Social Media and it's Inpact

    Hey everyone, I hope your week has been treating you well. I wanted to kick this blog off by talking about something I think is important. Social Media. Yes, I know, everyone has their opinions on it. Some people think that it's one of the greatest developments of our time, and others think it’s the Devil Incarnated. The majority fall somewhere in the middle, where social media has its uses but also has issues that come with it. This blog post entry hopes to define some of these aspects, and maybe talk about my own observations on the matter. First off, Social Media DO’s and DONT’s. While everyone has their opinions, some are more willing to share their lives than others, I think the general rule is not to post anything that you wouldn’t feel embarrassed about if you had to show your family. When I was younger, I wouldn’t post at all, but then again, social media hadn't exploded the way it has now. Back then it was mainly used for comedy and memes. YouTube culture was only just starting out, and Facebook was still the “cool” thing to be on. Now, Facebook is for grandparents. 

    For all its quirks, social media was more authentic than it is now. Now everything is filtered and edited. Around this time companies started pumping millions of dollars into advertisements. Because companies were now investing so much into these platforms, the userbases quickly grew even larger. In addition to the increase in users, companies also started using social media as a hiring service. Now it’s a common practice for companies to visit your profile pages and see what kind of person you are, even more reason why you should be careful about what you post. Because of this, my posts changed from memes and jokes to more professional photos. It is also important to do multiple types of photos, for example if all you have are selfies, people might think you're narcissistic. 

    Personally, I wouldn’t change anything about my experience when I was younger, nor would I take what I Know now and change how I was back then. My main reasoning is that I find that kids now are so focused on their image and trying to look like adults, which opens the doors to bad actors in the community. Now every kid can feel “famous” before they reach 18. Everyone has seen what happens to Disney child actors who weren't able to handle the sudden boost in exposure. Now were spreading the problem to every child in the U.S. It has also opened the doors to uncensored expression. Yes, self-expression is important, but we should not confuse speaking thoughtlessly with speaking honestly. Equally important is to understand that what we see on social media is essentially a highlight reel of people's lives. People seldom post their failures, and if they do, it's to garner sympathy and “authenticity” from their fan base. This problem is especially prevalent amongst young girls, who before hitting puberty are already comparing their bodies to the ones they see on the screen. Is it any wonder why body dysmorphia, anxiety, depression have risen so much amongst young teens in the last 15 years. 

    With all these aspects, should people quit social media? Well, the answer is a personal one. They sell themselves under the idea that they create a platform for everyone to express themselves. But we have millions of people who go to bed every night staring at their phone and wake up in the morning and do the same. A generation of people all looking online for gratification. They are bystanders in their own life admiring people who are living theirs.