Chances are you are stumbling upon
this article through some kind of social media source. Twitter or Facebook,
perhaps? You might see it standing next to another writer’s take on why social
media makes us depressed, less confident, and anti-social. But I do not think
that is true. Because of this, I want to bring to you several reasons why
social media can make you a better individual.
1.
Social media can save lives
Voltaire and Spiderman’s Uncle Ben
both have said, “With great power comes great responsibility.”
Social media puts the world in the
palm of our hand, so to speak. Not only does have connection to a million
viewers throughout the world give us amazing outreach, social media puts us in
touch with people who can help us.
Take organ donors, for example.
Without social media to spread the message, there are many people – most of
them are children – who would not have found the help they needed in time to
survive.
I am sure we have all heard the
stories of people using Twitter to help locate those who had been kidnapped or
lost. People can share videos in a blink of an eye or send us live footage to
help law enforcement officials or other investigative services bring evil to
justice. Or, we can use social media to raise awareness before disaster
strikes. In other words, social media brings out the good Samaritan in all of
us.
2.
It is an excellent tool
Furthermore, social media is like
the great sword Excalibur, hoisted from the Stone by a righteous grip.
Excalibur granted King Arthur the power to aid those in need. Think of that the
next time you start scanning Kickstarter and Go Fund Me for people to donate
money to.
Remember that with just a click, you
can send money or food to the Amazon rainforest, to starving children in
Africa, to homeless animals in Japan, or to the disaster-stricken families in
Haiti.
Another way social media becomes a
tool is how it keeps us constantly informed about whatever we decide to stay
connected to. For example, Twitter is my go-to for weather reports or random
global news updates. Facebook has gotten quite deft at weaving in local news
feeds and PR campaigns for businesses into my main page.
We also can’t forget the use of
“sharing.” Clicking a button and spreading the word about something you are
passionate about has never been easier.
3.
Social media develops communication skills
Before you start nay-saying me on
this, take a moment to consider how much you read online every day. If you are
like me, almost everything you do is connected to the Internet and social media
in some regard.
Yes, there are some heinous examples
of grammar to be found. But for the most part, people have learned how to
express themselves in succinct yet informative statements (thanks, Twitter).
You might not think about it much,
but reading and writing text messages, emails, your best friends status update,
blogs, and even those recipes that pop up on Facebook increase your literacy
and vocabulary.
Through voice messaging and apps
like Snapchat, people can learn how to speak “publicly.” Or at least they learn
how to overcome the fear of sounding silly… even though some still do…
4.
It makes us social
But all else aside, social media
allows us to connect to others of similar interests and stay involved in each
other’s lives even when we are hundreds or thousands of miles apart. You might
find yourself commenting on something shared from someone you do not know and
get a decent conversation going.
You might find yourself heading out
to an internet café to use the Wi-Fi and meet others who share your interests.
If you frequent YouTube or Instagram, you might find yourself gathering up a
following. Social media allows us to become engaged with people and places that
would otherwise be shut away from our reach.
5.
Social media brings us together
“It is a small world after all.” A
lot of the connections I have personally made have been through social media.
Using platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have given me the tools
needed to connect to friends, family, and even make new ones. Social media lets
me see the way other cultures live. Social media gives me access to current
events beyond my local field of view. Hopefully, social media is doing that for
you as well.
Social media does indeed get a bad
rep for making other people’s lives seem so much better or giving us
information some would rather go without knowing. If used properly, social media
can help you help others, and in turn, it can broaden your knowledge and
perspective of the world.
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