Is it helpful or dangerous?

Emily Garcia, Staff Writer

January 30, 2025

In this current time, social media has become a big part of our lives. Kids, teens, and adults are now all using it and it is everywhere.

I personally use social media all time and it really has become a part of my life. As a 15 year old, since the day I was born, social media has been a thing and now it has become a bigger thing as people are seen using it everyday.

One social media app I use in my everyday life is Instagram. Instagram helps me connect with my friends and family and socialize better. I use instagram to send messages to my friends and family but I also use it to make group chats. These are things that you’re able to do on iMessage however I find Instagram to be more efficient since iMessage messages can take minutes to send while instgram can send them in just a few seconds. Aside from messages, Instagram has reels that are just like Tiktok which makes Instagram more enjoyable for me. It also allows me to post my story, make posts, and notes which allows me to express myself but it also sometimes connects me to people who have the same interests as me.

Besides the app having great features, one thing that it also has is a helpful community. People are able to make awareness posts and give out important news/information. I am someone who does not watch the news on tv often but I’m still able to find the same news that is broadcast on tv on Instagram. Not only that but they offer useful information, recently there has been ICE raids in California which is a really scary thing to think about as someone who knows people who are immigrants but because of Instagram I have been able to find resources and information for the people I know who are at risk.

Instagram is a big part of my life not only positively but also negatively. Unfortunately, Instagram allows everyone to express themselves but it comes with a price of having people post offensive messages or spreading misinformation and as a clueless person, I have fallen victim to misinformation/ fake news. Regardless of social media being useful or not, everybody is on it without a care.

About the Contributor

Emily Garcia, Staff Writer

Emily Garcia is a 15 year old and a sophomore at Hoover High school. Emily loves music and enjoys spending time listening to music while working or doing some other activity. She would love to get into new music and discover new genres. Emily´s favorite artists are Clairo,The Cranberries and The Marias, and her favorite music genre is alternative/indie. Her all time favorite song is “Fade Into You” by Mazzy Star. She loves being outdoors and going out to new places and shopping sprees as well. Emily also loves the company of others and having people close to her. Three things she absolutely hates are loud food eaters, people who don't chew with their mouths closed, and the smell of public bathrooms. Her goals in life are to graduate from both high school and college, and she plans to attend SDSU and major in education so that she can become an elementary teacher. Her aspirations are to have A´s and B´s throughout high school but also make her mom proud. She says that her role models in her life are her mom, her cousins, and her uncles. She hopes that she will be able to push herself as much as they have in their life. Her favorite fast food place is Mcdonalds and she loves to get chicken nuggets from there, as much as she loves unhealthy food she also enjoys strawberries, pineapples, and mangoes, especially in smoothies. Her favorite drinks are Sprite, orange juice, and especially Coca Cola. Emily thinks she could change the world by using less fossil fuels to stop climate change and would also try to keep peace with other countries so that no country or person would go through any of the horrors of war. She believes if society stops using things that require fossil fuels and treat each other with respect, then society would definitely become a better place.

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Is it helpful or dangerous?

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