Ah social media. 

 

An entity to bring the world closer and yet keep us apart. Where else can you share a cute little snippet of your day and have friends, as well as complete strangers, like, share or comment.

 

Some of us are old enough to remember floppy discs and DOS. Better yet MySpace. Remember when Myspace was all the rage? Then Facebook came on the scene. I was just getting the hang of MySpace when it seemed all the friends I’d acquired on there were jumping ship to FB. Then came Twitter, Pinterest Snapchat, Instagram and guess what now you’re glued to your phone to find the next trending topic.

 

For a writer, social media can be a great tool to get the word out on a new release, an upcoming appearance or in my case, soapbox rants. 🙂 But social media can be a foe as well.

I know you’ve heard the debate that social media is crippling the younger generation’s ability to interact face-to-face. Why pick up the phone and dial to converse with someone when you can express yourself in memes and emojis?

 

Not only does it affect interpersonal skills, but it has the potential to waste time. 

 

How much work and productivity is lost from viewing someone else’s live stream, or to try the newest internet challenge (cinnamon anyone?) or just posting to keep your own feed at the top of the list. Anybody still playing Yoville or Candy Crush or FarmVille or whatever the newest game is? One of the worst parts of social media is how some think it’s okay to be cruel and say things they would never say to you if you were standing right in front of them.

 

There are some good things about social media. 

 

In emergencies, such as natural disasters or locating missing loved ones, people have been found or are able to check in and let their loved ones know they are safe.

 

Social media can be used to brighten someone’s day…I know I like seeing all those birthday wishes, how about you?

 

Social media has been used to bring awareness to topics one might not normally see in regular media.

 

Social media in and of itself isn’t a good or bad thing. It’s how it’s used which makes it a friend or foe.

 

 

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