SOCIAL MEDIA AND ITS IMPACT

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Social media came as a means for us to connect with friends and family around the world, we can’t deny that it has helped foster good relationships over the years but with every positive thing comes the negative. Over the years we have experienced some negative effects of social media directly and indirectly.

This is why the topic for this episode is quite interesting.

Social Media came to the forefront about ten to fifteen years ago and since then it has grown in popularity and there will be no stopping it. Over the years, more platforms have emerged and changes have been made to existing ones. Tell us two reasons you like social media. And also two reasons you feel it is bad.

First, let’s talk about the two reasons I like social media.

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IT HELPS CONNECT US WITH PEOPLE

Social media has been really helpful in connecting with friends and family. I remember when it was just the telephone and we would only contact each other for important things, no one really called their friends for basic things but now through the help of social media, we can keep in touch with each other without having to go through so much stress or doing too much. It is easy to leave a text on WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, etc. and they will know we have them in mind regardless of the distance between us. Asides from family and friends social media helps small business owners connect with a wider audience that may have an interest in the products they sell

IT FOSTERS THE LEARNING OF NEW SKILLS

I do a lot of crocheting and that wouldn’t have been possible without all the videos I found on YouTube. YouTube has helped in acquiring so many skills, there is a ton of videos from different authors for whatever you are looking for and they are well detailed. Without social media people like myself would have had to pay a lot to learn the skills we have presently.

Now let’s talk about two of the things I don’t like about social media

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THERE IS SO MUCH FAKE REPRESENTATION

We are often told not to believe everything we see on social media because people often feel the need to lie to keep up with a fake image of themselves they have created over time. Social media is the reason some people are depressed, they see things that may not necessarily be true online and feel like they are not doing enough for themselves. Hence the need to try and be that impossible thing they see online which will in turn lead them to feel overwhelmed and like they are not achieving anything.

THE POWER TO DO WHATEVER BEHIND A SCREEN

People take their influence on social media to the extreme. Sometimes when I open TikTok I see some hateful comments made by some rather young people. People feel like they can hide behind social media and do some hurtful things. There is also the cancel culture when people get canceled for everything. You also see people giving some unsolicited advice. I have come across a lot of people who think they can tell a parent how to raise their child. Then there is also the set who want to force their ideas and beliefs on others.

I think it is understandable that there would be negative sides to social media, the most important thing is to find a balance between the positive and the negative and we also have the choice of picking which side we want to be on.

Thanks for stopping by❤️