‘Social Media is for Idiots’ — A Mentality for People who don’t Know How to Use It.
Stop blaming social media and take back control.
The time has come. We are now in the internet age. Long gone is face-to-face communication; it has now been replaced by a convenient little button, used to access our every need. But is this age really as bad as society would have us believe? Sure, we all use it. But that doesn’t stop the media from constantly telling us that it is bad for us, that we are living in a digital dystopia. We’ve become so obsessed with celebrity culture, followers and likers that we’ve forgotten what a positive platform this global phenomena can be.
So, I think it is about time that we reclaim social media and a make it great again. Particularly as it really is one of the best resources we have.
Social media connects people
One of the most obvious reasons many people get social media in the first place is that it is a fantastic linking network. However, it seems nearly all of us have become so obsessed with the next Kardashian baby, how to look like a beauty vlogger and the lives of love islanders that this has become completely overlooked. There is no greater annoyance than when someone who knows you doesn’t follow you back and continues to tweet celebrities and like their Insta posts, despite never having met them. Our version of connection has become distorted. We should be more concerned with the lives of people around us and following worthwhile accounts that will actually connect us to inspiring people, rather than the façade of celebrities who air brush their pictures and don’t even look themselves (looking at you Kim K).
Which leads on to my next point.
We have control of the button
One of the most valid arguments against social media is how it encourages us to post an ideal version of ourselves that has been meticulously edited so that it is free of imperfection, all because celebrity accounts appear so flawless. Whilst I can recognise this and am not completely oblivious to it, we seem to forget that, as a society, we have control of this. Just as ‘fake news’ circles the media and we don’t believe everything we read, ‘fake news’ is a prominent aspect of our social media accounts. We chose to give Kim Kardashian 107 million followers, no one held a gun to our head and shouted “you must like her latest selfie”. So it’s time that we start remembering that there is no rule on social media that we must look like the people we follow, that our happiness rests on how many likers and followers we have. We’ve forgotten that social media is meant to be autonomous and self-governing. So maybe it is time that we click unfollow on those accounts that make us self-objectify ourselves and regain our social media independence.
It’s an avenue for frustration and awareness
One of the things I love about Twitter is the fact that it is doesn’t discriminate against users. Anyone can have an account, be they trans, gay, lesbian, bisexual, white, black, male or female. You name it. Everyone is allowed a voice. It gives minority groups a place to raise awareness and help others suffering from similar issues. It’s been an incredibly empowering tool, as by giving these groups a sense of community, it’s helped them to stop feeling disconnected and alone, and become part of an inclusive group. Also, it’s a fantastic place if you just want to rant about how much you despise Donald Trump.
It provides real-time news updates
Immediate news updates are needed more now than ever after terrorism seems to have reached an all-time high. Social media has accelerated the access of news and means that we now don’t have to wait for the scheduled news programmes that may just be too late in a crisis. Twitter came to the rescue in the Manchester terrorist attack, as thousands of people took to twitter to offer help and rooms to those that had been impacted.
It’s useful for opportunities
Social media is a great resource for learning and education, as services such as LinkedIn have increased the networking possibilities between employers and employees. We really are living in an era where anything is possible. Want to tweet an employer? You can. Want to follow a renowned business account? Go ahead. You can even watch YouTube videos on next to anything, which means we are no longer limited by our own imaginations.
So, it’s time we stopped scapegoating social media and realised that it is our consumer culture of social media that needs to change. After all, social media isn’t idiotic, our attitudes are.
With thanks to Paige Williams
