Social Media Influence on the Formation of Public Opinion

Updated on November 23, 2020

Ever since social media became so popular, they are forming our opinions. We may not like it, but that’s a fact. Even if you think you’re a solid, unshakeable rock, you’re influenced by social media, you don’t realize it. And don’t think you’re alone in that. They influence every social media user in one way or another. Let’s scratch under the surface and figure out how social media influence our lives.

The Possibility of Manipulating Public Opinion Through Social Media

Social media are made to bring people closer and connect with like-minded communities. That makes them good, but they are used for some dark things too. Because millions of users are active there every day, it’s easy to manipulate public opinions through them. You’re bombarded with an endless stream of information on every social media. You may think that can’t make you form an opinion, but it becomes true when you see something all the time, even if it isn’t.

Just remember how much time you spend reading other people’s comments online. That affects you, regardless of your character. You can be a Shaolin monk with the strongest will ever, but if you see thousands of people praising something, you’ll question your opinion about that. And you’re just one of the millions. That happens to all of us. And it happens simultaneously. In the end, you are leading to forming public opinions based on the info we’ve presented on social media. Humans are social animals, so we want to be a part of the community. When the public opinion changes and you keep a different opinion, you don’t belong anymore. At least that’s what everybody wants us to think. So, in the end, most of us change opinions about things to be part of the desired community.

The Positive and Negative Effect of Social Media on Relationships and Family

Keeping the first paragraph about manipulating opinions in mind, you can realize that it affects our relationships and families. But don’t be scared; there are both negative and positive sides to letting social media influence our opinions. The LGBT community is a nice example of that. Decades ago, most people couldn’t stand people who aren’t heterosexual. Now we treat them like every other person, like we should, because someone’s sexual orientation doesn’t determine their personality. The same goes for people from other cultures. Social media made the world more tolerant, and we should be thankful because of that. Now let’s see how social media affects our relationships.

Negative effects of social media on relationships and families:

  • social media make us expect too much – social media are great, but they aren’t real life. Just because you saw somebody’s photo in a Lamborghini doesn’t mean they own it. Even if they do, why would you care? Live your life and don’t let other people’s highlights on social media ruin your progress in anything. Keep your pace, and don’t put too much pressure on yourself.
  • changing of opinion caused by social media can ruin relationships and families – this is especially true for younger people because they’re still trying to figure out who they are. God knows how many parents have problems with their kids because they soaked in something they’ve seen on social media.

Pros of social media:

  • keeping long-distance relationships is much easier – you can stay in touch with your partner, family, and friends from every part of the world. It’s not the same as being one next to each other, but it’s the best you can get, and you can get it thanks to social media.
  • you can get ideas about various activities that will make your relationships stronger – among so many information presented on social media, you can find numerous options for spending quality time with the people close to you.

If you want to read more about social media’s effect on relationships, you can find many articles online. In this article, maturetenders experts discuss and disclose the impact of social media on relationships.

Psychological Problems of People Caused by Social Media

If you’ve read the rest of the article carefully, you realize that social media can cause psychological problems. Many people suffer from depression and anxiety because they look up to influencers, celebrities, or friends who are more successful than they are. Some people become shy just because some troll made fun of them in the comments section. Other people become more aggressive because it’s easy to start a fight on social media, so they spend their days looking for victims. This might surprise you, but some people become less social because of social media. They lose the desire to hang out in real life and, in the end, become lonely even though they have thousands of followers or friends.

By reading this article, you’ve seen some effects (good and bad) social media have on you and everybody else. It’s almost impossible to avoid being influenced by social media, but if you keep the bad sides in mind, you’ll fight against them with less effort. Now go and check your favorite social media, but remember – you don’t have to fit in any box. You’re unique; you are you.

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