Question presented: How can social media hurt and help your professional reputation, ability to succeed and mental health?

The development of digital technology which has grown more important in the ordinary activities of the world’s people has resulted in the establishment of what is now known as the knowledge society. However, the growth, cause, and effects of technology on the Online platform led to the implementation of changes in the community and how knowledge is received, which led to the creation of the Net Society concept, which is still under progress. Social media is a critical component of this phenomenon, and its usage may affect the reputation of businesses and their effects on society.  As a result of this expansion, social networks have become one of the most often utilized tools by companies, primarily because they are the quickest and most convenient link devices. These networks make it easier to identify user profiles by exposing information like what they prefer and don’t like their hobbies, pictures, remarks, and circles of friends; in other words, anything that they believe is essential to share with the rest of the world on the internet. (Jansson, 2013). I intend to provide information on the effect of social networking sites on one’s reputation and career, capacity to achieve, and the impact of information technology on one’s mental health in this paper.

To begin with, the idea of reputation is a construct that evolves in tandem with society and the operation of organizations, and maintaining their reputations poses significant difficulties to those who pursue them. Recently, there’s been a shift that has altered our understanding of the notion of reputation. This change is a digital revolution, and the extent to which it has progressed is mirrored in the social context. People had a particular ethical and moral code before this technological breakthrough, but this revolution has caused them to alter their ways of thinking and do. Some additional writers have somewhat different viewpoints but who, in the end, adhere to the fundamental idea. The outcome of a series of public choices that improve (or deteriorate) over time, and which is recognized collectively by the many community members is reputation (shareholders, customers, suppliers, employees, and vice versa). Because of this, reputation is built not just on historical behavior but also on a company’s capacity to fulfill its customers’ aspirations and generate future profitability and stakeholders. Businesses face enormous risks daily, and the obstacle is to handle the reputation of the company – which varies depending on the setting – even though rumors and speculation that circulate among the public can conveniently devastate it, i.e., there seem to be negative critiques that have a very powerful and rapid capacity to eliminate the reputations of businesses. (Alturas, 2016)

The impact of digital on long-term schooling is becoming an increasingly important and motivating element. The world is changing into a global village, and the use of technology has made it a narrower globe, as shown by social networking sites and how it is altering educational practices. It is becoming increasingly apparent that social media platforms and their implementations provide enormous benefits to university students while also posing significant risks. The effects of social media sites and their technologies on students’ mental and emotional adaptation or learning behavior patterns are not well comprehended. According to the findings, the negative effects of social media, like sadness, stress, anxiety, and other health complications, that were investigated in this research impact the student populations. Students chose to use social media for various reasons, including raising awareness, decreasing stress, learning valuable information, and meeting new people. On the other hand, many students spend inordinate energy on social media networking, resulting in significant lost time. Due to the increased dependence on online technology, some corrupt institutions have offered fake degrees via online education, and students have fallen prey to their deception. Some students even utilize online lingo while doing assignments and writing examinations and papers. It suggests that the internet and other digital networks have eroded the boundaries among formal and casual writing. (Abbas et al. 2019).

Ongoing debates on the positive and negative effects of digital networking on mental health are now taking place. Maintaining our mental health requires us to engage in social networking activities. Both the quality and quantity of social connections affect behavior change, mental health, physical wellbeing, and risk of mortality, as well as the likelihood of developing these conditions. The Displaced Behavior Theory may explain why there is a link between social media and mental health. As a result of their increased sedentary habits, like social media usage, individuals who engage more in face-to-face social contact have a lower risk of developing mental illnesses. On the other side, sociological theories have discovered that social media usage has a negative impact on mental health by changing the way individuals perceive, manage, and engage with their social media networks. In recent years, several pieces of research have been carried out on the effects of social networking sites. It has been suggested that the extended utilization of social media sites like Facebook may be associated with negative depressive symptoms, anxiety, and pressure. According to this research, time spent, physical activity, and social media addiction were the most significant indicators for stress and sadness. Stress is one of the most common mental health issues that people face nowadays. People expressed interest in and remarked on the pictures and videos that they had posted. Everyone in today’s world is impervious to the effects of social media. Some teenagers feel depressed from social networking sites due to a fear of losing their friends, which leads them to attempt to reply to and check all their friends’ comments frequently, which is unhealthy. Moreover, social media may put a great deal of pressure on people to conform to the stereotypes others expect to see while simultaneously trying to be as popular as their peers. Anxiety is one of the unexpected consequences of excessive social media usage, and it is one of the most serious. Detailing the situation, depression is restricted not just to Facebook but to other social networks, resulting in psychological complications. According to recent research, being active on social media, play games, send messages, use mobile phones and other electronic devices are more vulnerable to stress. (Karim, 2020)

