Rocio Aguayo
Sep 6, 2018 · 3 min read

How Does Social Media Affect Personal Ethics?

Well, basically since we have devoted our time to social media platforms is one huge reason, but what that does to our personal ethics is where the issue lies.

A typical modern-day tends to begin and end with social media. Personally, I wake up to check Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat which is the same routine right before bed. According to an article from Constant Contact, the average person spends the first 15 minutes of being awake on their social media platforms before even brushing there teeth. If that does not showcase the control we allow social media to have on us, then I’m not sure what will.

If one of the very first things we do is start scrolling through media, what does that do to us? For many self-monitoring, their screen time is very difficult because being in the “know” is a top priority, especially with the youth. Forbes shares that a reason we make it a priority is that people tend to compare their lives to those on their screens, which ultimately sinks down our lives.

Can social media really impact an individual’s moral code or their ethics? The answer is an astonishing YES!

Considering that social media has ethical guidelines, what are our personal ethical guidelines when it comes to using social media. Do we allow ourselves to get trapped into immediately navigating to see what has been posted or who has been where? By taking the first bit of our daytime to be on our phones is a sign that it has control over us.

Hard to think about, but raising our phones up first thing can have some underlying meaning. For example, that could say that a person may not have their priorities straight or that they may care too much of what other people think of them, or that the virtual world trumps the real world. The article by verywellfamily gives insight on how social media influences a healthy or not healthy mindset. It can provoke or increase depression, anxiety, or add to any stressors our lives have. Of, course the influence it has on our morals/ethics does not have to be negative. If one were to follow more positive media or accounts that could benefit one’s life, then perhaps their social media can be a positive control.

Just because we are constantly on our phones doesn’t mean we are all doomed! Simply that if our time will be spent on those types of platforms we might as well seek to better ourselves, work on focusing on morals/ethics, and following better media, not just what’s “trending.”

Rocio Aguayo

Written by

I am writing for a college class named “Managing Social Media”. Follow along my journey of social media!

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