Creative Commons
It’s impossible to escape the sound of notifications, the glide through Instagram, the new craze on TikTok. For most students, social media isn’t an occasional distraction it’s a constant part of their daily existence.
A Daily Habit
“I use social media daily in my life. It’s my job,” said Edison alumni and YouTube content creator David Pazmino. “I have to be constantly looking at analytics, reading comments.”
Edison students are no different. Senior Adrian Pradhuman described, “I find myself using social media a few times a day, almost every day to talk with friends and family, keep up on current events and also for entertainment.”
Justin Persaud, also a senior at Edison, responded in the same vein: “I would say I use social media fairly regularly. I most frequently use Instagram.”
Positive Potential
While worries regarding its ill effect are growing more common, all three interviewees agree that social media has undeniable positives. Pradhuman said, “It enables you to connect with friends and family no matter where they are and provides a sense of community when face-to-face contact is not feasible.”
Persaud also pointed out its use beyond social interaction: “It’s a great platform for little businesses to make individuals conscious of their existence. Social media is an evolving society and can be helpful to a lot of people.”
Pazmino, who has built a career from his online presence, highlighted the powerful influence social media can have.
“I’ve received comments from people as far as Pakistan saying how my videos saved their lives or inspired them. That’s the most important thing about my job — impacting people in a positive way.”
A Double-Edged Sword
But not everything on social media is positives. All three emphasized its negatives — specifically the compulsion to compare.
“People forget that what they’re seeing a lot of is just highlights,” Pazmino said. “All social media posts are setup, planned, and not their real-life person. When people start comparing themselves to what’s posted on social media, they’re going to end up in a bad way.”
“You don’t tend to just see the good bits of people’s lives on social media, and that makes people compare their everyday lives to those highlights. It gives people a skewed view of reality,” Pradhuman said.
Persaud also added that this kind of pressure particularly affects younger users. “Some teens may feel that they must look or become a certain way to be accepted. But that’s not true, and social media sometimes perpetuates that,” Persaud said.
Mental Health and Communication
One of the biggest problems involving the use of social media is mental health.
“Social media has a positive as well as a negative impact,” Pradhuman said. “Hate and negativity can spread very fast, but so can positivity and support.”
He determined cyberbullying and comparison to be the primary issues, and Persaud. He determined that addiction to social media can impact daily habits and behavior.
“Sometimes it can become an addiction and people use their phones just so they can get a few scrolls in,” Persaud said.
As far as communication, social media may also be changing how students are communicating. “With social media, many people may prefer to talk online instead of in person,” Persaud said. “Some believe there is no need to meet someone in person since they can just view their profile.”
Pradhuman went on, “It makes it easier to know individuals, but lowers people’s social skills when meeting in person.”
Pazmino summed it up best: “People get so comfortable typing on a screen, they might forget what it’s like to talk to people in real life.”
Final Thoughts
At Thomas Edison CTE High School, students are navigating the benefits and challenges of social media every day. While it connects, inspires, and entertains, it also poses risks to mental health and real-world social interactions. As Justin wisely noted, “Depending on the side of social media you’re on, it can affect your behavior.” In a world where online and offline lives are increasingly intertwined, the key is balance and awareness.