Can Social Media Be a Solution, Not a Problem

There are two sides to everything: good and bad. The purpose of an object does not lie in the object or activity itself. It lies in the meaning we apply to it. The meaning greatly depends on the use or misuse of the object.

But who has the power to control the way an object is being utilized? Us. So we can say that the misuse or abuse of an object is dependent on us, and we can also say that it is us who decide the meaning of an object. This leads us to the conclusion that we can never blame the object for the functions it performs or the consequences it leads to. It is always the beholder of the remote control who decides the channels one watches.

Basing our argument on this, we can safely say that we have the power and control to use an object the way we want. Having said that, in this article we will discuss the impacts of social media on humans.

Social media has influenced our lives in a number of ways. Virtual reality, on the other hand, has provided a new medium of life that defies the concept of time and space, figuratively speaking. Every change that comes leads to certain consequences. These consequences, upon observation and analysis, become the result and outcome of an object/activity. Nevertheless, we must always take the responsibility of our actions, instead of finding the scapegoats.

Influences of Social Media

Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, Tumblr – all these social media platforms have the central idea of managing the “image” or the “impression” of the user.  As such, users are much more conscious of how they appear to other users. This kind of self-consciousness often leads one to believe in the superficial matters of life. The things that start mattering to people are the social activities people randomly do.

This puts a lot of pressure on everyone. By only looking around and seeing people progressing, it only reminds the observer of what they are losing in their lives. It makes one look at the deficiencies and shortcomings in their lives, which ultimately leads people into developing either inferiority or superiority complexes.

Drawbacks

These complexes lead one to make a bubble of existence that takes them away from their original self  (whatever that may be). And the more they are removed from reality, the more they feel hollow and empty.

We have often seen this behavior in millennials who often complain about feeling alone and alienated. The reason? The closeness through digital platforms has pushed people much farther from each other by putting up a layer of existence that no one seems to be genuinely adhering to.

The worst part is that not everyone is aware of the reality of the situation. Younger people are often confused about why they feel a certain a way, and it’s never easy to locate the problem. It is only because they can’t see the bigger picture. Plus, they are only being a part of the flow, and are not truly aware of how things are manifesting around them.

Suggestion

All of this begs the question: can social media be used as a solution, rather than for creating a problem? The simple answer to it is “yes.”

While it is creating a number of problems like the ones mentioned above, it has also made life much more exciting and interesting.

 No matter how much we deny admitting the fact that people have gotten closer through the internet, one cannot stress enough that we are at the point where we see so many things that we could once only imagine happening around us. Whether we speak of students or professionals, social media has taken a leap in bringing the world together.

When we speak of professional life, marketing has developed really well. You may have heard the recent news about Mark Zuckerberg testifying in front of the Senate regarding Facebook’s most recent scandal. The allegations are mostly true. Facebook does take in information and private knowledge of a person to manage content on the newsfeed. Has it ever happened to you where you were researching a good traveling spot, and as you logged into Facebook, you found several advertisements about trips and travel agencies? Facebook takes notice of every activity you do, and that is how it runs advertisements on its pages. Just like that, if you want your business to grow, you can take Facebook as a great marketing platform where billions of people register to fulfill their needs, personal or professional.

Social media has also connected you with your distant relatives and friends. It also keeps you aware of what is trending or in fashion. If you’re an artist, you can join groups and platforms where people exhibit art. You can also get to know about what people in other countries are up to, where the technology is going, and how it is influencing life in general. You can freely communicate with your friends and relatives without making long phone calls. It has developed so many features that one cannot feel socially deprived of knowledge if he or she is on social media.

In short, social media does have multiple drawbacks, but this should not limit its purpose. People are running entire businesses on it, and one gets to see how the times are changing through social media. The best way to combat the troubles is by acting as a responsible individual, who is aware of the influences of things. And after that, take full responsibility of the action one chooses. Only this way can one be sensible at handling social media, or any invention, made in the future.