 19, 2012 (breaking Justin Beiber’s record of over 200,000 re-tweets). [156] [158] [159]
The protests in Tunisia, which spawned the Arab Spring, were fueled and organized by social media as were protests in Egypt and Iran. The governments of those countries censored and attempted to shut down the social media sites. In response to the censorship, Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State, said, “The United States believes passionately and strongly in the basic principle of free expression…. And it is the case that one of the means of expression, the use of Twitter is a very important one, not only to the Iranian people but now increasingly to people around the world, and most particularly to young people.” [160] [161] [162]
The growth of social media sites has occasionally outpaced the development of usage guidelines, laws, and etiquette. For instance, in February, 2009 Congressman Peter Hoekstra (R-MI) tweeted his whereabouts as he traversed war zones in Iraq, which gave rise to security concerns about the use of social media to post real-time locations. [163]
An Aug. 23, 2018, study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that Russian trolls, bots, and content polluters influenced the 2016 US presidential election and used Twitter to stoke both sides of the debate over vaccines to promote “political discord.” The study, “Weaponized Health Communication: Twitter Bots and Russian Trolls Amplify the Vaccine Debate,” examined almost 1.8 million tweets about vaccines and found that, while some came from malware or spam accounts, more were sent from identified Russian troll accounts, including many from the Internet Research Agency, a Kremlin-linked propaganda group. [289]
With 142 tweets and retweets on Twitter on January 1, President Donald Trump, who started his account in March 2009 and uses Twitter frequently, set a new presidential record. 22, 2020. [289]
Social media continued to play a role in the 2020 presidential election as a major method of communication for and about the candidates. In October 2019, Donald Trump had 181 million interactions (defined as likes, comments, and shares) compared to 58 million for all 17 Democrats in the race. Trump’s social media interactions were significantly higher than those of his rivals. In 2022, Trump founded his own social media app, Truth Social, using it as a base for his presidential reelection bid in 2024.[ 292] [350]
Privacy, safety, and security concerns about the China-owned TikTok—the most popular social media app in the world—came to a head in the United States in 2025. The “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” was signed by President Joe Biden on April 24, 2024, in response to growing suspicions that the app was spying on users for the Chinese government and misinformation about the app. Dubbed the “TikTok bill” and “sale-or-ban act,” the legislation gave TikTok’s Chinese owners 270 days to sell the app. On the morning of January 19, 2025, TikTok was officially shut down in the United States because that didn’t happen. TikTok reopened in the United States after Donald Trump extended the sell-or-ban deadline upon taking office the following day for his second term. The supporters of TikTok argued that the app was no more of a threat than American-owned social media platforms. For more on this debate, see ProCon’s feature, “Should TikTok Be Banned?”[ 347]
Social Media & the Law
In August 2009, registered sex offenders were prohibited from using social media in Illinois. Contrary to popular perception, a Dec. 31st of August, 2008, the United States received the Internet Safety Technical Task Force report. State Attorneys General found that adults lying about their ages to initiate relationships with minors were actually a rare occurrence, with only 9 percent of online sexual predators being adults over the age of 21. 43 percent of online sexual predators were identified as minors, and 30 percent were adults between the ages of 18 and 21, who were closer in age to their victims.. [165] [166]
On May 2, 2012, Maryland became the first state to pass a law preventing employers from requesting social media user names or passwords from current or potential employees. Governor Jerry Brown of California announced via Twitter on Sept. 27, 2012, that he signed two bills into law to prohibit employers and universities from demanding passwords. Other states have followed suit and have passed social media protection laws or have laws pending. [167] [168] [169] [170] [171]
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was called to appear before a panel of Senate committees in Apr. 2018 to address how the social media company mishandled user data, which were used by a consulting firm to create targeted political advertisements during the 2016 presidential election. He stated in prepared testimony, “We were too slow to spot and respond to Russian interference, and we’re working hard to get better…. We didn’t take a broad enough view of our responsibility, and that was a big mistake. I’m sorry, it was my mistake.” Lawmakers indicated that they might enact privacy rules and regulations in the wake of the recent scandals. [284] [285]
On May 26, 2020, Twitter labeled two of President Donald Trump’s tweets with “! Learn all you can about mail-in ballots. On May 28, 2020, Trump issued an executive order in response to the labels. This order prohibits federal agencies from advertising on platforms where alleged violations have been reported and requires federal agencies to examine the conduct and potential biases of social media companies. [293] [294] [295] [296]
Social Media during COVID-19
According to Flixed, a website that provides “cord cutting” tools for people who want to ditch their cable boxes, Americans consumed approximately 53 minutes of news per day during the COVID-19 (coronavirus pandemic) in 2020. That was an increase of 22 minutes. 35.8% of those polled reported that they got their news about the coronavirus primarily from Facebook, followed by Twitter (17.0%) and YouTube (16.3%). People who turned to Reddit as their primary social media news source about the pandemic were most likely to report a decline in their mental health (57.6 percent), followed by Twitter (43 percent), then Facebook (41.6 percent). [291]
A May 2021 NBC News poll found 64 percent of Americans believed social media “does more harm than good,” while 27 percent believed the platforms united Americans. [298]
As more platforms become available, social media usage only continues to rise. A Common Sense Media report in 2022 found that 84% of teens used social media, but only 34% said they enjoyed it “a lot.” Tweens, a demographic that is supposedly forbidden from using social media, also showed an increase in their use. [299]
Minimum Age Laws
Digital media Social mediaA teen engrossed in her phone.
