does social media suck ?
Does social media suck?
YES. Well maybe.
Think about it. Social media is toxic, dreary, dramatic, harmful, even foolish, but it's what we live on.
We live on social media; our minds are influenced by what we see on our screens. Back in the day, we were influenced by the people around us, our atmosphere, but now it's down at our fingertips. This is all that came to my mind before even thinking about the positives of social media.
Because no it does not all suck.
After reading the first chapter in The Essentials of Social Media Marketing, I realized there are many advantages to social media. I've never been super involved through the media because I've always thought it was too much pressure for one to impress. BUT THAT'S NOT IT. Social media is influential, not detrimental.
Reading the simplest advantages from the book including how it's FREE, opened a different perspective for me. These platforms are free so users can discover, and the doers can take advantage to expose products, influence, and even help others. This platform, when used with good intentions, can improve society. But that's not what I thought two weeks ago.
Social media in my mind was negative when used by society. I've always thought it was a gateway to a non-reality, in other words, a fake world. Which it is, but that can be used positively. For example, it can be used to increase brand awareness and loyalty (Charello 2021). I mean that's pretty obvious since whenever you go on social media an ad pops up for a brand. It's whether that ad is attractive or not, determines if we even glance at it. Social media is beyond influential and we as a society need to take into consideration how our atmosphere can become positive.
All the benefits from social media influence others and can even change the way businesses are used. These platforms are beyond impactful and even though I didn't believe it at first, knowing what's capable with these platforms can change both mine and your thoughts on the media.
So before complaining about how social media sucks look at the positives because you never when you'll be able to influence someone.
Hi Alaina! I loved reading this piece on your thoughts regarding social media and the advantages listed in the chapter. I can totally relate with you on first thinking social media has more cons than pros. Social media can definitely be a space for negativity and unrealistic expectations. However, I've recently been leaning towards the advantages of social media, especially the fact that it is free! I love that you highlighted how the advantages covered in the chapter were able to shift your own opinion towards the online space. I especially agree that social media platforms can be positive for businesses when utilized correctly.
ReplyDeleteHi Alaina! I definitely agree with your first sentiment on the negativity of social media, but it would be hypocritical of me not to agree with your later findings after reading the chapter. I think a lot of us like to think that social media is bad and toxic, and yet we are still a part of it, no matter how little the time we spend on these apps or sites really is. I have become much more aware of my social media usage after reading Chapter 1. I have realized that in the past, I may have claimed that I wasn't reliant on social media, but that's not really true. I spent an hour mindlessly scrolling through Instagram this morning because I couldn't fall back asleep. I use social media to further my platform as a performer and to promote the work that I am doing. It is hard for me to love everything about social media, but after reflecting on how and why I use it, it gets easier to see some of the positives.
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