Social Media

We all know that social media has practically taken over our life. we use it all the time. I might actually say that social media is our main source of communication. With all things good, you always have something bad to go along with it. I have not decided whether social media is a blessing or a curse.

I have rounded up some advantages and disadvantages of social media:

Advantages-

1. Helps you draw inspiration:

There is some new trend every day. People on the internet are very creative, you never know what they come up with next. Social media is a beautiful place to draw inspiration from. So many people use Pinterest for inspiration for many kinds of things. Remember one important thing: if you are using an idea from somebody else, remember to give them credit!

2. It helps you communicate with your friends:

Since we all are in lockdown and should not be leaving our house, we have no other means to communicate with our friends. You need a balance in your life, you cannot only dedicate your entire life to studies and school and lose contact with your friends. They play a bigger role than you think. So, if you ever feel bored, call up a friend, I’m sure they are as bored as you are. It’s also great for sending your friend's memes

3. It helps you educate yourself:

Recently, I have noticed that people have started using their platforms to spread awareness about what they believe in. If you are one who is not interested in reading the newspaper daily or going through the media apps, then most of your information is on social media. People post and encourage people through their platforms as their fans are most likely to follow in their footsteps

4. Social media gives you a platform to express yourself:

Social media is a place where you have the freedom to put out any content you feel like. Even though, that could be a bad thing we can take it as a positive thing. You have the freedom to express your thoughts and give your fans the content you want, not what anyone else tells you to put out. It’s a blessing to be allowed to post what you want.

5. It is highly useful, it serves as a medium for shopping or giving yourself a career:

social media in the pandemic is a blessing. There are so many small business shops that have popped out where you can buy products from their account on Instagram. There are so many cool shops you can discover simply by scrolling through reels. Social media also allows you to make a career for yourself. For example, take a look at these young tik tokers everywhere. Some of them are barely 18 and look at how much they have achieved. Even YouTubers, their whole career is online. It serves around uploading videos. They have achieved so much, being an influencer is one of the biggest career paths now

however, social media can be a curse as well because, with everything good, there’s always something bad. But if the pros outweigh the cons then it’s worth it. (in the end, it's your opinion)

6. A place full of facades:

You never know what is real and what is fake on social media. Sometimes you see someone’s post or story and marvel about how they are living their life but in reality, they are sitting on their bed posting pictures they took weeks or even months ago. I must say though, people have started sharing the reality of a lot of things. Sometimes, influencers call themselves out for posting pictures they took months ago. Hopefully, as we progress we can start being more real and open up a little more

7. A place full of strangers:

All your favourite content creators in the bigger picture, are just strangers. Social media is dangerous because they are so many trolls or people who trick you to think they are someone. It’s a place of cyberbullying. There are so many people who come on the internet to trap people in a scam. Remember only talk to your friends. Having online friends can be dangerous but, in the end, it's your choice who you want to make friends with and how safe you want to be.

8. Hate which takes a toll on your mental health:

If you're putting yourself on the internet, get ready for the hate. No matter what you do, you cannot please anyone, there will always be someone who doesn’t like your content. Let them be, don’t give them attention, they probably can’t do what you do or they feel the need to put someone else down to make themselves feel better. There will always be that one online bully who feels the need to bring you and your content down. The bigger your platform, the more the people who have something against you but don’t let them get to you. Remember there are so many people out there who love your content and are ready to defend you so focus on those people, not the ones who don’t

9. It’s very addictive:

You can end up scrolling on tik tok or Instagram or other apps for hours which takes away from the time you use for yourself and the time you study. Sometimes it can be a good and entertaining break but it gets very addictive and then the next thing you know you are eagerly waiting for your favourite content creators to post. Remember to be careful of the amount of time you spend on social media

Here are some people's take on social media and about social media

1. “social media is not always a true reflection of real-life and no place to judge our worth”- Olivia Rodrigo

2. “We all go… what you leave should be bigger than you”- Cameron Boyce

3. “I’ve always done whatever I want and been exactly who I am”- Billie Eilish

4. “We get to live in a time that we get to use social media as a tool”- Gigi Hadid

5. “Social media has now become a part of our culture- you are either part of it or ignore it” – Zendaya

6. “One of the most important things about social media is knowing when to put the phone down and experience your life”- Taylor swift

7. “One of the most terrible feelings in the world is knowing that someone doesn’t like you. Especially when you don’t know what you have done to deserve it”- Ariana Grande

8. “If everything was perfect, you would never learn and never grow”- Beyoncé

9. “It’s hard to focus on your well-being and mental health when each time you open Instagram when someone is tearing apart your job or your relationship or essentially any of the things in your life that are positive”- Hailey Bieber

10. “Social media can influence the charts, but I think that only great music makes it to the top. The good songs make it”- Dua Lipa

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog. My views on social media are fairly neutral so we shall see as time moves on.

Thanks for reading,

Xx Mahika