Social media-
Social Media has been taking over the 21st century, and most people use it for a vast variety of reasons. Some people do not think about how social media can impact them physically, mentally, and emotionally. Social Media could be a full-time job for some, others just a hobby but it is important to note how social media can impact your life.
Why is social media useful-
Social Media is useful for many reasons, it is a wonderful way to make connections, advertisements, marketing, and other tasks.
People can use social media to promote themselves or a company/brand. Social Media allows one to be creative with their posts, it takes on a whole different level of personal advertising, or just marketing in general. Some ways social media can be beneficial are-
staying connected with family and friends worldwide via email, text, FaceTime, etc.
quick access to information and research
banking and bill pay at our fingertips.
online learning, job skills, content discovery (YouTube)
involvement in civic engagement (fundraising, social awareness, providing a voice)
great marketing tools
opportunities for remote employment
https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/social-media-remote-jobs
While this can be a positive it could also be negative, just based on who views your content and how people react to it.
Why is it not useful-
Social Media can have a lot of effects on your health and well-being. Social media is not always used for good, some posts have negative effects on people. Reasons social media could be harmful are-
It can cause-
Depression
Stress
Anxiety
Could cause sleeplessness
Addiction to social media
It can affect your self-esteem.
It can affect your relationships.
It can lead to loneliness.
Social media can have different effects on different people, but monitoring your social media is the best way to avoid these side effects.
Who does social media affect-
Social Media can affect anyone and everyone even if you are not a social media user. It can still affect the people around you, for example, social media can affect-
The Community
Your family and friends
Politics
Others can also be affected by the actions of one's social media postings, remember who could be at fall.
How to make sure you are not overdoing social media-
It is important to keep in mind to not overdo social media, it is a good reminder to take breaks from it. Here is a list of ways to keep social media to a minimum according to The Effects of Social Media on Mental Health - Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health -
Other things that can help you put social media to the side?
Plan a small gathering.
Take time to get out and exercise.
Find a place to volunteer.
Spend some face-to-face time with a good friend.
Pros and Cons of Social Media | Lifespan. (n.d.). Lifespan. https://www.lifespan.org/lifespan-living/social-media-good-bad-and-ugly
Brown, J. (2022, February 28). Is social media bad for you? The evidence and the unknowns. BBC Future. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180104-is-social-media-bad-for-you-the-evidence-and-the-unknowns
I liked your look into social media and its benefits and downsides. I hadn't thought before about the benefits of social media in the more business ways, but thinking about it social media has been super important to giving voices to and for people that don’t have one, among other uses like banking and research. It is definitely important to take social media breaks and know how to take time for yourself, and you listing ways to do that and also keeping in mind the hazards of social media is important.
Social media as a filmmaker is really weird because on one hand it does help me creativity and the quick flow os information is vital to some of my work that being said life can't just be online. I really like how your article touched on ways to help limit social media usage.
I think something that’s briefly touched on in some of your sources is the idea of parasocial relationships. Rather than form new and strengthen current relationships, people are gravitating toward online personalities called influencers, and these influencers are often employed by corporations to promote and sell various products. its kinda scary, and a big part of the reason I try to remain conscious of the things I watch on the internet.
The Psychology Today article "How Social Media Exploits Our Loneliness" was really interesting, especially the concept of "reaffiliation motive." Thanks for sharing that with us!