Social media is not always good, is it?

Should people confront the increasing influence of social media? We could speak about numerous benefits of using social media platforms (and I do not deny their usefulness) but I would like to discuss the negative impact on people's life.

Every day people check their social networking, messaging sites, image and video sharing platforms. Sometimes logging in becomes the first thing they do after waking up. Lying in bed after a good night's sleep, a person takes their mobile phone and plunges into a fictional world, where people post photos or videos to show everyone their incredible happiness and remarkable life. What is the first thing that conjures up in their minds while looking through these posts? "Their life is better than mine", or "They are better/cleverer/more beautiful than me", or "They have more time than I do". These thoughts embody just a little piece of a much larger problem that people face when spending their time on social networks. They make people feel miserable and foolish.

Some people may assume that the appearance of such thoughts are as a result of some psychological problems (e. g. low self-esteem). However, there is research that confirms the negative influence of social media on people's life [http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20180104-is-social-media-bad-for-you-the-evidence-and-the-unknowns]. So, the message I am trying to deliver is not only should we believe in the power of social media, but also be aware of its threats (depression, envy, loneliness, addiction, etc.) and to be able to overcome social media addiction.

My personal approach to social media is quite easy. I use only those platforms which are useful for me. Most commonly used social networks are two messengers (one for work, another for my nearest and dearest), Skype, and Facebook. In regards to websites, I have a few websites I like to browse - news, learning languages, reading, cooking, etc. I think that many others do the same thing. Several years ago, I thought that it is necessary to be on social media to stay on top of things, but now I understand that being connected does not mean always being "logged on".