SOCIAL MEDIA, CRAZY MEDIA!
With the technological advances and the increased scope of media, communication with anyone worldwide is at the tap of a finger. Gone are the days of waiting for hours or sometimes, days to keep abreast of things, now it’s just a fraction of seconds, all thanks to the internet and social media platforms.
These platforms are the easiest way to connect to people all over the world.
But as with every silver lining, there’s always a dark cloud lurking around. There are pros and cons. Two sides to every coin.
On the positive side, Social media is one of the easiest, fastest ways of communicating; it helps to stay up to date with family and friends worldwide. It helps connect people to new friends and communities; network with other people who share similar interests or ambitions. It allows for effective advertising because of its broad reach, costeffectiveness and business development features. Social media is also an outlet to express and showcase creativity and self-expression, and much more.
On the negative side, social media keeps you hooked for hours on end, which can also be addictive. It has also killed the need to dialogue as people are too engrossed with their phones. Many accidents have occurred when users were too distracted to see what is in front of them. Numerous posts about ‘perceived and packaged’ lifestyles displayed on various pages increase the feelings of inadequacy and discontent amongst followers. Even though many images viewed on social media are heavily filtered and airbrushed, many people cannot see beyond the ‘perfect’ images. Not also getting as many ‘likes’ on your page can lead to despondency. Many a time, some posts are made as far from reality as possible. A prime example of ‘judging a book by it’s cover’ which most times, is different from what is portrayed. There is also the obsession to put everything out there, so much so, that privacy has fast become a thing of the past in today’s times.
As human beings, we most times, need face-to-face contact to mentally connect. Nothing reduces stress and boosts your mood faster or more effectively than eye-to-eye contact with someone who cares about you. The more you prioritize social media interaction over in-person relationships, the more you’re at risk for developing or exacerbating mood disorders such as anxiety and depression.
Social media, therefore, is a gift and a curse, but it is up to you to determine which it will be for you because there are as many pros as there are cons to courting social media.