Emma Greenberg ’18 and Ian Bernstein ’18

Social media is the common ground amongst Generation Z and Millenials. It provides a platform for people to show off their individuality, while also bridging connections that would not have existed in the past. But there are some who have opted out of participating in the social media world.

Anisa Prasad ’19, who refrains from using all social media platforms, considers them a distraction.

“I think that if I started using [social media], it would drain my time and would probably lead to a lot of procrastination,” Prasad said.

Some students would attest to the truth in Prasad’s statement.  Chris Drbal ’18, for one, originally had social media but decided to step away from his account.

“For snapchat, it got to the point where I was doing it a lot, and I needed to focus on other things, like school and sports,” Drbal said.

However, others believe social media is key to keeping in contact with family and friends, and argue that the pros of social media far outweigh the cons.   

“Facebook has for sure allowed me to keep up with my family members who live far away,” Ella Lederer ’18  said. “I think it’s cool that I get to see what’s going on in their lives.”

Similarly Tomaso Scotti ’20 feels that social media platforms can help people communicate.

“I think social media helps people stay connected even when they don’t know what to say. Take Snapchat. It’s really just pictures of your face but apps like that help communicate when you don’t know what to say,” Scotti said.

Nevertheless, according to a recent report from The Conversation, more and more young people are transitioning away from broadcast social media, specifically Facebook and Twitter.

“I feel very connected to the people who are close to me just by emailing and texting them,” Prasad said.

In contrast with Prasad, Kylie Adler ’19 is an avid social media user.  For her, social media is not to be used only to keep in contact with those she knows, but also with making connections with complete strangers.  That is why she runs an Instagram account with over 18,000 followers.

“I want to create a positive impact with my presence,” Adler said.

But Prasad does admit that there are some downsides to avoiding social media platforms.

“Since a lot of communication for clubs and extracurricular activities take place on Facebook, I’ve missed a few events,” Prasad said. “That’s one disadvantage of not using social media.”