MEDIA OR NO MEDIA?

By Dennie Decker

If there’s one thing that everyone in the world has heard about, it’s social media.  In this 5th grade year, I have never gone a day without hearing about Musically or Instagram. Different people have different opinions about social media.  There are definitely great things about media, but there are also some not so great things about it, too.

The Pros

Even though I don’t participate in social media, I must say, it’s plain cool. In social media app Snapchat, you can use special camera filters to make yourself have big sad eyes, or dog ears.  In Musically, you can create a neat choreography to your favorite song and then send it out online!  Also, it allows you to express yourself to the world.  In Twitter, you can share pictures of you doing you favorite things, or being with your favorite person.  Finally, on social media apps, you can meet new people.  On Facebook, you can “follow” anyone whether it’s a friend, a celebrity, or a classmate and learn about them in their favorite things.

The Cons

Social media may have pros, but there’s definitely a dark side to social media. The first con of social media is that it’s not always appropriate. On Musically, there are many songs with curse words and suggestive language. Kids shouldn’t listen to dirty music, because it makes them think it’s okay to say dirty words. Also, some people want “ likes” so much they post inappropriate pictures- that everyone and anyone can see. Lastly, and worst of all, people let social media absorb their lives. Kids become so obsessed with social media that they stop physically talking to people, forget about their lives, stop being active, and lose sleep every night over “being followed “ or “ getting likes.” I’ve seen a kind and athletic friend let social media absorb their lives, and looking at the before and after effect is quite scary.

So, if I had to choose between media or no media, I’d chose no media because the “cons” of social media are overwhelming.  I think social media is plain silly, but I know y’all 5th graders love those social media apps.  I can’t ban anyone from social media, but I can give my advice: Be careful and never, never, let social media absorb you life.