Social media is used in everyday life in modern society. With the average person spending at least two to three hours a day on social media, and more than half the population using social media platforms. It can’t be overstated that our social media platforms have altered our lives as we know them. From giving us a way to come together and stay connected with people around the world, to giving us a way to express ourselves, social media has changed the way we initiate, build, and maintain our relationships. But with these digital communities in our daily lives, researchers are only beginning to learn how social media will affect future generations. Social media models are changing every day with major platforms like Tiktok and Instagram, which are involved in social spaces to advertising spaces. A critical responsibility falls on marketers to spread messages that inform, rather than contribute to the sea of misinformation that thrives on social media.

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Social Media’s impact on society:

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Mental Health

Social media can have negative impacts on mental health. Experts are weighing in on the role that the algorithms and design of social platforms play in exacerbating these concerns. Aza Raskin, Co-founder of the Center for Human Technology, Said in (SXSW 2019), talks about the “digital loneliness epidemic,” which is the rise of depression and loneliness as it relates to social media use. Raskin spoke about the “infinite scroll”. The design enables users to continuously scroll through their feeds without considering to keep scrolling, no one knows what the bottom of the Tiktok feed looks like, and that is intentional. The knowledge that mental health concerns are undeniably linked to social media use, the problem people are faced with now is when a good design becomes an inhuman design.

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Although Raskin’s term for social media now can be renamed “digital loneliness pandemic” as the world faces loneliness due to the global pandemic of COVID-19 outbreak. “In 2020, the ad council released a study on exploring factors that cause loneliness, and what can be done to stop it.” (2021 Ad Council.) The study had found that social isolation was only one factor, but 73%  of people maintain relationships via social media. So it can be said that social media can be used to connect people’s feelings, but also make them isolated. We ask ourself how we can make the social media platforms more safe as  young adults using it more and more to cope with self isolation. In May 2020, the ad council’s iconic Seize the Awkward campaign launched new creative highlighting ways young people could use digital communications tools to stay in contact and still be able to check in on others’ mental health while maintaining physical distance.

Extremism & Hate​

Another trend on experts’ minds is how the algorithms behind these massively influential social media platforms may contribute to the rise of extremism and online radicalization.

Major social networking sites have faced criticism over how their advanced algorithms can lead users to increasingly fringe content. These platforms are central to discussions around online extremism, as social forums have become spaces for extreme communities to form and build influence digitally. However, these platforms are responding to concerns and troubleshooting functionalities that have the potential to result in dangerous outcomes. Meta, for example, announced test prompts to provide anti-extremism resources and support for users it believes have been exposed to extremist content on their feeds.

Digital Activism

Beyond serving as an educational resource, social media has been the space for digital activism across a myriad of social justice issues. Movements like #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter have gone viral thanks to the power of social media. What starts as a simple hashtag has resulted in real change, from passing sexual harassment legislation in response to #MeToo to pushing for criminal justice reform because of BLM activists. In these cases, social media empowered like-minded people to organize around a specific cause in a way not possible before.

It’s impossible to separate the role of social media from the scalable impact that these movements have had on society. #MeToo and BLM are just two examples of movements that have sparked national attention due in large part to conversations that began on social media.

So, What Does This Mean For Marketers

Social media is a great equalizer that allows for large-scale discourse and an endless, unfiltered stream of content. Looking beyond the repercussions for a generation born on social media, these platforms remain an essential way for marketers to reach their audiences.

Whether you argue there are more benefits or disadvantages to a world run on social media, we can all agree that social media has fundamentally shifted how society communicates. With every scroll, view, like, comment, and share, we’re taught something new about the impact of social media on the way we think and see the world.

But until we find a way to hold platforms more accountable for the global consequences of social media use, it’s up to marketers to use these digital resources as engines of progressive messaging. We can’t control the adverse effects of the Internet, but as marketers, we can do our part in ensuring that the right messages are being spread and that social media remains a force for social good.