On March 23, 2023, Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed a bill that will require anyone under 18 to acquire parental consent to join social media platforms in Utah as of March 1, 2024. The new law also required social media companies to implement curfews for minors, blocking anyone under 18 from using the platforms between 10:30 PM and 6:30 AM. The law also required social media platforms to remove all ads from the accounts of minors and allow parents access to the accounts. As social media platforms learned how to implement the changes and the government learned how to enforce the law, Utah’s law became something of a guinea pig. Similar laws were under consideration in other states. [330] [331]
On Apr. 12, 2023, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee signed the Social Media Safety Act. Social media platforms were required by law to verify the ages of all new users and require minors to obtain parental consent before creating accounts. [332]
Australia’s ban on all social media for individuals under the age of 16 will take effect on December 10, 2025, making it possibly the most expansive age restriction law to date. That morning, children and teens under the age of 16 discovered that many, if not all, of their social media accounts had been disabled. Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, X, and YouTube are the platforms that are now legally required to take “reasonable steps” to disable the accounts of young users or face fines of up to approximately $33 million (in US dollars). 353]
Digital Dangers
In a June 17, 2024, New York Times opinion piece, Vivek H. Murthy, United States Surgeon General, called for a Surgeon General’s warning label on social media. [333]
“It is time,” he argued, “to require a surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms, stating that social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents. A surgeon general’s warning label, which requires congressional action, would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe. Evidence from tobacco studies show that warning labels can increase awareness and change behavior.” [333]
The warning label now standard on cigarette packages was introduced in 1965 and heralded a 50-year decrease in smoking among Americans. [334]
Some users have begun to completely eliminate all digital devices for a predetermined period of time because they are aware of the negative effects that technology and social media are having on their lives. Known by various names—“Digital Detox,” “Screenless Saturdays,” and “Digital Sabbath” (named for the religious day of the week devoted to rest and spiritual reflection)—this intentional break from technology and social media is intended to lower stress, improve sleep, increase real-life socializing, and foster more outdoor activities.[ 352]
So, is social media good for society? Examine the discussion below. Pros and Cons at a Glance
Pros and Cons Pro 1: Social media promotes community, security, and safety, both online and off. Learn more. Con 1: Digital addiction, cyberbullying, and mental health issues are exacerbated by social media. Read More.
Second benefit: Social media inspires civic and political leadership. Read More. Con 2: Social media encourages the spread of misinformation and dangerous fads, some of them lethal. Find out more. Third benefit: Diversity and inclusivity are bolstered both online and offline by social media. Read More. Con 3: Online privacy concerns rise as a result of social media. Find out more. Pro Arguments (Go to Con Arguments)
First, social media fosters a sense of community, safety, and security both online and offline. Through social media, people can have friends with similar interests in multiple cities, states, and countries. Closer to home, social media can help people find each other in a busy world, from mom groups and soccer leagues to book clubs and hobby groups. Social media also serves a vital community function, from publicizing civic events and public safety concerns to locating lost pets and ranking and recommending local businesses and services.
