" The more social media we have, the more we think we're connecting, yet we are really disconnecting from each other " - JR.
I will start things off with a story.......
Is once upon a time, too cliche?
Or, I don't know. How about, not so long ago?
Any one is acceptable. (I think.)
There was a girl, naive and immature. She had no friends or maybe no one wanted to be her friend. Either way, she was friendless. And, days and days of being alone pushed her into the web of depression.
She sought for a way out. I mean... Don't we all? She invested her time into Facebook, in order to connect and meet with people. She met a guy, a charmer that had a way with words. He offered her friendship and she agreed. After all, That was what she wanted. The little time spent with this mystery guy made her believe she was in love.
Poor girl.
And she thought he loved her too. At least, that's what he said in a long heartfelt letter he sent, asking her to be his 'girl'. No doubt, she agreed.
One day, he asked her to send nude pictures of herself, after minutes of pondering she agreed. What a huge mistake, she made. Before she knew what was happening, it was everywhere on Facebook. The pics showed her face which she made a mistake of revealing any one who went to her school and had an FB app immediately knew it was her.
You all know what follows.
Public disgrace, shaming, name-calling.
And she could not face this battle alone so she decided to close the curtain in her life. *brief moment of silence*
This sad story will start off our topic on Social media.
~~~~~~~~~~~
What was the purpose for which:
Andrew Weinrech created Six degrees??
Mark Zuckerberg created FaceBook??
Jack Dorsey created Twitter??
Kevin Systrom & Mike Krieger created Instagram??
I am not them, but I am 100% sure they were made as a platform for individuals to interact, create, share, exchange information and ideas. And even to Connect.
Andrew Weinrech, the father of social networking created his platform to help people connect with other people they didn't know (yet)
It's safe to say, Social media was conceived with good intentions. I mean, i can't imagine a 21st century without technology and apps. Is that even possible? Let's talk about the positive aspects in which social media has helped us
1. Connecting people with their friends, family and loved ones.
2. Being a platform for people to showcase their God given talent. ( Thanks, WATTPAD )
3. Helping people with information with just a search. People don't even need to be in a school or library to learn ( I will still continue protesting for hard cover books to be taken seriously and for the building of libraries )
4. Expanding people's businesses and helping them attain wealth at their own comfort.
And even...
5. Helping people to find love. True Love and other fatal attractions, we call " Love"
Yeah!! Social media has helped us a lot.
Alas, our human nature that compels us to mess things up have messed it up. ( did I really say, Alas?)
How did we mess it up?? Someone asks.
Its time for me to pull out my guns and highlight the ways in which it has DESTROYED us. * emphasis on the capitalized word*
Facts and statistics have shown that:
Spending more than 3 hours on social media per day puts adolescents at a higher risks for mental health issues.
13% of kids aged 12 - 17 report depression and 32% report anxiety
25% of people aged 18 -25 report mental illness.
If you think, I'm lying.
Let's have a survey, shall we?
How many of you are actually on social media to connect?
How many of you are not bothered by a picture or video that did not garner high likes and comment?
How many of you post pictures then delete it after a while, due to fear of people's comment?
How many of you take the comment of trolls seriously?
Like Mr Eazi sung: THE PRESSURE'S GETTING WERSER
(Sing along if you know what I'm talking about)
Social media is losing its main value and it's becoming a battle ground for people. A place where people compare themselves to one another. A place where people prey on others for sadistic reason. A place where people lose them selves all in the name of 'getting followers'
And today, if you don't have a huge social media following â you are not important. (I guess )
Bill Murray said " Social media is training us to compare our lives instead of appreciating everything we are. No wonder why everyone is depressed "
He most definitely knew what he was saying.
There is a huge link between Social media and Mental illness (as shown in the statistics up there )
Thanks to social media, there has been an increased risk of depression, anxiety, self-harm, loneliness, suicidal thoughts and inadequacy about one's life and appearance.
Matter of fact, Social media has become a breeding ground for criminal activities. Such as, Cyber bulling, Hacking, Fraud scams (4-1-9) and let's not forget that it has affected people's sleep pattern, made people miss out on face to face relationship, made them to have less time for other activities and led to social comparison.
What can we say about Social media?
Did it give a voice to the voiceless?
Yeah
Did it bring about an increase in depression?
Yeah
Did it help people accumulate wealth at the comfort of their home?
Yeah
Did it ruin people's self esteem?
Yeah
Did it help people acquire knowledge?
Yeah
Did it damage people's self worth?
Yeah
In as much as social media has its advantages and disadvantages stacked up against us. That does not mean we can't find a smooth balance and gain control of it.
No, really. We can.
Solution
Remember, it is your social media. It is your handle. It is your username, your pictures, your videos, your memories, your lives.
Only you control what goes in there. Only you can control what you choose to share with the rest of the world.
Only you.
It belongs to you. Make it a place that makes you feel good and if any person is pissing you off.
Four ways to deal with them:
Un follow them, un friend them, block them and if they are a pain in the ass, who won't go away. REPORT.
You don't have to give a damn about what everybody says in the comment. Some people are just fed up with life and enjoy pulling others down with them. What they say, does not matter.
And, it's best to stop looking for affirmations from people. Both, POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE.
Because, if you get used to getting positive comments from people, one negative comment could ruin you. (Just, saying)
Do not live a fake life. Be real. Be authentic. Be you. Perfection does not exist for us humans, we're beings with flaws, beings who are allowed to make mistakes as long as we Learn from them. So... Stop trying to impose the act of perfection on yourself, it can drive you to post things that lead to regrets.
Reduce your social media time, create them for other important thing. Like you can read a book(a hard covered book. People.) take a walk, connect face to face with people.
All in all, do what makes you happy. Post what makes you happy.
It is your social media handle. It is your space. Make it a safe space.
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I know. I know. This chapter is a long one. The topic is a critical topic, I just had to. I don't even feel like I did justice to it. I did my best though.
See you in the next chapter. I wonder what is going to be discussed. Who knows.
Have a great day. Bye.....