The Two Sides Of Social Media

It is no doubt that social media has evolved over the years and has become part of our daily life as virtually everyone are in one social media platform or the other. Social media platforms like Facebook, X, WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram etc. are widely used by the old, young and even kids too.

There is no arguing the fact that social media has had a great influence on our lives, both on the positive and negative side.

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The Positive Side Of Social Media

• The social media has become a great avenue to stay connected with family, friends, business partners, associates and colleagues.

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• It is also a great source of information and entertainment. The social media is now the fastest place to get trending news, latest released movies and music.

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• Not only that, it has opened up avenues for employment opportunities as recruitment agencies place job offers on social media.

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• It has also provided online learning, skills, content discovery on YouTube, TikTok and the rest.
• Businesses no longer depend only on print, TV and radio to advertise and promote their products, they've also incorporated the social media as a channel for advertisement.

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The Negative Side Of Social Media

• The social media exposes us to misinformation and "fake news," it can be a breeding ground for false information. I'm sure some of you are aware of this saying believe everything you see or hear on social media at your own peril, that's how bad it is.

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• There are some who have wrapped their lives around social media so much that they now live based on people's opinion or approval of them. The “selfieholics” and people who spend most of their time posting and scrolling through the social media channels are the ones most vulnerable to this. Not only that some of them have developed self image issues because they constantly compare themselves to others.

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• Another influence of social media on our lives is that it can be addicting. The happiness and excitement that come with seeing the number of likes, and comments that keep pouring in after posting a picture on Facebook, Instagram or shot videos on TikTok is enough to make one crave for more of the likes and feedbacks. And the way to achieve it is to spend more time posting, scrolling through the feeds and engaging with others.

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• It creates FOMO (fear of missing out) on individuals. Being the hub for latest gists, trending and breaking news including TikTok, Instagram challenges etc you will see more users trying to be part of whatever is happening there due to FOMO.

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• Inasmuch as the social media helps in connecting friends and family, it can also bring disconnection. You will find in a family where every member is focused on their mobile screens, either playing games, chatting, watching movies, etc instead of having a family time together. As this goes on it may brew problems and discord in the family.

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• It exposes underaged kids to contents that are inappropriate which can damage their lives if parental guidance is not applied.

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The impact of social media in my life is more on the positive side. Through platforms like Facebook, YouTube WhatsApp, I've learnt perfumery, culinary skills like yogurt and parfait, spice production, including digital skills like data entry, copywriting, graphic design etc. I've also enrolled in some professional courses via LinkedIn learning, and 14G Masterclass.

With WhatsApp and Telegram, my job is made easier as I can connect with my clients from across the globe, send and receive documents and close the business.

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I've equally experienced a bit of the addictiveness of the social media especially during the Covid 19 era when everywhere was on lock down as a result I channeled my time to growing my Facebook account and following others too. Then I can spend almost the whole day including nights scrolling through the feeds, and finding succor there but I had to cut down on it when I noticed the effect it was having on me. Now I can stay for days without checking my Facebook, moreover I'm not yet monetized so it's not bringing in any money.

My Photo

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I'm very much aware that social media life is different from real life so I do not allow the all perfect lifestyles we see on social media get to me because I know that they are all fake. They are all curated, edited versions of their lives which are presented to the public which are entirely different from their actual lives. The aim is to get likes, comments, follows and of course to pepper them, but unfortunately the gullible ones stand the risk of being affected.

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The Social media has turned the world into a global village and has made life a lot easier but on the other hand, it's usage is causing great harm to the global village.

Many thanks for reading.

Still the #threadsaddict 😂

Image 1 generated using miramuseai.net and edited on Canva

Image 2 source

Posted Using InLeo Alpha

Posted Using InLeo Alpha