“The majority of young people will assert that networked games and social media are a lifeline to supportive relationships with friends and loved ones. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when schools and sports were closed, this was crucial. Social media can also be a way for young people to connect with others with shared interests and identities, which can be a lifeline for youth,” explains computer science professor Mizuko Ito. [300]
As media professor Keith Hampton adds, while social media is not a substitute for in-person contact, “Relationships that might previously have gone dormant now persist over time [online]. As such, social media users tend to report that they have access to more social support and have lower psychological distress.”[ 300]
Studies have shown that not only does social media participation not completely obliterate in-person friendships as once feared, but that online relationships are a key supplement that add to one’s well-being. People are able to share more of their lives with friends and family and may receive crucial support from groups they do not have in offline life. [301] [302]
Due to social media, 88% of adolescents reported feeling more connected to friends, 67% reported feeling supported, and 58% reported feeling more accepted. [303]
Traditional barriers to friendships are reduced or completely removed for adults who are no longer in school or do not have a pool of coworkers, particularly when working from home. Shy, introverted, or socially reticent people can use social media to reach out to potential friends with lowered barriers and risks. Further, people with medical ailments can find and benefit greatly from online support communities. [304] [338]
Additionally, social media can promote workplace and school communities. The platforms allow students and parents to connect to each other as well as teachers and other school staff outside of school hours to establish relationships as well as connect with outside community members and experts for internships, interviews, and other opportunities. For work, employees can connect with remote coworkers and other companies for what used to be “water cooler chats,” as well as for global project collaboration, advice, and career networking. [305]
There are even apps with social networking features designed to promote community safety and a greater sense of security. Assorted emergency apps allow for the sharing of information, photos, and livestream video with 911 dispatchers. There iss even an app for street vendors who work late at night and routinely face harassment and bullying from irate and inebriated customers; they can push a distress button on the app that sends out a signal for community help to every user of the app within a five-mile radius.[ 343] [342]
Pro 2: Social media encourages civic and political responsibility.
“Many of today’s youth take to digital spaces to develop their civic identities and express political stances in creative ways, claiming agency that may not be afforded to them in traditional civic spaces. The key difference between civic engagement by youth today and older, more traditional forms of action is the availability of digital technology, which provides a low-barrier-to-entry canvas for young people to create content that is potentially vastly scalable,” according to a 2020 UNICEF report. [306]
Social media creates a more equitable point of entry and space for continued civic and political activity than traditional spaces. This easy access “contributes to a sense of socio-political empowerment,” which, in turn, makes young people more likely to participate in offline political activities, including voting. [306]
As Carla, a young self-identified Latina explained, “I feel like it’s my duty, that I come from a heritage of people that don’t have a voice, don’t have the opportunity to say something … it’s my duty to be like ‘this is wrong.’ Also, let’s hope that makes someone else think, “Oh, she’s right” or “Oh, he’s right.” And I want to be a part of that, so that’s why I do it. We’re a generation where we have a voice.” [307]
Meanwhile, many young people are taking responsibility to properly vet information they share. Jeremy remarked, “I found myself becoming much more active [during an election] to some degree, in terms of reposting different pieces of information that I try to vet as much as possible… I found myself once or twice having to delete stories because the information ended up being incorrect, and I felt like it was my obligation to immediately take it down.” During the election, Jeremy was a candidate. [307]
Social media allows for political activists to fundraise, partner with influencers to boost the message, promote events including marches, share stories, and spread awareness of their chosen issue(s). For instance, the Arab Spring, Black Lives Matter, #LoveWins, #MeToo, and Occupy Wall Street were all fueled by use of social media. [308]
Presidents Obama and Trump both used social media to an unprecedented degree to communicate with both US citizens and people abroad. “Social media not only enables the politicians to directly communicate with the citizens but also encourages political participation of citizens in the form of feedback via comments on social networking sites,” according to researchers. [309]
Pro 3: Social media bolsters inclusivity and diversity, both online and off.