Social media offers a variety of advantages, but it also has certain drawbacks that may have a negative impact on people’s lives. Misleading information can end in disappointment in the development industry, while incorrect promotion will affect the productivity of an organization. Social media can handle the wider population by targeting individuals’ safety, while some pointless channels can impact adolescents who can end up savage and engage in a few incorrect activities. Young individuals may benefit from using social media sites to help them become more socially competent. Social media is a kind of data communication that takes place on the internet. Interactions may occur on social media platforms, and information can be shared, and online content can be created. Video-sharing sites, blogs, microblogs, wikis, microblogs, social media platforms, photo-sharing platforms, messaging services, podcasting, widgets, virtual reality, and other social media are just a few examples of the many types of social media. Billions of individuals use social networks all over the globe to exchange information and establish relationships with one another. On a personal level, social media platforms enable us to connect with our friends and family while also learning new things, developing our hobbies, and being amused. Using social media to create or extend our knowledge in a specific area and to create our business reputation by interacting with other specialists in our industry are two examples of how we may utilize social media on a professional level. Social media enables us to engage in a dialogue with our target audience, solicit consumer feedback, and raise our brand’s visibility at the financial status. Social networking sites are a ground-breaking concept that offers tremendous potential for growth and development and extra room for improvement. With the development of social media, many companies are using this medium to improve their business operations. We can promote or interact more effectively with the help of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Similarly, individuals no longer need to depend on the news media or television to receive their daily information dosage; they can get it all from a social media platform. Anyone in the globe may monitor or gain knowledge from anywhere in the world. (W.Akram, 2017).

In a nutshell, several social media features involve its technical support to academic institutions and a variety of sectors, including healthcare, commerce, travel, and community organizations, among others. The exchanging of views with others, the raising of consciousness, the information sharing, the creation of connections, identities, reputations, contacts, the improvement of social impact, and the improvement of other effective communication are positive qualities. In every part of the globe, social media is becoming more popular, and a growing number of teenagers, student groups, and other groups are accessing social media websites to connect with colleagues, family, and strangers. Technological developments have amounted to the technical improvement of learning and social encounters, information exchange, and the receipt of alerts through social networking sites. The use of social media apps is helpful in various settings, including academic institutions, health technology, and commercial companies. Individuals, social groups, and other organizations have created, shared, and consumed information substantially differently in the past decade due to the widespread use of social media. Consequently, students may be unable to interact and interact successfully in person, even though it is well recognized that good interaction skills are essential for success. Furthermore, excessive social media usage has a negative impact on the mental and physical health of individuals.

References

Abbas, J. (2019). The Impact of Social Media on Learning Behavior for Sustainable Education. Sustainability, 11.

Alturas, B. (2016). Consumers using Social Media: Impact on Companies’ Reputation. In Radical Marketing, Academy of Marketing Annual Conference Proceedings. Newcastle: Northumbria University.

Jansson, A. (2013). Social media: implications for everyday life, politics and human agency. Approaching Religion, 3(2), 26-37.

Karim, F. (2020). Social Media Use and Its Connection to Mental Health: A Systematic Review. Cureus, 12(6).

W.Akram. (2017). A Study on Positive and Negative Effects of Social Media on Society. International Journal of Computer Sciences and Engineering, 5(10), 347-354.