I remember when I first got Facebook when I was 13 years old. It was my first social media account and I was so excited. I remember my father telling me, “pretend like I can read everything you write and only publish what you think is appropriate.” That has stuck with me ever since and my social media platforms have grown ever since that first Facebook account. The amount of accounts I have now is sometimes overwhelming since I am mostly active and on them almost daily. I would say the one that shocks me the most and takes up most of my screen time is Tik Tok. I can mindlessly scroll for hours and I can imagine people my age that are doing the same on their social media.

The amount of connection that we can feel with our social media accounts is mind opening as well. You can find so many communities related to your interests or hobbies through social media.

Andrew Venditti, a Journalism and Communications major at Northern Essex says that he “met his first girlfriend when I was 14 through Facebook.” This has become the ultimate trend with specific apps related to online dating. Especially with the pandemic as well, online dating through zoom or video chats has been more popular than ever.

Online bullying has also been more toxic and at a higher volume. More people or trolls online can write whatever they please to a person just to get a rise out of them. I also knew a few people that during the election had to delete their social media because of the amount of hate and arguments they were seeing online. Venditti says “it’s difficult to talk or debate about anything over social media without it becoming a fight” and I have to agree with that statement because it is so true.

Zachary Cutter, also a Journalism major says “those sites are creating internet addiction that is bad for mental health.” The amount of mindless scrolling that happens with adolescents and teenagers is going to grow into serious mental health issues for when they get older.”

Although social media may not be good for teenagers and mental health, there are some positives that go along with it. Social media can be a really great booster for businesses like restaurants and even small businesses. You can create your own platform using your greatest valued customers and have them review your products online so other new customers can see. Cutter says, “it can gain more money and name recognition.”

Having a social media platform is a must when you are trying to run a successful business. Venditti says, “I use Facebook to share information on my band and it gives me analytical feedback about how many people look at, share and click a link in my post.”

Starting a successful business or a band like Venditti with a social media platform can be really useful for who your audience is.

Social media can be used for anything your heart desires and it has helped many people and businesses thrive even during this pandemic. There are some drawbacks to social media in regards to it harming your metal health, but with the right strategies and time management, it is easier to use social media with a positive attitude. We can only hope with time that social media can be used for more positives and not negatives.

During these challenging times, we seem to have a greater relationship with our devices to fill the void of our boredom, especially in the beginning of the pandemic when the entire world was on lockdown and all we could do was binge watch Tiger King on Netflix, make whipped coffee and do the latest Tik-Tok trends. With the pandemic having no light at the end of the tunnel anytime soon, it is high time for all of us to reconsider the amount of time that is taken out of our day to mindlessly scroll and think of better alternatives to occupy our time.

With all schools and colleges being remote learning now, there’s no hiding the fact that we are all on our devices for the majority of the day.

PR Newswire created a poll surveying 2,000 parents of school aged children for more information regarding screen time with both themselves and their children. The surveys concluded that “69 percent feel “addicted to their phone.” We can probably all admit that we are somewhat addicted to our phones.

It’s hard to not mindlessly scroll especially with so much happening around the world everyday. They also concluded that “62 percent admit to spending too much time on their cell phone while with their kids.” With the pandemic, it has become difficult to spend that quality time with your loved ones. However, when we are with them it is hard not to break your habits of looking at your devices.

Remote learning has also increased the screen time in both children and adults. Working from home has also increased adults device usage with zoom meetings and typing out emails.

Online learning can be a struggle for some students. For culinary NECC student Mercedes Rodriguez says “I wish that I had classmates and teachers I could meet with and lean on when I need help.”

Rodriguez also says it is challenging to get ahold of teachers sometimes for help or guidance. Online learning is almost new to everyone and it can be a hard transition for many people. Kacy Florence, a student at Middlesex Community College says “I had a hard time navigating through my online course since I didn’t have anybody around that knew how to navigate the website.”

To help reduce our device usage, we can think of ways to occupy our time that will benefit our day to day lives. Rodriguez states that she “purchased a mixer and got into baking.”

Cooking and baking can become a fun and relaxing for some people like Mercedes herself. Florence says that she has been spending more time with her family since they just adopted a puppy in the middle of quarantine. Just being able to find that new hobby or passion for something that you’ve been wanting to do will help reduce your screen time and quality of life.