Social Media: A Curse Or A Blessing?

I had been planning to write this post for about a year now but I never really got the opportunity to work on it and as the year is going to end, I thought this would be the perfect time to reflect on one of the things that has had an impact on so many people which is social media.

In today’s post, I wanted to share my opinions regarding social media in general which aren’t necessarily pros & cons but more so things that I’ve been feeling regarding this topic for a while now. It’s been ages since I’ve written a long post where I pretty much share my opinion and have an open conversation with you and I’m a bit apprehensive about it haha but I hope I do a good job expressing myself. Anyway, as always if you are interested – keep on reading!

J’avais prévu d’écrire cet article depuis environ un an maintenant, mais je n’ai jamais vraiment eu l’occasion de travailler dessus et comme l’année touche à sa fin, j’ai pensé que ce serait le moment idéal pour réfléchir à l’une des choses qui a eu un impact sur tant de personnes, à savoir les réseaux sociaux.

Dans l’article d’aujourd’hui, je voulais partager mes opinions sur les réseaux sociaux en général, qui ne sont pas nécessairement des avantages et des inconvénients, mais plutôt des choses que je ressens à ce sujet depuis un certain temps maintenant. Cela fait longtemps que je n’ai pas écrit un long article dans lequel je partage mon opinion et ai une conversation ouverte avec vous et j’appréhende un peu à ce sujet haha ​​mais j’espère que je m’exprimerai bien. Quoi qu’il en soit, comme toujours, si vous êtes intéressés, continuez à lire !

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A CREATIVE OUTLET FOR EVERYONE & ANYONE

I started using social media over a decade ago and to be honest, I didn’t really use it to connect with family & friends. I would even go as far as saying that I started using it to get inspiration such as nail art, makeup looks, etc. but once I created my blog, I started properly using it for my blog.

After so many years, I can confidently say that social media has tremendously changed and the way it has become a creative outlet to share your passions, thoughts & opinions is incredible. There aren’t any requirements or specifications, you literally don’t even need to pay to create an account but the opportunities you receive if you do get noticed are endless.

I personally think one of the biggest advantages social media has to offer in terms of creativity is the fact that you get to build a community regardless of your interest. For example, if you post content about cars then people who are interested in the same niche or are a part of the same niche as you will interact with your content and the algorithm will push your content to those who are interested in the same topic regardless of where you live or where they live.

Related: 3 Ways To Enhance Your Health & Well-Being.

 

THE LACK OF BOUNDARIES

This point is pretty much the reason why I wanted to write this post in the first place. For the past couple of years, I’ve seen how people on social media don’t really respect other people’s privacy or boundaries and it started to make me view social media in a completely new light.

For instance, you could post a stranger’s face on a picture or video of yours without their permission and there aren’t any repercussions whatsoever. I know it’s extremely hard to ask every single person for consent when you are in a public place or setting and I’m not saying that if you do post strangers’ faces online it’s because you have malicious intentions but the least you could do is blur their faces when you post them online but it’s seen as a rarity instead of the norm.

You could even post a vulnerable moment of a complete stranger online for a few likes & engagement and the majority of the people wouldn’t question it. Social media has normalised people taking pictures and videos of strangers/acquaintances without their consent and sharing it online for numbers but I also know that it’s not really social media’s fault. People have been this way from the very beginning but social media has made it easier for them to act this way.

Related: 3 Ways To Create Healthy Boundaries.

 

THE CHASE OF VALIDATION & ITS AFTER-EFFECTS

I wouldn’t say it’s an over-exaggeration to say that social media has fundamentally changed society whether it be beauty standards, our morals, views, etc. However, there is something else I have been noticing on social media and that is the constant chase of validation you expect from others whether it’s your own audience or another user’s audience.

I’m not talking about them agreeing with your thoughts or opinions but more so the validation you expect to receive from sharing your personal decisions & actions you make in real life. Obviously, there will always be people who share the same mindset as you but I think expecting this validation regularly from others who are essentially strangers isn’t really healthy because what happens when they have a different opinion?

Another thing that I find to be strange is the insertion of someone’s positive experience when an user is trying to raise awareness on a sensitive topic. For instance, I’ve seen people online share & talk about their abusive relationships, the signs they missed along the way and the advice they wish they had received or listened to prior to getting into a relationship which are all objective for the most part but someone would choose that post to share their positive experience regarding their relationship or marriage and I’m always left baffled and astonished by their action because this is neither the right time nor place for this comment.

How insensitive and out of place you have to be to not only invalidate someone’s trauma and painful experience but also act in an insensitive & disrespectful manner when that person is trying to raise awareness and could potentially help & save so many people’s time and lives? There is genuinely no need or reason to insert your personal life decisions and actions into everybody’s lives which in this case is accounts or posts. If something doesn’t resonate, align or apply to you then the most normal thing to do would be to ignore or move on to another post but why do people feel this need to insert themselves?

Related: How To Distinguish Between A Healthy & Toxic Relationship.

 

I have a lot of thoughts regarding this topic but this post has already been way too long so I’m going to stop here haha! If you had asked me a few years ago what I thought of social media, I would have said that the pros outweigh the cons but right now, I would say that instead of focusing on the pros & cons, you should be mindful and pay more attention as to how you use social media and the impact it has on you and in your life.

It could be a platform to connect with your loved ones or it could be a platform to share your passion, it could be a platform to promote your small business or it could be a platform to share your hobbies. It could be a platform to turn your interest into a business or it could simply be a platform to find inspiration. You are the one who decides how you are going to operate and consume these social media platforms so please be mindful.

I would be very interested to hear your thoughts & opinions on this matter so feel free to share them. I would love to know if you feel the same way or the complete opposite.

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Thank you so much for reading! – xo N

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