Social media brings everyone together into one online space. With tools including hashtags and groups, people from diverse backgrounds who have similar identities, interests, or goals can find each other easily. Social media sites, for instance, “offer critical opportunities for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and other sexual and/or gender minority (LGBTQ+) youth to enhance well-being through exploring their identities, accessing resources, and connecting with peers.” [310]
In a similar vein, individuals are free to explore people, cultures, and concepts that they are unfamiliar with without fear of being judged by their offline communities. Pew Research Center found that in a “survey of adults in 11 nations across four global regions … in many key respects, smartphone users – and especially those who use social media – are more regularly exposed to people who have different backgrounds.” [311]
For instance, compared to Lebanese people who do not use social media, social media users in Lebanon are 76% more likely to interact with members of various religious groups, 58% more likely to interact with members of various races and ethnic groups, 68% more likely to interact with members of various political parties, and 81% more likely to interact with members of different income levels. [311]
Furthermore, many companies have extended their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies to online spaces, allowing not only employees but also diverse customers, clients, and others to be included equitably. “Bilingual social media content has emerged as a tool used to increase diversity and minority group rights,” for instance. Organizations like Tide Pods by Unilever have used social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat to post bilingual images that support diverse communities. Nonprofits are currently producing bilingual content across the globe to increase equality further internationally. Bilingual social media content is now becoming a marketing tool for organizations to learn about other cultures worldwide. It can help them connect with their followers by using images that promote acceptance and understanding of cultural diversity,” according to Maria Ochoa, founder and CEO of Emprender Creative. [312]
Creating a diverse online space can translate into a diverse work environment as employees and customers of diverse backgrounds feel included and, in turn, interact better with the company. [312]
Con Arguments (Go to Pro Arguments)
Con 1: Social media spurs digital addiction, cyberbullying, and mental health issues.
Digital addiction is “a harmful dependence on digital media and devices.” Social media has been shown to act like gambling or recreational drugs: “the constant stream of retweets, likes, and shares from these sites cause the brain’s reward area to trigger the same kind of chemical reaction seen with drugs like cocaine,” according to the Addiction Center. [335] [336]
In fact, the U.S. Surgeon General, Vivek H. Recognizing that social media is just as addictive as cigarettes, Murthy asked Congress to pass legislation to “shield young people from online harassment, abuse, and exploitation, as well as from exposure to extreme violence and sexual content that too often appears in algorithm-driven feeds.” He also called for a warning label to be placed on the platforms. [337]
Pew Research Center found 59 percent of American teens had been bullied online, including offensive name-calling (42 percent), false rumors (32 percent), unsolicited receipt of explicit images (25 percent), “someone other than a parent constantly ask where they are, who they’re with or what they’re doing” (21 percent), physical threats (18 percent), and non-consensual sharing of explicit images of the teen (7 percent). [315]
However, not only teens engage in cyberbullying or experience the effects. Cyberbullying, specifically racist attacks, affect children as young as ten worldwide. In addition, 75% of adults who have been cyberbullied indicated that the harassment occurred on social media, and 41% of adult Americans reported being harassed online, ranging from offensive name-calling to stalking. [314] [316]
The harms carry over into offline life. Digital addiction can lead to anxiety, depression, mood swings, and a lack of interest in the real world, while cyberbullied victims were more than twice as likely to “self-harm and enact suicidal behavior” than non-victims and are subject to mental, emotional, and physical harms. Victims of cyberbullying and digital addicts may be less productive or skip school and work. To deal with the stress, some may turn to alcohol and drugs. [317] [318] [335] [336]
Digital addiction and cyberbullying can also have large-scale global implications. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, among others, was accused by Amnesty International of facilitating the Rohingya massacres in Myanmar. The organization stated: “The mass dissemination of messages that advocated hatred, inciting violence, and discrimination against the Rohingya, as well as other dehumanizing and discriminatory anti-Rohingya content, poured fuel on the fire of long-standing discrimination and substantially increased the risk of an outbreak of mass violence.” [319]
Con 2: Social media encourages the spread of misinformation and dangerous fads, some of them lethal.
