It’s so difficult to imagine the world without social media platforms. We never imagined the effect it would have on our relationships. When we first met Facebook, we thought that it was just some place for posting pictures. Then Twitter appeared, and we thought it would only be somewhere to post random thoughts. Instagram was just a place for photographers, and Snapchat was just for teenage language.
Eventually, we’ve been figuring out how wrong we were about that appreciation. Facebook ended up with more people than real countries, Twitter helped political movements, Instagram became part of sales and Snapchat is the quick flirt site of preference.
Not to mention other platforms with less popularity, but similar significance when it comes to how it shapes our day-to-day lives. No matter how often we use them, or what platforms we prefer. All of them take part in our human interactions, and affect an essential element in our lives- relationships.
Therefore, we made a list of positive and negative effects. We will talk about both sides, as social media brings as many benefits as problems that can be avoided and solved.
Positives
• Networking
From LinkedIn to Pinterest, you can take advantage of social media to improve your networking skills. There’s no need to be an expert in PR. You just need to find three key elements: niche, good content, and voice.
Create an account that specialises in a particular topic. Then search for the audience who’s interested in that subject. Finally, interact with them and make a real effort to create quality content for the community.
• Global Neighbourhood
One of the biggest gifts from social media is the opportunity not only to watch, but to be part of other cultures. It’s amazing to be able to make friends around the world, and feel like we’re in lots of parts of the earth at the same time.
It’s a feeling so natural to us now, yet something that many people couldn’t feel years ago. We must appreciate that it’s so easy to know what’s going on at the other side of the world immediately. Also, it’s a blessing to collaborate and make links with people for work or community projects, from the other side of the world .
• Strengthens relationships
The fact that we can communicate with family and friends living in a different continent, country or city, and keep those relationships healthy, is wonderful. Imagine all the people reunited after years of being apart, thanks to online profiles. With simple research, you can even find people from the past, for example, building family relationships or discovering your family tree.
Besides, even if it’s somebody you just met, you can also find “the one” thanks to social media. Relationships that may have seemed lost before, can now be offered a second chance. Love and sharing between distances are possible now.
• Jobs
If you’re a social media manager or a community manager, you’re probably already aware of the fact that your work didn’t exist a few years ago. Despite the fact that so many jobs are disappearing, new ones are also being created. Thanks to technology and social evolution, it’s necessary to create new roles between companies to attend to the customer’s new needs.
Also, thanks to social media profiles, job seekers can contact people from every part of the world. If you have an excellent profile, it can turn into a career as an influencer. In any case, what you post on your feed might help someone find you, or help you find somewhere you want to work.
Negatives
• Distractions
Social media can be a huge distraction – not just during working hours, but while spending time with relatives and family too. Everyone has that friend who’s obsessed with checking their smartphone every second. Sometimes you have to repeat what you’re saying. Perhaps, you’re not paying enough attention to others when they speak to you.
This is all down to checking social media most of the time. It’s almost an unconscious habit we have. Either walking on the streets, at school, at work, at dinner or even at a concert. We stop ourselves from living in the moment through our senses, in order to start recording it and posting it. So frustrating, right?!
• Psychological disorders
So let’s take this into consideration. Social media may not be solely responsible for mental illness in people. It takes more than that. Normally, a person may have a problem already, and the constant use of social media may increase the consequences. For example, jealousy in relationships is a common problem between couples that have profiles.
Also, other difficulties like depression or anxiety can be increased by watching other people’s “perfect lives.” In any case, an obsessive use of social media can cause a lot of mental problems that you should avoid.
• Lack of privacy
Once you agree to privacy terms and create your personal profiles, there are few ways of complaining. What comes next is entirely your responsibility. You must know a few ways of protecting your data on social media and give less private details, to avoid stalking or felony.
Sometimes, we forget how little privacy our social media life actually has, and then we complain about the consequences. So, it’s better to read about what you can do before you start using a platform you don’t know. Even if you consider yourself an expert, there’s always something new to learn.
• Cyber-bullying
This might be the most dangerous problem that people have to face because of social media. Despite what people think, it’s not only a teenage problem. It also affects grown ups. But as responsible parents, friends, and humans we should promote respect between each other. Being alert is also essential – if someone is facing this issue, people often look on in silence.
We don’t want anymore tragic events as result of something like this. Awareness is the first step, and taking action is the most important step. Don’t let anybody else suffer because of this, and call for help. Let’s care more for each other.
If you’re more in tune with how the social media environment is, then you can avoid a lot of problems. By knowing when you’re crossing the line, you also know what would work best for your users. Keep in mind that psychology plays a big part in this job.
