Social Media in Society: A Broad Review of Impacts and Emerging Challenges

Social media has emerged as a transformative force, shaping communication, learning, civic engagement, and psychological health. Between 2023 and 2025, scholarly attention has expanded to include misinformation correction, algorithmic transparency, political discourse, and the mental health implications of online use. Unlike earlier fragmented reviews, this paper provides a novel interdisciplinary synthesis, integrating findings from communication studies, education, psychology, and computer science. The review identifies dominant research themes and methodologies, highlights gaps in causal evidence and cross-platform analysis, and outlines future directions. Evidence demonstrates that interventions such as fact-checking, digital literacy initiatives, and abstinence trials offer only temporary relief, while challenges surrounding algorithmic fairness, misinformation durability, and ethical governance remain unresolved. The study emphasizes that social media’s impacts are interdependent rather than isolated, demanding cross-disciplinary inquiry for responsible digital governance.