SOCIAL MEDIA: FRIEND OR FOE?
I can’t even count the amount of times I’ve heard or even read negative opinions on social media.
“Social media causes low self-esteem.”
“People who are always on social media have bad social skills!”
In my experience the people are non-millennial adults with clearly outdated views. While these criticisms may be valid, I also find it unfair that the people discrediting and complaining about social media do not keep that same energy when the time arises for them to acknowledge the benefits and positive aspects of the platform as well.
I cannot dispute that there have been negative effects of social media, however, I do believe that the good severely outweighs the bad. Social media has literally created careers for people who otherwise may not have been in an industry that they truly love and may not have even found their passion at all. It has allowed socially-awkward individuals the opportunity to interact comfortably and not feel so alone or isolated. With social media, people from all over the world (with WiFi) are able to connect on central topics, share humour, and even collectively protest.
A lot of people don’t connect with anybody in their direct environment. Social media allows us all to find like-minded individuals and interact with whomever we want easily. Some say that social media actually improved their self-esteem through online movements like body positivity. Many of the social justice initiatives that are popular today and essential for the betterment of society started as a hashtag. For instance, #BlackLivesMatter or #MeToo.
Yes, we must work to solve the detriments of social media but we cannot ignore the undeniably good aspects as well.
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ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog post. You had some really good points that I definitely agree with. I especially liked your point on how it provides socially awkward people with the opportunity to not feel alone. Social media, when used responsibly can help connect people and create a sense of community. We rely on it so much now that it has become an essential and important part of our daily lives.
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ReplyDeleteI liked how your blog post giving us insights on all the good things about social media because it is different from the usual "it's bad for you and you should use it less and less". It shows the importance of technology not only for us but to everyone else as well. I agree with you and how social media is not the best for us if used incorrectly, however, it is a vital part in our lives these days for multiple reasons. I think that social media and technology is very useful and if it was cut out of our lives all of a sudden it wouldn't be as good as some may think.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the full perspective that this offered, balancing both the beneficial and negative aspects of social media. I think you're right about older generations. They are the most averted to change and that's what social media is. I am an avid social media user and have become more of an outgoing person because of it. I've found people who shared my interests who I otherwise wouldn't have met. The notion that we shouldn't use social media is simply outrageous seeing as it's a fabric of our daily lives now.
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