Social Media: Friend or Foe?
I'm going to begin this by being completely honest with you; the first thing I do when I wake up is check my phone. I open each social media site and scroll down until I'm assured that I didn't miss anything whilst I was sleeping. It's an awful habit, and definitely not something I'm proud of, but it's something I know I'm not alone in.
When I considered writing about social media, I knew that I'd have to push myself to be objective. For me, social media and the internet are fundamental; I use Facebook to share my blog posts, Instagram to find new brands and inspiration, and internet shops to buy new products. I've met pen-pals on twitter, written for a magazine on tumblr, and even started an online sign language course. I want to be a fashion journalist - the internet is definitely my friend.While the generation before us turned on the 6 o'Clock news, the people of today are checking the trends on Twitter. And really, is that all so different?
The most noticeable aspect of the internet is the lack of censorship. I'm aware this can be incredibly off-putting for some ; if your kid is surfing the web you want to be able to know that they're safe. It's easier than ever to see things that are out of your comfort zone, but there is a certain perk to this too. When the riots were happening in Baltimore, the news of what was happening spread through Twitter. What was erased by news outlets and reporters couldn't be ignored by people taking things into their own hands, and when they attempted to silence peoples voices the internet provided a platform for the real truth to be highlighted. There are many things that I've learned through the internet that my teachers, the education system and the news have failed to teach me. I now have access to a library that's nearly endless. Is this a asset or a hindrance? I've yet to decide.
However, despite how much it benefits me, I am also aware of its pitfalls (and there are a few). Every time I eat a meal, I have to take a photo of it. Every time I'm sad, I tweet about it. I've made some massive errors of judgement when it comes to posting things on the internet, and they've definitely cost me at times. People talk about how every post is traceable, and it's true. I've missed out on nights out with my friends because I've been wrapped up online. For every talented person who is able to gain success through the internet, there's an idiot whose able to spout their crap online (see Katie Hopkins' Twitter for examples). With the good comes the bad but arguably, that's life.
When it comes down to it, social media is unavoidable in this day and age, you've just got to pick and chose how you use it. You can use it to build a career, learn just about anything, start a charity, talk to people from every continent and all from the comfort of your own bed. To me, that sounds like a win.
You know, if a young person had a penny for every time an older person said "in my day we didn't have..." then they'd probably be able to buy a time-machine, go back in time and buy a freddo for a reasonable price. It's very true that in the 80's, you didn't have mobile phones or Twitter or Instagram. But do you know what you did have? Margaret Thatcher and leg-warmers. Who drew the short straw there?
When I considered writing about social media, I knew that I'd have to push myself to be objective. For me, social media and the internet are fundamental; I use Facebook to share my blog posts, Instagram to find new brands and inspiration, and internet shops to buy new products. I've met pen-pals on twitter, written for a magazine on tumblr, and even started an online sign language course. I want to be a fashion journalist - the internet is definitely my friend.While the generation before us turned on the 6 o'Clock news, the people of today are checking the trends on Twitter. And really, is that all so different?
The most noticeable aspect of the internet is the lack of censorship. I'm aware this can be incredibly off-putting for some ; if your kid is surfing the web you want to be able to know that they're safe. It's easier than ever to see things that are out of your comfort zone, but there is a certain perk to this too. When the riots were happening in Baltimore, the news of what was happening spread through Twitter. What was erased by news outlets and reporters couldn't be ignored by people taking things into their own hands, and when they attempted to silence peoples voices the internet provided a platform for the real truth to be highlighted. There are many things that I've learned through the internet that my teachers, the education system and the news have failed to teach me. I now have access to a library that's nearly endless. Is this a asset or a hindrance? I've yet to decide.
However, despite how much it benefits me, I am also aware of its pitfalls (and there are a few). Every time I eat a meal, I have to take a photo of it. Every time I'm sad, I tweet about it. I've made some massive errors of judgement when it comes to posting things on the internet, and they've definitely cost me at times. People talk about how every post is traceable, and it's true. I've missed out on nights out with my friends because I've been wrapped up online. For every talented person who is able to gain success through the internet, there's an idiot whose able to spout their crap online (see Katie Hopkins' Twitter for examples). With the good comes the bad but arguably, that's life.
You know, if a young person had a penny for every time an older person said "in my day we didn't have..." then they'd probably be able to buy a time-machine, go back in time and buy a freddo for a reasonable price. It's very true that in the 80's, you didn't have mobile phones or Twitter or Instagram. But do you know what you did have? Margaret Thatcher and leg-warmers. Who drew the short straw there?