In my last few blogs I have posted about some of the negative aspects related to social media, so I figured I would change things around and look at some of the positive and some of the benefits social media has to offer. I think the best way to feel comfortable with social media is to learn about the benefits, learn what it can do for you and the ones around you. Once you have figured that out….. well that’s hard to say, I haven’t been able to do that yet but I’m willing to try.
So lets think what are some of the benefits social media can offer us
* Access to tons of information at our fingertips
* Ability to stay in touch with people around the world
* Advanced way to sell and buy products
* Social Networking
* Entertainment
These are just some of benefits that I can think of that social media can offer and I am sure there are way more, but for today lets take a look into each of these and see what type of benefits can come from social media.
Information
You no longer have to go to the library and rent out books to complete projects or research papers, these can all be done online. Information is readily available and take seconds to find any type of research to complete any type of task. This course has been a prime example of that. For an introduction to social media course I have personally learnt what a blog was, I had never even heard about blogs. Before my first blog I had to google what it was before I could even get started.
Information about where you come from, your heritage where your great great grandparents come from can all be accessed through social media.
Even looking and applying for a job, using platforms liked LinkedIn or Twitter which provide job opportunities right at your fingertips, also due to Covid a lot of job interviews are done virtually using things like zoom, teams and skype. These options are allowing us to make more use of our time avoiding travel and traffic, saving on wear and tear of vehicles and in the long run saving us money.
Connecting with Others
Online spaces like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and any other networking platforms can offer people the opportunity to be with friends, explore the world and build independence. As much as parents fear for some of these independence experiences, we do have to learn to let go and let our tiny humans become their own person. Social media platforms can help manage and recognize risk, it can teach us about rules and boundaries, it can help us develop who we are through peer groups. How can we say that these platforms offer any less experience then saying a person moving into their first home, or going off to school or moving to a new city. All of these adventures are testing our responsibility and independence helping to shape us into the people we are or becoming. Social media can defiantly play a large role in these big steps. Social media can help overcome these fears by allowing us access to various community groups for meeting new people, maps to get to know your location and the out reach to fit in.
Buy and Sell Products
Lets think back to building your personal brand, what did you learn when building your own brand? Were there any benefits to building your brand to buying and selling products. OF COURSE THERE IS.
Has anyone ever purchased a product off Facebook because they were scrolling and an advertisement has popped up? I know I have, I have just recently purchased a few for Christmas, products I probably wouldn’t have bought if it didn’t come across my social media.
Avenues like these are great for social media platforms to buy and sell products, using their brand to catch your attention and tag on to recent searches. Not only can you buy items but we sell items as well. Things maybe your children have grown out of, or things you no longer require. Social media has created ways to easily sell from your living room couch. Places likes Facebook marketplace, or community groups you have joined etc. allow you to post items in your community or even outside your community. People then can comment and ask question for instant responses, a quick arrangement is made for pick up, you leave it outside and BAM the item is gone. Can it get any easier then that?
Social Networking
In order to social network before we had to attend conferences, group gatherings and have an in person face to face experience. Now thanks to social media we can talk to friends, colleagues, businesses all over the world on any device. For me social networking is great in relation to the fire industry. I am able to ask questions about best practices or educational strategies to departments all over the world. I can reach out to people in the states, overseas and learn about different cultures to incorporate into my work lesson plans. This is a great experience and has helped to me to communicate better with more diverse expectations.
Entertainment
How does social media play into entertainment? Think about YouTube, YouTube is a platforms that allows people to upload videos for everyone to watch. Does anyone know how Justin Bieber was discovered? At the age of 13 Justin preformed in a singing competition. His mother recorded it and then uploaded the video to YouTube so friends and family that were not able to attend were able to watch. She continued to upload random videos of him singing and playing the guitar. A music prompter saw his videos and asked him to come and record a demo and now he has a net worth of $285 million. Amazing, this is just one example of how social media plays into the entertainment world. Everyday millions of people watch videos/tutorials/listen to music all through social media platforms. I have honestly learnt how to change a tire on my car by simple watching a YouTube video. With all this information again, being readily available to us, how can we ever go back to a world that doesn’t included social media.
Take a moment, could you imagine a world without Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube? Could you see yourself going into stores and having to stand in line at Christmas to buy that one special gift or having to enter a bank and see a teller to pay a bill? The world as we know it would be strange, silent and possibly even boring. Social media has helped our world grow and in my eyes become more accessible to our busy every day lives.
Algonquin College Social Media Certificate Program 
Great minds really do think alike 🙂 !
I too think its important to remember that social media is not all doom and gloom and I believe the positives most certainly outweigh the negatives of it. Social media is meant to be fun, profitable and educational.
Absolutely, its hard to sometimes push away those bad things especially as I look at it from a mother’s perspective but I do realize the good that comes out of it too and all the good things my children can gain from social media.
Thanks for your comment.
Well first of all, I love that meme! And it’s not wrong, it is hard to stay off social media for a day.
You’re right, I myself have focused a lot on the negatives of social media in my blogs, but it’s good to focus on the positive points too. After all, social media is incredibly popular for so many different types of people and all age ranges, so there must be something positive that keeps us all coming back for more. I like that it allows me to share my travel photos and my artwork, but I also enjoy the entertainment value social media offers.
Thank you, I got a good giggle from it as well, I just couldn’t resist.
You are right Luka, social media has a lot of good to offer. Like i said before its just about teaching our young people about the dangers that social media can bring as well as all the good it can do as well. The more we teach them the more we hope that we can allow them to enjoy everything it has to offer.