Users of social media frequently congregate in echo chambers where similarities greatly outweigh differences. Users may share biases, political affiliations, gender, race, sexual orientation, income, employment status, or any number of other demographic identifiers. [318]
Echo chambers allow misinformation to flourish because users are less likely to fact-check a post by someone with whom they identify and want to agree. Someone is more likely to fact-check and stop the spread of false information outside of an echo chamber. In addition, extreme misinformation is more likely to go viral in an echo chamber in order to encourage social media participation from the echo chamber’s participants. [318]
Social media platforms exploit and manipulate the impulse for like-minded people to gather by programming algorithms to show more information of the same vein and by not controlling the bots and trolls that spread misinformation. [319]
“Human biases play an important role: Since we’re more likely to react to content that taps into our existing grievances and beliefs, inflammatory tweets will generate quick engagement. It’s only after that engagement happens that the technical side kicks in: If a tweet is retweeted, favorited, or replied to by enough of its first viewers, the newsfeed algorithm will show it to more users, at which point it will tap into the biases of those users too—prompting even more engagement, and so on. Chris Meserole, Director of Research for the Brookings Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative, provided the following explanation: “At its worst, this cycle can turn social media into a kind of confirmation bias machine, one that is perfectly tailored for the spread of misinformation.” [322]
“[d]isaster, health, and politics emerged as the three domains where misinformation [on social media] can cause severe harm, often leading to casualties or even irreversible effects,” according to a study that was conducted in 2022. [For example,] misinformation in these areas has higher potential to exacerbate the existing crisis in society.” [321]
Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, noted about the COVID-19 pandemic: “We are not just fighting an epidemic; we are fighting an infodemic,” referring to the misinformation populating social media feeds about the virus. The same might be said about any number of topics populating social media feeds. [321] [322]
TikTok, the most downloaded social media app, is often at the center of these controversies. The site is notorious for fostering dangerous and deadly fads, such as the “Tide Pod challenge,” in which users (most of them kids) were encouraged to bite down on a laundry detergent packet, which led to the consumption of toxic chemicals that seriously burn the mouth, esophagus, and respiratory tract; the “Borg challenge,” which called for mixing alcohol with caffeine, electrolytes, and water; the “Blackout challenge,” which dared kids to choke each other to the point of unconsciousness; the “Beezin’ challenge,” which asked kids to put menthol or peppermint lip balm on their eyelids under the mistaken impression that doing so would increase their alcohol or drug “buzz,” though the act could also cause blindness; and the “Coronavirus challenge,” in which users were instructed to lick public toilet seats and subway hand grips to see who could be the first to contract COVID, if not other communicable diseases.[ 347]
Two teenagers from Pennsylvania were arrested in September 2025 for driving their cars in a TikTok- and social media-popularized stunt that resulted in one teen dying and the other suffering from “catastrophic head injuries that will be permanent in nature.” The kids were “car and table surfing” (surfing on the trunk of the car or on a table placed on the car).[ 351]
Equally disturbing, an increasing number of kids are turning to “Dr. TikTok,” and social media in general, for medical guidance and their mental health. Yet, a lot of the medical information on social media is wrong if not dangerous. A 2025 study, for example, found that more than 50% of the information on TikTok about ADHD was inaccurate. Said one journalist, “While TikTok has democratized mental health discussions, it’s no substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.”[ 348]
Con 3: Social media increases privacy risks across the Internet.
Phishing, data mining, malware sharing, and botnet attacks are just a few of the privacy threats that exist on social media. [325]
Only 49 percent of Americans had confidence that social media companies could protect their private information, the least amount of faith afforded the organizations and businesses that collect private data including the federal government, cell phone service providers, and retailers. [326]
Moreover, while 74 percent indicated that control over shared private information was “very important,” only 9 percent felt they had “a lot of control” over the information. [326]
As the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) has argued, “​​the extraordinary growth of social media has given platforms extraordinary access and influence into the lives of users. Social networking companies harvest sensitive data about individuals’ activities, interests, personal characteristics, political views, purchasing habits, and online behaviors. In many cases this data is used to algorithmically drive user engagement and to sell behavioral advertising—often with distortive and discriminatory impacts.” [327]
Further, as EPIC noted, “tracking and behavioral advertising by social media companies is not limited to the platforms themselves. Facebook and other companies use hard-to-detect tracking methods to track people across a variety of apps, websites, and devices. Consequently, even individuals who opt out of social media platforms knowingly are affected by their advertising and data collection practices. [327]
As a result, “location information, health information, religious identity, sexual orientation, facial recognition imagery, private messages, personal photos, and more” are among the data that social media compromises across the Internet. Much of that information can be used for identity theft, in-person robbery, and any number of other crimes. And, as noted above in the argument about cyberbullying, the release of such information could also result in stalking, outing LGBTQ+ people, and religious intolerance online. The information could also be used to influence opinions and spread misinformation among vulnerable people. [327] [328]
Additionally, information gathered from social media can be used by insurers to deny health coverage or home insurance, businesses to deny employment, and others to make decisions contrary to users’ best interests. [329]
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Overall, is social media good for society? Why or why not?
What kinds of regulations could be imposed on social media to improve it? Give some examples. Think of your own experiences. How has social media benefited or harmed you? And have the benefits of social media outweighed any harm it may have caused you?
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Analyze the social good achieved by social media with Forbes.
Consider the “good, bad, and ugly” of social media with social worker Frances Dalomba.
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