Opinion | Social Media: From Connectivity to Addiction

We don’t have a choice on whether we do social media, the question is how well we do it. ~Erik Qualman

When we lift our cell phone to read one single notification, we realize after 20 minutes that we are still going through them. Now the debate is not whether we use social media; rather, it is about whether we are being used by social media.

Today, it is hard to find someone who doesn’t use social media – whether he or she is educated or illiterate. In any case, social media has become an integral part of our daily routine. Those sites which were created to connect people, exchange information, and facilitate communication have become an integral part of our life. There are hundreds of millions of users of social-media sites in India.

The influence of social media on the ways in which we obtain information has been profound. As noted by the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2026, the majority of those Indians surveyed said that they received their news via the Internet, while more than half indicated that they used social-media platforms to access news content. It is reported that about 58% of them use YouTube for accessing news. Thus, it can be seen that social media does not only serve for entertainment and communication but also becomes a way in which people comprehend the world around them.

It is known to everybody the good and bad things about social media and yet everybody keeps using it. That which was meant to connect people has now turned into a habit – and an addiction, for some people. A phone bought for the purposes of communication is now used for entertainment, online shopping, education, getting news, work, online banking and other basic activities. It becomes problematic when using such platforms becomes an unconscious process.

One of the major shifts within the culture of social media is the emergence of short-form content creation. Reels, Shorts, and any other type of short videos aim to catch the attention of viewers at once. It is reported by ZocialOne Research that the vertical format of videos like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts take up to 71% of the total social media watch-time on mobile phones in India. While such content can be entertaining, educational, and creative, constant consumption of short and fast-changing videos can lead to a need for continuous stimulation. The key question is: why are we slowly forgetting about our hobbies, books, movies, classes, lectures, and even conversation with people? Why do we get bored so fast if something cannot entertain us right away?

The matter is exacerbated by the consideration of the effect of social media on children. Children are among the most vulnerable users of social media because they might not yet have enough maturity to understand the possible risks of using it and control themselves. Overusing social media can affect the study process of children, their daily routine, sleeping schedule, behavior, and general development.

The extent to which Indian kids and adolescents are victims of cyberbullying is rather worrying. According to a review on cyberbullying in Indian adolescents, a study done by McAfee revealed that about 85% of Indian children involved in the research admitted that they were victims of cyberbullying. From the same review, it is indicated that other studies conducted among Indian adolescents on the same have shown the prevalence of cyberbullying to range between 3.3% to 60.56%. Another meta-analysis carried out among Indian adolescents gave the pooled estimate of prevalence for cyberbullying to be about 19%. This indicates that online bullying is not an exception but rather a serious social problem that needs urgent action from all stakeholders.

There are different types of cyberbullying, which include making abuses, humiliating people, spreading rumors, sharing private photos without the owner’s consent, impersonation and excluding people from participating in particular online groups. For a child or teenager, this can be very traumatizing since the bullying does not stop once they get home because they can continue being bullied on their mobile phones and social media accounts.

That is why it is necessary to implement additional measures in order to protect children. Age verification measures must be implemented on social media sites; additionally, there should be stricter protection of privacy and ways of rapid detection and removal of abusive content. It is essential that parents and schools should take an active part in educating children on digital responsibility and not just limiting their access to websites.

The other significant problem that we are facing today is the use of social media for conducting various fraudulent and criminal activities. Fraudulent investment opportunities, phishing links, fake advertising and impersonation, blackmail, and all kinds of scams are reaching individuals via digital websites and social media. Social media provides the possibility of approaching a large number of potential victims with minimal effort. People, especially those who lack knowledge on cybersecurity measures, can trust a website because it looks authentic.

The problem becomes even more difficult because of fake accounts. Registration of an account with the name of somebody else or under a fictional identity can serve as a way to engage in harassment, deception, misinformation, and any kind of abuse. On the other hand, the demand to have one’s real identity revealed and made public on all the accounts can result in a violation of privacy. Individuals may have very good reasons to conceal their identity and keep anonymity, especially journalists, activists, whistleblowers and people under harassment. Thus, the task is not to destroy the system of anonymity but to improve it in case of violation of the terms of service.

Nevertheless, it would be quite unjustified to consider social media only as something harmful for society. It has done much good. Students have access to the sources of educational material, small businesses can interact with their clients, individuals can express themselves, and distant people can stay in contact with each other. Social media has also served as a source for creation, work, and publicity. Therefore, the problem does not lie in social media but in the way it is used.

The solution involves a balance of personal responsibility, parental advice, platform responsibility, and regulation. Users need to be aware of the extent of time they spend online and know how to detect fake news and deceptive websites. In turn, parents need to promote good habits among their children, while schools have to incorporate digital literacy into their curriculum. Social media companies need to be responsible for protecting minors and fighting cybercrimes.

Regulation needs to involve responsibility without impeding the freedom of speech. It is necessary for governments to regulate digital platforms properly in order to provide safety of the users, while maintaining their privacy and democratic freedoms. The point is not in controlling the thoughts of the users but in creating a safe environment online where there is no place for abuse, fraud, and exploitation.

Social media was invented for our connection, enlightenment, and to empower our voices. But when the connection becomes an addiction, the enlightenment becomes the misinformation, and the empowerment becomes the abuse, awareness and responsibility are required. However, it does not mean that we have to leave the virtual world, as social media has become a crucial component of our everyday lives. We just have to learn how to use it responsibly.

In conclusion, social media has to be our tool, but not the opposite way around.

Email: bhatbisma044@gmail.com