SOCIAL MEDIA PROVES VITAL TOOL FOR TODAY’S TEEN
Twitter. Facebook. Instagram. Pinterest. Snapchat. Tumblr. Google+. Ask any teenager, and chances are that he/she maintains an active account on at least one of the above mentioned sites.
In our modern society, a double standard is held in today’s realm of social media. You are expected to have accounts on a variety of platforms, yet a negative light has been cast surrounding the way that these accounts are used. From cyber-bullying to the leaks of nude celebrity pictures, social media has become synonymous with cruelty, irresponsibility, and dangerous conditions.
However, the positive side of social media rarely makes the headlines of major news networks, nor sparks conversations between friends, families, or coworkers. And yet, one of the most powerful arguments for social media is that most of the time, the argument against it is published on it.
With the launch of Facebook in 2004, social media and online networking has exploded exponentially. What began as a way to connect university students to spur social interactions offline has grown exponentially into the primary means of communication today. According to a recent study released by the Search Engine Journal, 72 percent of people worldwide have some sort of social media account. Almost three-fourths of those use their smart phones to access accounts and update them regularly.
The popularity of social media is staggering; that in itself provides a substantial testament to the power that the sites hold. With over 1.15 billion Facebook users, 550 million Twitter users, and other rapidly growing programs, the opportunities that the sites provide outshine the dangers that may be out there.
Yes, there are certainly risks linked to having an online presence. But the real problem lies in the user, not in the tool. The fact that some people continuously post statuses that objectify women, bully their friends, or as a place to complain proves to be a testimony to the quality of the people in our world, not the social media in itself.
We are teenagers, and as we all know, teenagers do not always make the best decisions. As teenagers living through the age of information, we must not only learn to survive under the extreme pressures of society, but also learn to navigate the realm of social media.
With the click of a mouse, we are able to experience the lives of our friends simultaneously. We can read breaking news from overseas as soon as it occurs. We can even watch a video that raises awareness for an otherwise unknown cause. When used for the right purposes, social media provides tremendous benefits to making users on popular sites more worldly, knowledgeable and involved citizens.
In our modern society, a double standard is held in today’s realm of social media. You are expected to have accounts on a variety of platforms, yet a negative light has been cast surrounding the way that these accounts are used. From cyber-bullying to the leaks of nude celebrity pictures, social media has become synonymous with cruelty, irresponsibility, and dangerous conditions.
However, the positive side of social media rarely makes the headlines of major news networks, nor sparks conversations between friends, families, or coworkers. And yet, one of the most powerful arguments for social media is that most of the time, the argument against it is published on it.
With the launch of Facebook in 2004, social media and online networking has exploded exponentially. What began as a way to connect university students to spur social interactions offline has grown exponentially into the primary means of communication today. According to a recent study released by the Search Engine Journal, 72 percent of people worldwide have some sort of social media account. Almost three-fourths of those use their smart phones to access accounts and update them regularly.
The popularity of social media is staggering; that in itself provides a substantial testament to the power that the sites hold. With over 1.15 billion Facebook users, 550 million Twitter users, and other rapidly growing programs, the opportunities that the sites provide outshine the dangers that may be out there.
Yes, there are certainly risks linked to having an online presence. But the real problem lies in the user, not in the tool. The fact that some people continuously post statuses that objectify women, bully their friends, or as a place to complain proves to be a testimony to the quality of the people in our world, not the social media in itself.
We are teenagers, and as we all know, teenagers do not always make the best decisions. As teenagers living through the age of information, we must not only learn to survive under the extreme pressures of society, but also learn to navigate the realm of social media.
With the click of a mouse, we are able to experience the lives of our friends simultaneously. We can read breaking news from overseas as soon as it occurs. We can even watch a video that raises awareness for an otherwise unknown cause. When used for the right purposes, social media provides tremendous benefits to making users on popular sites more worldly, knowledgeable and involved citizens.