At any given time, we can access thousands of videos, millions of comments, and a countless number of likes from any given user. These may all seem like social media profiles that only exist online. In reality, they influence thousands of others to imitate their actions in person.

   Social media allows people nearly infinite freedom to express themselves. However, this expression often comes at the harm of others.

   For example, many comment sections on Instagram Reels involve many ‘individuals’ talking about “pre-orders”. It doesn’t involve packages but rather targets young boys and girls by making sexual remarks about them. Comments such as “I Gyatt to get that preorder in” on a video of a young girl are examples.

   These comments are nasty, no matter how you frame them. Unfortunately, I have heard some of my peers make snide comments about videos like this in person. They are often made in jest but are essentially hinting at child affinity.

 Crude humor has always been a staple of communication. This generation’s example crosses the line, setting a dangerous precedent. If nobody calls you out for your indecent digs, then why would you stop?

   Social media has also affected morality. Things do not shock us as much as they used to.   

Let’s take car crash videos as an example. People getting t-boned, head-on crashes, trucking accidents, or even pedestrian collisions can show up at any time on YouTube and Instagram. These are horrific accidents that people shouldn’t take lightly.

  Despite that, I have seen people stare blankly at them without reaction. Furthermore, laughing occasionally ensues. What about a car crash is funny?

   A lack of contact has also come from this social media mimicry. Social media shrouds the individual behind a wall of ideas, with the phone as a physical barrier between two individuals. People claim to be connected but lack the most fundamental human connections.

   These traits are not admirable or ethical. Instead, they are deplorable representations of people’s once vibrant nature.

   Social media has merged online and face-to-face personalities, resulting in a half-baked amalgamation of one’s personality.

   The only solution to this is for people to realize it is happening. They must reclaim their identity, rather than allowing their symbiotic relationship with social media to consume them. We must get back to who we are, not what social media can make us into.