Social Media is a Two-Sided Blade

The power of social media has really amazed over the course of a decade. I am an 80’s baby and while that may seem insignificant to many. It means a lot to how slowly I’ve come to get used to all the social media apps and sites out there today. I have always been a book person and journal person and never really reached out to computers until I entered elementary school. Computers seemed like a completely new world to me then and I mostly used computers for homework and typing. I still remember Xanga and MySpace. Those were very popular during my high school years.

I am sure many during their teen years back around my era created facebooks, myspaces, and xangas but never looked after them once accounts were made. My Facebook remained untouched mostly throughout high school until I entered college and was told of networking and how social networks helped with getting to know people. However, we have to be careful of the people we meet and be able to tell who are scammers, hackers, and troublemakers.

I find it amazing yet also funny how much social networks have dominated our culture and been the best chance to land a good job, meet people who may be able to get you a job, and let your name be known to the world. However, it also depends on how we use social networks. Some use it for fun as a hobby and a personal space on the net where they can share their most inner thoughts. Some use it for career opportunities.

It offers so much for professionals yet can ruin the life of teens in less than a blink of an eye. How about that thirteen year old boy that got killed over a Facebook post? How about all that cyber bullying that is still going around on the internet that so many parents don’t know about and kids refuse to tell their families about? Social media is a powerful tool but can also be the best way to kill someone.

Social media is a great tool but everyone has to be careful of what their posting and not to let certain things affect them. Don’t see everything as such a big deal as the saying goes: ‘sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.’  If only people were able to do it than just recite that saying more often, I guess everything is easier said than done. Because each of our upbringings is different, the way we interpret and handle matters are different.

Be careful of what you say on social media networks. Don’t fight over Facebook with people who you don’t know what they are capable of. I would advice youngsters to use social media too much or be too addicted to them. You guys should certainly sped more time in your studies and reading to expand your horizons.

Social media was created for people to be able to connect with family, to find people they’ve lost contact with, to find potential jobs and employers, to meet new friends, and so forth. It was not created for people to attack each other nor to cause death. It is sad the good and harm that can come from such a powerful tool.

I am a traditionalist to a certain degree and if it was not for me to be able to widen my network and let my writing and voice be heard and read…I would not want to be on so many social networks. That’s the downside of being a writer. We will go unnoticed if we don’t put our work out there and let our voices be heard. It’s a sad truth but one I’ve come to accept. I don’t go crazy over updating statuses or posting revealing photos of myself. I just post whatever is memorable or something I want to share with the public.

How I wish being a writer was as easy as it used to be—in the ancient eras. The competition may have been no less difficult but at least there would be a bigger probability of being published.  Social media is indeed a two sided blade.