Social Media; Helpful or Harmful?

Social media and the concept behind it and its many platforms have evolved over the years. It was originally being used as a way to connect with friends and family no matter the distance between them. It was and still is used as a way to meet new people and connect and form groups of people with common interests. 

When using and signing up for social media platforms its important to keep in mind that there is an immense amount of responsibility and at times, possible consequences that can come with it. Individuals need to remember to be safe when accepting friend requests and when making posts. From a young age, we are taught to be careful who we talk to and what we post about. Especially when at the college level, becoming more serious about your image when it comes to finding employment in your field of study. Employers can and will check what you post on your social media accounts and that could make or break an opportunity.

Although social media has a lot of precautions that come along with it, it can be a very fun experience. Everyone gets to have their own unique feel to their accounts and what they share and post. These platforms can be a social and creative outlet for everyone. You can join pages on Facebook that interest you or involve your hobbies and likes.

Social media is becoming a great advertisement and marketing tool. Many businesses will have social media accounts such as Instagram or Facebook where they can post company news or new products. Instagram is a widely used platform because you can use it as a gallery to display a business. For instance, a restaurant can post images of their food or unique dining area which can draw the viewer’s attention and they will gain more business. 

In more recent news, social media has been a very good tool to get important news and information across to a large audience of people. In the current pandemic, we see ourselves in today, masks and hand washing are a very big deal. When the requirement of masks was first initiated people were posting all over social media platforms to inform why we need to wear them and how to effectively wear them. For example, having small posts on the proper way to wash hands and wear masks is an effective way of getting the point across. Smaller posts were able to grab the viewer’s attention without over informing and deterring people. 

Social media is a tool that has become very popular. In order to succeed companies should be utilizing and adapting to it. It can be used for many things from product promotion to hiring new employees. It is a successful and easy way of advertising and marketing that is taking over. It is deeply ingrained into our society and will not be going anywhere any time soon, and business marketing teams should utilize that power.