13 November 2013
Facing the Social Media The social media in the world we live in today has more of an effect on every aspect of our lives than any of us care to admit or possibly even recognize. Social media has an influence on just about everything that we do whether we have the ability to bring ourselves to the cognitive realization of this or not. The advantages of social media far outweigh the disadvantages that seem to be so often pointed out by skeptics in the world today. Social media allows us to go above and beyond our normal lives and into another world, it allows us to access information more accessibly, and the media also helps to make the information we do receive more identifiable as to what is truthful and what is not. Social media, for many people is an escape from their normal lives. As you read that it may sound like a bad thing, but it’s not. An escape from their normal lives is exactly what many people need and just don’t realize it. People become so caught up in their daily lives and in their daily routines, whatever those may be, that they forget to stop and reflect on what is going on around them. People these days don’t even know what is going on in the city and state they live in, let alone having a good understanding of the daily events of the entire world that surrounds them. It’s like people live in a box of darkness and the world around them is sunlight trying to break through. Social media is the peephole in the box. Social media is a good thing for society and the people of society whether they realize it or not. The way that we are able to easily access media today, whether it be off of our smartphones, tablets, computers or whatever the source of use is, it is enlightening to our daily lives. Media provides so many things for people. The most underrated effect of media is the fact that it lets a person completely escape from their normal lives for a period of time and become someone completely different, or just take a break from their everyday norm. This is in fact sometimes looked at as a negative thing with comments such as, “Social media consumes people’s lives” and “Social media distracts people from their daily tasks.” To me, this is blasphemy. Social media should be viewed as an outlet. It gives people the ability to separate themselves from whatever is going on in their lives at the time. Social media is an outlet. People find themselves going on different kinds of social media more and more whether it be instagram, twitter, facebook, vine or whatever the source, it is taking people away from the troubles of their daily lives and putting them away into a world of their own where they are free to be who they want, do what they want, and say exactly what they want more so portraying their true persona. Social media can strengthen relationships. A website that is based on the positive effects of social media on teens says, “For some, communicating online is simpler than communicating personally. Virtually chatting with an acquaintance allows teens to learn more about each other, thus strengthening the trust between the two parties. It also bridges distance.” This relates back to another study that talks about the suicide rate in teens and the fact that the use of social media helps to decrease the rate of depression and the feelings that lead to suicidal thoughts. If social media can be such a powerful tool for something that society as a whole struggles with such as depression and suicide rate, then why would we view it as a negative? It has always been common knowledge that media in itself has a large effect on the youth in today’s society, but when it is publicly stated and proven that the ways teens are using social media is having not only a positive effect, but a lifesaving effect on them, then who could argue against such a thing. Social media brings people of all ages together through a common interest. Obviously, teens are the most apparent example of this and