Dear Mark, Welcome to Social Media. Love, Mark
I’ve always been fascinated and passionate about the power of the internet. Growing up online, I saw the dawn of social media develop from a place of adding and chatting with friends, to a powerhouse for activism, crime and a battleground for politics.
Knowing what I know now, I can’t help but think about how I would use social media differently if I knew the real world implications and influence it would hold in 2018.
Social media has had both positive and negative influences on myself. It’s hard to say if it’s done more damage than good, but I cannot imagine a world without it now and I have never once thought about leaving it. In fact, I do not believe it is possible in todays society to not participate in social media! You will be left behind in the dust without it. Social media is the way the world works now, how we learn and discover things, how products are sold and shared, and how we communicate. At Ryerson University I would be missing out on many connections, and events. I even have classes outside of this one that specifically use Facebook to discuss course material, updates and assignments. You literally need social media to have an education!
When it comes to the positive and negative influences social media has many.
The positives are simple; connecting the world, sharing and discovering ideas and the power of free speech. The negatives however can be daunting.
With the power of social media were able to have a glimpse into other peoples lives around the globe that we may never have the chance of meeting. This includes people in other continents you may never travel to, celebrities and more. But this also means we get to see the highlights of their lives as they present it.
The way they present themselves online is a one sided conversation. We only see what they want to display. The picture perfect sides of their lives. We don’t see the ugly, the bad, the struggles, emotions or hardships that they encounter on a day to day basis.
Then we start to compare ourselves to others ‘picture perfect’ selves and value ourselves through how other people value us.
I recently asked a friend the worst part about using social media. Their response?
“Instead of seeking validation through yourself you start to find it in other people. which is unhealthy therefore social media sucks ass”
Nicely put.
This is the first time that we’ve had anything like this. We’re the first generation experiencing social media. It’s almost too early to even see or think about the long term effects social media will have on our mental health down the road. But it is clear that these one sided glimpses into other peoples lives is not healthy.
If I could write a short letter to my younger self warning them about the power of social media and the best way to use it going forward, I think I would say something like this:
Dear Mark,
I know how much you love the internet. It’s exciting and big. And it’s only going to get bigger. Use it to your advantage. Create and have fun. Use it to your advantage for networking, and building business, but do not get lost or stuck in the hype of what others share.
Love,
Mark
Another point my friend added that stuck with me:
“No one is really paying attention to how its affecting us; just caught up in the metrics, glorification, and emojis
but we’re all hypocritical cause whatever we post is still what we think other ppl will appreciate even if it’s complaining about social media
Cause like ur still…on it..”
🙌👍✌️
