Over and over you hear the phrase, time flies. Sure, it does! The pace at which social media has evolved and is shaping up our lives is really remarkable. 20 or so years ago, it would be unimaginable to hear that you will be able to connect with people miles apart, or even continents apart, with photos, live chats or even videos of what is really happening at their end.
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, you name it, have by a great deal transformed our social interactions than we used to before social media. Well, millennials might have a hard time understanding how previous generations stayed without being connected on social media daily.
Well, social media has both positive and negative sides, so, let’s dive into the brighter side of it.
The good side of social media
Instantaneous information
What makes social media a great communication tool is its power in getting information as it occurs. Twitter, for example, is a platform that can easily get live information as it occurs. For instance, weather changes that might cause a flight cancelation that you had initially booked. People will simply tweet and retweet and you get the information right before you leave your home or office and don’t have to go to the airport just to get a two-day delay or so.
Easy connection with friends and family
Many years ago, people had to write letters or telegrams to the other side of the world just to keep in touch with your family or friends. Years later, the telephone came around, but you had to call the person in real time and could not leave a message. Now, just a simple Facebook status, Instagram post, or even a Tweet makes you connected with family instantaneously. On the bright side, most social media accounts are FREE SIGNUPs.
Opinion Sharing
It is now easy to gain opinions of a wide population through social media. People can now express their opinions on a specific issue through the comments section, reply to an issue or even contribute to a specific topic like a trending hashtag. This makes the voices of the marginalized people heard out, as well as issues like maybe environmental management per se, a simple picture might be used to create a worldwide discussion.
Other positive sides of social media
- Social media Marketing businesses become easy
- Driving traffic to business
- How Crisis Affects Social Media Marketing
The shortcomings of social media
Increased Bullying
Anyone can fall victim to cyberbullying. This is the modern day bullying. A simple thing like a photo might be a reason that numerous people make fun of someone. They might even create memes that are suggestive or irritate in nature.
Decreased Productivity
It is very easy to lose track of your daily plans once you get addicted to social media. For a person that is working, being on the phone or computer 5-8 hours a day means that you have to compromise a lot of your productivity. Actually, some organizations have a restriction on social media platform on their network to enhance the productivity of their staff.
All Talk and No Action Society
People might get highlight specific issues that need immediate action and activism on social media. The issues are always legit, but nothing is always done to stop it. Major issues might need action, but less or no action might actually translate from all the tweeting and posting.
Bottom line
As far as social media has its good and bad sides, at the end of the day, we have to acknowledge the importance of technology on our day to day life. Engaging appropriately in social media might give you one of the best experiences, more so if you are from a generation that did not grow with social media all around.