PosiTives of social media

Social Media Can Be Good — If You Want It To Be By Cayla Dorsey

If we’re being honest, social media can be a huge distraction that prevents us from being truly present in real life. There’s always a story to click through, something to laugh at, or a photo to like. As Gen-Z, we are knowingly addicted to a mindless, constant flow of entertainment, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing.

THE GOOD For one, social media allows us to feel connected in ways that have never been experienced before. The resonance of popular memes create bonds through feelings of relatability. These “units of culture” are crucial in making up the way our generation thinks and builds connections.

Additionally there’s never an excuse to lose touch with a friend, social media allows casual connections no matter the distance between two people. Through DMs, we are allowed to socialize without being forced to be present, which gives us more of a wide-spanned network than ever. Everyone is accessible.

Finally, we are more aware. There is no excuse to not have knowledge of current news due to mass-storytelling across platforms. The biggest benefit being that we are all storytellers and have an equal platform for our message. While social media activism isn’t the most effective tactic, (Thank you, Barack!) several crucial campaigns such as #BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo, and the Climate Change movement wouldn’t be nearly as visible without the power of digital sharing. For the first time in history, the smallest voices have a chance to be heard and are able to tell the truth. This is—in my opinion—the most powerful component of social media.

THE BAD With an increasing amount of people feeling overwhelmed and drained by their social media activities, “taking breaks” has become popular for those who realize the screen time is just too much. Feeding yourself photos of manufactured influencer ads and 25k vacations can lead to a serious lack of self-esteem.

If you feel drained after a social media binge, be sure to take a step back and remind yourself to be aware of what’s actually happening in the world. Social media often pressures us to meet certain standards in order to feel included. Groupthink and widespread misinformation is the biggest danger to us on these platforms. We have to learn to distinguish what is fact and what is just opinion.

CHECK YOURSELF

Find your balance. That paper you scrambling to write because you can’t stop checking the ‘gram? Set your social media apps to limit screen time through your phone settings, if applicable. Try to commit and stick to 2-3 hours a day. There is no reason to be wasting your time and feeling stressed when it’s your phone holding you and your GPA back!

Set a purpose. Are you on social media to start your business? Are you using Twitter to increase awareness about a cause? Networking with someone who works at your dream job? Understanding how social media will move you forward and sticking to that purpose will allow you to use it to your advantage. Because let’s face it…reposting the Kardashians is not getting you a check.

Connect with friends that might have drifted. There’s no excuses anymore to be a sh*t friend. What you put in is what you get out. Send someone you miss a tweet that only you guys would understand and watch the relationship grow into something better.

It’s NEVER that serious! No one really cares about what you’re posting unless it’s about them. And that, I promise you.