By Stori Rounds
Social media has seen a rise among newer generations, starting from when I was much younger. Being born in 2003, I was not aware of the start of some social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, seeing as they started in 2004 and 2006 respectively. While these platforms are also important to the rise of social media, they are not as widely used for generations such as Gen Z. The platforms that are used, however, are ones that have taken the internet by storm; Instagram and TikTok.
Many arguments have been made as to why social media platforms can be extremely harmful to people of all ages, and I agree with many of those arguments. However, I find it useful to pose some reasons why social media can also be a good thing. First, social media enhances communication with people around the world in real-time. When there was no social media, people received news from news reporters on television or in newspapers. This way of receiving information is useful but isn't as effective when the world is quickly changing and there are new things happening every minute. With the use of social media, people are able to receive the latest news as quickly as possible.
For example, in 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine, a video was posted to TikTok showing the city of Kyiv with missiles overhead, flying through the sky. Many more videos were posted showing the catastrophic events that were taking place in Ukraine in real-time. Due to the videos posted on TikTok, people around the world were able to see what was going on and support for Ukraine spread. Many news networks such as the BBC also have accounts on TikTok, showing they have embraced this new way of sharing news. TikTok was able to bring people together to help Ukraine in this time of need.
Another positive side of social media is that it can bring awareness to educate people around the world on topics that may not have been brought to light in the past. Mental health, for example, is something that has been discussed more and is less stigmatized thanks to social media. People are able to share their experiences and understand more about what is going on with themselves or others around them. Another example is social justice. A major movement in 2020 was the Black Lives Matter movement, where people were able to organize events and share their stories with the help of social media.
The reason for this piece is not to say that social media is perfect and that we should all be using it every day, it is to explain why social media can be a tool to many people around the world and is in some ways misunderstood.
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