Reviewed by Bishakha Jain
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, etc. there seem to be more social networks popping up every day for us to log in, create a profile and connect.
Social media can be very influential on society in many ways.
• It gives people a way to stay in touch with people who live far away.
• It has become an important source of communication.
• Social media has broken all the barriers of communication be it in terms of cost, distance and time.
• It has emerged as a popular marketing tool.
• It has brought the outside world closer.
• It lets people share fun, interesting and informative content.
• It gives businesses a way to engage with customers.
It has become an integral part of our lifestyle and day-to-day chores, that we wake up not by an alarm, but by seeing Whatsapp messages, ‘Good Morning’ snaps, party posts, check-ins and many more.
Want to know what social media has actually done to us?
• An earthquake, you say? Check for updates on Twitter.
• Any Cricket match, you’ve live updates on various Apps.
• A wedding happened? Putting up photographs on Facebook is now a part of the rituals.
• You know a happening night when you see one on Instagram with an #AboutLastNight
• New Exotic holiday destination? Check out snapchat for updates.
• Going to a party is more about putting up #ootd posts, arriving somewhere is more about ‘checking-in’ on Facebook.
Having fun with friends basically means clicking a picture and posting it online!
But, Aren’t We All Living Double Lives?
Haven’t Social media made us compare ourselves with others?
Aren’t we all becoming anti-social with the passing time?
• Social Media is addictive.
• Social Media often makes an unfair comparison of yours, thereby leading to a decline in confidence.
• It makes us restless and reduces our focus from work.
• Many times, Social media leads to mood swings.
• It also leads to “narcissistic tendencies” in the youth.
• These days, one does not ‘talk’, they just ‘text’ or ‘chat’.
• Social networking is making it much more unlikely for us to interact with people face-to-face.
It is rightly said that ‘Every coin has two sides’.
Similarly, Social media too has both merits and demerits on Human behaviour and thinking.
Social media changed our lives so much.
Our life has become more convenient because social media and surely, it is a useful tool for us in this 21st century, as it’ll help us to improve our lives.
However, we have to aware of how we use them. What has to be done and what shouldn’t? What are the limits of getting engaged in this Smartphone life?
If we could use the social media smartly, having social media is a good change for us, else it has all the potential to destroy one’s life.
Think smartly!
