Too Much Information

Have you ever found yourself pointlessly scrolling down through your news feed when you’re bored? Checking and re-checking your recently uploaded picture to see how many people have liked it? There is no doubt that a lot of people are involved with some kind of social media, be it Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Yet while we are indulged in this cyber world, enjoying its perks and appeals, we sometimes forget that it’s not all good for us.Of course, there are some advantages to social media besides using it as a place to relax in during free time. One of the big advantages of using social media is that it allows us to connect with our friends, no matter how close or how far they are, in a very easy and convenient way. You can use these sites to keep in touch with your old pals from back home or from your old school—which is beyond convenient for us here at Exeter—or chat with others who are nearby and help better develop relationships with them. Social media gives a lot of people a place to talk about homework, share their ideas and follow people whom they admire.That may seem like enough evidence to show that social media is good and can help a lot of people. There are, however, some cons. As we use social media more and more, some of us may become addicted to it and rely on it. Studies have shown that extensive use of social media can cause addiction to users, making them feel like they have to constantly post something on their pages or check other people’s posts because it starts to become an important part of our life. Moreover, social media, even though it allows us to connect with friends, can lead to isolation. Extreme usage of social media reduces the level of human interaction. Face to face communication has been lost to the easy and effortless wonders of social media. Furthermore, these sites can encourage poor grammar usage, expose children to predators and create a platform for cyber bullying.What have come up recently in social media are groups run by people that anonymously post things other people want to say, but don’t have the guts to say in real life. On Facebook there are quite a few groups run by Exeter students, most of them being positive. People get to post their crushes or compliment other people. These posts can often light up someone’s day.A couple months ago, however, a twitter account by the name of “Prep Confessions” was created and is now used by several prep school students, including those of Exeter, Andover, Loomis and Peddie, among other. On this site, students anonymously gossip about things that happen at their respective schools, exposing some things to the world that could possibly ruin the pristine reputation of these schools.For example: "Best thing about private school is being superior to public schools and also not having to make up snow days’' -New England private schools,” which could stir up some trouble with private schools nearby.“‘Where mixing NyQuil and RedBull and is the new thing.’ -Proctor”“‘My parents gave me $30,000 for my eighteenth birthday’-Lawrenceville,” which adds on to the prep school stereotype.“‘We were sending so many nudes that they actually blocked snapchat on the school wifi.’-Culver Girls Academy”“‘A few nights ago one of the largest boys dorms had to have a porn talk with the health teachers.’-Phillips Exeter Academy”Social media can give us a lot advantages, but we have to be careful for what we use it for. We should think about what we should and should not share.