In this article we will be considering “How Social Media Controls Us”. Most of us maybe under the influence of the “Social Media” without even realizing that your under the influence. I will be talking about how the “Social Media” controls us and how we can avoid being controlled by social media.
First lets find out what “Social Media” is all about.
What Is Social Media?
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks.
In a simple form Social Media also refers to the means of interactions among people in which they create, share, and exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks. The Office of Communications and Marketing manages the main Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube accounts.
Examples Of Social Media With Their Numbers Of Users
I will be listing the different “Social Media” with the amount of people using them.
- Facebook (2.74 billion users)
- YouTube (2.29 billion users)
- WhatsApp (2 billion users)
- Facebook Messenger (1.3 billion users)
- Instagram (1.22 billion users)
- WeChat (1.21 billion users)
- TikTok (689 million users)
- QQ (617 million users)
- Douyin (600 million users)
- Sino Weibo (511 million users) ETC.
Note: The Social Media’s listed above are not all there is, there are more.
How Social Media Controls Us
Social media only continues to grow as a form of communication and entertainment, meaning social platforms get more powerful as their memberships rise.
Social media has been around since 1979, when it was used much more occasionally ambiguous and the technology was just beginning. But in our world today, we use social media on a daily basis; every morning when we wake up, when we are at school in our free time, and every night before we go to sleep. Teenagers today mostly use Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and TikTok, but that is only a few of the hundreds in the world. That is already a lot of social media that we use and there are hundreds more. We have heard it rots our brain and research is backing it up. The most popular ways that “Social Media” can control us include;
Social Media Addiction
Research shows that social media can be addictive, nowadays most youths tend to be addicted to the social media and they abandon important things like reading their books and building their selves up to focus more on their phones, causing their education to suffer.
The Easy Spread Of Rumors
On the social we see every information whether true or false, so we should be mindful of the information we share online to avoid causing panic in the society over petty rumors. During the Corona virus period, most people were driven out of fear todo things they wouldn’t do normally because of numerous rumors flying around on the social media.
Inferiority Complex
The purpose of social media is to share your best memories in life to others that you add or follow. But sometimes social media can get out of the user’s control and can lead to problems such as drama, bullying, trolling, harassment, and much more. The problem is that we are faced with stress over what they see on IG.
Increase Of Crime Rate
Social media’s anonymity and fakeness, as well as jurisdictional issues, have contributed to an increase in online violence that affects people. People tend to copy indecent things online, trying too hard to make money by all means because of the flashy things they see online hence committing fraudulent activities online to make quick money.
How To Get Rid Of Social Media Addiction
Delete apps, or disable notifications from social media: Most people check into social media mindlessly, so put a small barrier in the way by turning off notifications. If you don’t see a social media icon or alert every time you pick up your phone, you’re less likely to spend time there. Set limits and stick to them
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Benefits Of Social Media
Everything in life has good and bad sides, likewise the social media. In this section we will be considering the merits/advantages of using the “Social Media”. Below are some advantages of “Social Media”.
Social Media Helps To Build relationships.
Social media is not just about brands connecting with their customers. In fact, at its root, social media is about connecting people to people. If you’ve attended a Social Shift training session I’ve led, chances are you’ve heard that almost every single friend I have in San Francisco, I met through social media.
From a professional perspective, you can grow your professional network online tremendously by connecting with colleagues, mentors, role models and other professionals. If you nurture those relationships, you have a whole new network to tap when you’re looking for opportunities or professional guidance.
Social Media Helps You To Share your expertise.
Social media gives you an opportunity to talk about what you know and what you want to be known for. Sharing your expertise will attract potential professional and personal connections. Learn how to present your professional experience, achievements and results and you will get more and more opportunities to connect with like-minded people.
If you share content on topics that you know much about, you can begin to build credibility. This doesn’t only go for your online presence. If you live your personal brand and your actions reflect your online presence, it validates that you can be trusted and those relationships you are building will be that much more authentic and valuable.
Social Media Helps To Increase your visibility.
If you spend time honing in on your expertise, consistently managing your social channels, then you have the potential to greatly increase your visibility and even become a thought-leader in your space. Good content gets shared, so if you are consistently posting quality content, the more people who share it, the more people see it.
It’s not just about pushing content, however. You also need to be engaging with other people’s content. Following people and interacting with them on social media will work to build relationships (we keep coming back to this one!) and will help to get your name out there for people to turn to.
Social Media Helps You To Educate yourself.
There is a lot of noise on the Internet. Social media allows you to hone in on what you really care about and what you really want to read. You can create lists that curate content from your favorite people, thought leaders in the space, or media outlets. You can easily learn about current events and things taking place near you.
Social Media Helps You To Be Active 24/7
I know to some of you this may sound like a disadvantage. But, the advantage of being able to communicate and connect with anyone instantly outweighs the potential negative.
Social media can help you connect before, during and after networking events, a conference or a meeting. People can get to know you prior to meeting you and be better equipped to talk in person. I know I’ve met people in person for the first time after following them online for a while and we felt like long lost friends!
Social Media Helps Young people In developing a voice and building trust
Social networking services can be used to hone debating and discussion skills in a local, national or international context. This helps users develop public ways of presenting themselves
Social Media Helps Build Good Team Players
Social networking services are designed to support users working, thinking and acting together. They also require listening and compromising skills.
Other Benefits Of Social Media Include;
- Generating visibility around social, ethical, environmental and political views or issues.
- Spreading educational material quickly and efficiently.
- Providing companies with new marketing opportunities.
- Creating new channels that companies can use to find, recruit and hire new employees.
- Increasing the number of social contacts of groups and individuals.
- Producing new jobs associated with social media networks and consulting.
- Allowing a platform for group discussion and opinion sharing.
