It seems like these days everyone has a love-hate relationship with Social Media. I am personally a fan but am I being naive?
I love social media- be it Facebook, YouTube, Instagram or Twitter. I love that you can post something once and instantly connect with multiple people. But social media seems to have garnered a bad rep over the years. Here I am, coming to it's rescue....
Social Media has created poor body image in young people
As someone who grew up in the '90's, I strongly reject this one. When I was young, the beautiful girls were the iconic supermodels. Think Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Kirsty Turlington, Claudia Schiffer, Kate Moss......tall, slim striking girls. Social media has recognised beauty comes in all shapes and forms. You can either be a size 6 or a size 26, be 4'10" or 5'10", have a pixie cut or long flowing locks and you can still be considered beautiful. Social media has given rise to beauty individual beauty standards. I will never be a tall blonde with blue eyes but I do not feel insecure; there would be a time in the past where I would but certainly not now. I know I am not everyone's cup of tea, but I am my own cup of tea and that's what truly matters.
All posts on Social Media are fake and make people feel bad about their lives
Yes and no. People will only share their happiness and successes. There may be some people who like to be more honest about any difficult times they are going through but in general people do not like to publicise their hard times. Before social media was a thing, photos would be taken on special occasions- birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, etc.. These days, there is a photo for the smallest of things- be it morning coffee or marking a personal milestone. It's just a small way people capture a moment that is meaningful to them. It may give a glossy overview of their life but this has always been the case with taking photos.
Everyone knows my business
People on social media will only ever know as much as you share with them. You get to choose which parts of your life you want to share. You can even limit your profile and share limited things with limited people. People won't necessarily know all your business just because you have a social media presence.
Social Media isn't Safe
Neither is walking the streets alone at night. There is always some kind of harm in anything that a person engages in but truthfully, I find social media the least harmful of all kinds of social communication. Main reason I take this stance is simply due to the level of control each person has over the personal details they share. And never forget the 'block' button can be your best friend; use it as freely as you feel.
It's easy to stalk on Social Media
If someone wants to do some stalking, they will find a way. Sure, social media platforms does make the process so much easier but that's where the block option comes in handy as well as only sharing a limited amount of things with people.
Social Media is so Saturated
Yes, that's true but also for me, most of my friends are dotted all over the world. Having a Facebook and Instagram account is such an easy way for me to keep in touch with everyone. I don't talk to my friends all the time but I have a vague idea of what everyone is up to. It makes me feel very connected to people especially those living abroad.
At this point, I feel like an advocate for social media, which I guess I am. While I acknowledge there are some definite pros and cons to having a social media presence, I do think you get what you put into it. Social media gives so much control to its users; so if something isn't working for you, by all means change it or delete it. Ahh...the joys of social media 🤗.
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