Abstract

Despite the countless benefits induced by the ever growing use of social media, it is undeniable that its relentless grasp on society is responsible for many difficulties encountered by youth today. In particular, the accumulation of readily available misinformation is detrimental due to its impact on the cognitive perceptions and belief systems of adolescents. With a rise in the use of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (particularly the latter in younger generations), users are inadvertently being lathered by the continuous torrent of misinformation perpetuated by innumerable pages and influencers online.

This essay will detail how misinformation can lead to various consequences (namely those concerning conspiracy theories, discriminatory beliefs and body image) that can distinctly affect young people due to their incomplete development of different brain regions and argues that social media has a critical role in tackling its dissemination. This area of research is of great importance as it helps to enhance our understanding of ways in which we can reduce damage caused by this process and hence help to benefit society.

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