Our world around us is a global village. Everyone is connected to each other in this massive community created by the internet, we are global citizens.
Social Media over the past years have taken a lot of negative blows, especially when it comes to the youth of our generation. Even with all the bad press that swirls around social media, there must be some positives, right? According to the Huffington Post around 75% of teenagers have social media profiles. So this article is going to explore the negatives and positives of social media. Is it just ruining our youth or is there something good we can salvage from the ever growing platform.
Originally platforms such as Facebook, were meant to be a way of connecting and expanding your network with various people, whether it was old high school friends or potential business partners. Now with the advancement of technology and the growth of popularity, these social platforms have arguably changed from a place to network into a popularity contest, who has the most followers or likes on a picture. On the other hand, social media has become a place where one can gain knowledge whether through the news outlets profile pages or profiles create of specific purposes.
The change in purpose could be the cause of the negativity surrounding the platforms. Hence why some teenagers and young adults have anxiety and low self-esteem as they aren’t getting the same attention as the “popular” pages and people. As you know, social media has said to be one of the main factors linked to poor self-esteem and low confidence rates.
But why should the popular pages be ridiculed and blamed for the negativity that social media? Aren’t there any good things about having a “popular” page with lots of followers?
Mitchell Stuart the founder of Inferno Media and a critically acclaimed social media expert believes that social media can be used in a positive light that been beneficial to the youth of today.
“Social media in 2017, is the best way to promote ones business and to promote yourself”, Stuart goes on to discuss how he helps big corporation utilise their social media presence to reach a larger consumer base.
I’m very sure that you’ve been told this before, but here’s is some of mine and Mitchell Stuart’s Do’s and Don’ts of social media…
DO- Make your profile page interesting. So many employers now look at your social media profiles as well as your CV’s to how you’d represent the company inside and outside of work.
DO- Make sure that your page is both personal as well as professional. Show that you have drive and determination as well as a fun social life.
DO- Be visual. Make your page stand out and be different from the rest.
DO- Have a BALANCE! Do other activities that requires you to have face-to-face contact with another human, not just through the internet.
DO- Make sure that you’ve double checked your privacy settings. Your page is your page and you should be careful on who you let have access to it.
DON’T- Have inappropriate content on your page. Its common sense! Nothing offensive or derogatory. BE NICE
DON’T- Just aim to have the most followers with the most likes. Your page should reflect you and your personality you don’t want to seem shallow and self-absorbent.
DON’T- Let your friends tag you in foolish posts. Sometimes the inside joke that you and your friend share, others can find offensive.
DON’T- Let the social media hole consume your whole day.
The main point is that social Media can be exciting and fun, as it should be. But don’t forget once something is posted and tweeted it can always be tracked to you, even if deleted. So, have fun but be careful, as you don’t want to have any form of negative repercussion due to something you posted on a drunk night. Always take care when posting anything.
Anna-Liza Adewole
Be First to Comment