The bright side of social media

It’s common to see warnings and debates about social media and its dangers, and there should be. Technology, in general, is an extremely powerful tool, and as the dearest uncle Ben from Spider-Man would say “with great power come great responsibility.” So it’s great that we talk about the risks of our online reality often. But, there are also so many great things about social media, and this article is to remind us of them. Let’s get into it:

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Staying connected with loved ones

How awesome it is to have everyone you love a click away? Knowing that you can contact anyone, at any time is fascinating! It has become something so rooted in our routines that we forget how incredible it is. And one can also choose how to stay in touch: by video calls, messaging, Instagram, LinkedIn and so on… It’s great how easy we can communicate, and we can also do it in whichever way we choose.

Social media brings people closer, regardless of where they are in the world. You can talk to your partner in the middle of a busy day to see how their day is going. And you can also congratulate your favourite friend from your year abroad on getting a new job. I, particularly, love to see what my international friends are up to, and it warms my heart to see the Insta Story they just posted about their pets.

There are so many people I care about, and it’s great to have a space, aka social media, where we can all share our experiences. The big news, and also ordinary glimpses of our way to seeing the world. And it’s not just about people who are geographically far, but also that cousin that you don’t see that much, or that friend who lives next door but you don’t hang out that much.

Now, it’s our choice who we want to interact with, when we will do it, and how we’d like that contact to be established.

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Finding your community

On social media, just like in real life, we tend to be close to the ones who share our values, experiences and expectations. Throughout human history, the sense of community tied us together. We all want to belong, and modern psychology is basically the ways we try to cope with that need.

Social media is a great way to find your people. It’s a great space to connect with people like you because, believe me, many people are out there feeling just as lost as you. Especially for minorities, social media is a way to stay strong, support each other and think about how to make the world a better place together.

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And there will always be new communities, new groups, new platforms to take part in. Besides the many options, it’s also great that it is really easy to become a part of one of these communities. Also, you can connect with multiple people that share multiple interests. You can be part of a photography group, stay tuned to the political party you support and get culinary tips from a master chef on the same platform or in different ways. Again: it’s your choice!

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General learning

There are several ways to learn through the internet, including social media. There are science-based experts talking about pretty much every topic you can think about. Wanna learn more about how cool (and visual) is chemistry? @techience. Mind-blowing social experiments? @feleciaforthewin. Feeling like breaking stereotypes? @stereotypebreakers. I could go one, but the 3 TikTokers above may get much of your attention already.

Getting back to it, social media is full of learning opportunities if you choose to follow the ones who will provide you with that. It’s also very important to always fact-check the information you are consuming and make sure to have sharp analytics skills. If it seems hard to believe, that’s probably because it is not true.

Beyond social media, there are several apps/websites that can help you make online time into learning time. Through Duolingo, you can learn a new language. If you love TED talks, you will be glad to hear they‘ve developed an amazing app to exchange ideas and experiences. Chegg is an app that makes math fun. How cool is that?

There are plenty of opportunities to learn online, so make sure you’re making the most of it.

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Cultural exchange

Social media is full of opportunities to experience cultural exchange first-hand. Basically, any interaction we have with another human being is a cultural experience, but the internet takes this concept to a whole new level. Beyond interacting, you can see others interacting and learn with it.

Being a click away for basically anyone in the world makes cultural exchange accessible and easy. If you enter a Hashtag like #Paris, you will see thousands (maybe millions) of people from everywhere experiencing the city in different ways. You can interact with them, show your perspective, or just watch and learn. I’m always so curious to know: what is this person thinking? How their experience of the Eiffel Tower can be so different from mine?

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Social media also offers a free small sample of cultural shock. We get to see different traditions, celebrations, and habits that may be so different from ours that we can’t even begin to understand them. But just having the opportunity to observe is already a privilege. A few years ago, to experience a culture, you’d have to be where it was happening. Now we can just open an app.

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Democratisation of speech

In social media, everybody has a voice, and at least technically, everyone has the same “chance” to get themselves heard. We all start the same: with a profile on whichever social network you choose, connecting with your community and exchanging ideas. Everyone with access to social media can technically access the same information and dispose of it as they want.

Having a voice makes a huge difference. If Malala hadn’t spoken up, the world would be even more dangerous for women to live on. If Greta T hadn’t spoken up about climate change, would we have taken action? Words matter. Speech matters. And what we do from there matters.

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Supporting your causes

The Arabic Spring was several waves of pro-democracy uprisings in primarily Muslim nations, including Tunisia, Morocco, Syria, Libya, Egypt, and Bahrain. The name came from the events in these countries, which started in the spring of 2011. Years after several of these uprisings ended, their political and social repercussions are being felt today.

The protests are deeply tied to increasing social media access. Giving voice to the unheard is a really powerful thing. The internet allowed people to discuss ideas and organise actions to build their desired world. Nowadays, many communities have a strong online presence, which gives people even more options to support the causes they believe in.

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Access to social media is a privilege many of our ancestors never got to experience. Are you making the most of this opportunity?

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#SocialMedia #GenZ?