How Can Social Media Change People's Mindset?

In this era of advanced technology, the Internet has a strong impact on the social life of society, especially through social media. Start from work, exchange information, or just have fun yourself. However, it turns out that social media can change one's mindset.

Mindset Change Process

Social Media like Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and other platforms are now something that people can't get rid of. It is because of the ease of obtaining information without having to struggle as time immemorial. Therefore, social media can be said as one cause a person's mindset can change. Then, how can a person's mindset change because of this?

First of all, people who get information through social media will interpret the news. Does it make sense or not at all for her. If it makes sense, then it will accept, cultivate, and even believe the information until it finally changes its mindset.

For example, YouTube. Social Media is often used by the public to upload and gain knowledge. Well, it's where we often find content that aims to lead to public opinion. Even from such content can change the mindset of those who previously disagree to agree and vice versa.

Things that affect mindset when using social media

1. Age

From children to parents use their smartphone to acquire and exchange information through any media, including social media. Actually, age is not too the cause of such a thing can happen. This is due to the way human thinking is very dynamic because it changes over time.

However, kids who use social media without supervision from parents will have a bad impact on their mental state. For example, when they're watching cartoon content on the YouTube platform, it can be targeted at content that they shouldn't be able to see.

The age of the children who are still sitting in ELEMENTARY school and junior high thought patterns are still immature, so it is easy to change their mindset, both for positive and negative...

2. How to process information

Social Media does not directly change POA think of someone. This, of course, will depend on how someone is processing the information obtained.

For example, when you get information from Instagram or Twitter, will you immediately conclude or try to find another fact?

Again, it depends on how you process the information. When directly believing in information, it's also your mindset will change. Therefore, the way of processing information until the conclusion of a fact can be very influential about one's mindset.

3. Ensuring the truth

One of the topics that are now being most talked about in Indonesia is Hoaks or tidings of a lie. The change or absence of a person's mindset also depends on the will in him to examine the sources and facts about the news. As already mentioned above, if we do not confirm the truth, one's mindset will be very easy to change.

Therefore, the hoax news has a very dangerous impact on everyone because its goal is to invite others to agree with what is propagated. An example of the case is the occurrence of false news spread in India.

The news about the four female beggars that is allegedly a child kidnapper. The news circulated very quickly and made the community judge the four women until one was killed and the other three were injured. In fact, the poor beggars were victims of false news scattered among the community.

Plus-minus social media wear

Most people say that social media has an adverse impact on our mindset. In fact, using excessive social media is very likely to cause depression.

It happens because looking at social media makes us unconsciously always comparing ourselves to others. Maybe you often see friends whose lives are better, more established jobs, to have a dream partner. All look ideal and eventually appear envy and a sense of disbelief.

If this condition is left, it is not unlikely that you can experience depression. However, depression due to social media usually does not happen easily. Usually, this disorder occurs long enough until the depression appears and there are other supporting factors.

However, when we are wise to use it, social media can be a platform to share positive information, such as work to about the info about the stuff you are looking for during this time.

Tips for benefiting from social media

How significant the negative and positive impacts of social media use will depend on each person. Well, in order to avoid negative impacts, there are some tips that can be done:

1. Use social media as needed

The use of social media is actually okay because this platform that we often use to socialize and get information.

Therefore, if we are more prudent in limiting the time and wear it to certain situations and conditions only so that we are not so exposed to the negative effects of excessive social media use.

2. Watch over your child

If we are a parent, then the most correct step is to monitor the use of social media for children. Start by explaining what can and is forbidden and filtering information should also be done early so as not to interfere with the child's psychological development process and change their mindset to worse.

3. Critical Thinking

Try to start thinking critically because it is very important in the ordinances of good social media use. Don't ingest the information, look for the facts first, and focus on individual self-development.

Actually, social media can indeed change a person's mindset, whether it be better or worse. It all depends on each individual who has power over himself. If it starts to feel its negative impact, it's time to focus more on the real world, pay attention to the people and the environment, and do more positive activities.