This is probably the hundredth article you are reading with this or similar titles and wondering if this will also talk about how social media causes lack of concentration, obesity and what not.
Well, fret not; this article is going to be nothing like those hypocritical articles which are posted on social media websites and yet say it is harmful for the young people who just so happen to be the bull’s eye of social media.
Because let’s be real, it does have its pros and cons, but its nature is not so black and white. There are several shades of grey to it which we often overlook in trying to confirm with the pompous views.
Can you as an individual recall any single day when you did not check Instagram or twitter or Facebook or when you didn’t take an Uber to work?
Bet it is hard to recall such a day, because there hardly is any day when one goes without browsing through social media. But is it really so bad to be “addicted to your phones” as many like to say?
Social Media Spreading awareness- A boon
Lets ask you some questions?
- How often does it happen that you know about a certain celebrity gossip way before its printed on the page3 of HT city?
- How often do you get to know about a certain news or event before the media channels on T.V. talk about it in the breaking news?
- How do thousands of people get connected for a Social Cause instantly ?
You might now realise that it almost always happens that you tend to know news before it comes on T.V. or in newspapers through these many social media channels.
Thus being aware beforehand is one boon of social media which results in “woke” individuals.
The Positive Side of Social Media: Some examples
1) Social Movements
The Sudan Crisis:
Pretty recently when the Sudan crisis (which you must have heard/read about via the “gram”) occurred where the military killed mass protestors who were fighting for the renewal of democracy ever since their long serving ruler Omar al-Bashir was overthrown.
People on social media started promoting blue display pictures on Instagram, which symbolised all the people standing in solidarity with the crisis stricken civilians of Sudan.
Initially many people especially non- social media users despised this action by stating that it was reducing a serious issue to a number of reposts and that attention hungry people were becoming less and less empathetic. But instead, the blue display picture helped in spreading a lot of awareness about the issue and ultimately forced biased media channels to cover the issue of Sudan, who had initially turned a blind eye to the violation of human civil rights in Sudan.
In fact, many well-known celebrities also supported the movement, which in turn led their fans getting to know about the same. And furthermore, many donation links got created on Instagram where people were able to raise money for Sudanese people.
So ironically people who were of the opinion that social media was making people “less empathetic” had to bear the embarrassment of seeing people from around the world coming together to support and uphold humanity all with the help of Social media coverage.
Therefore Social Media many a times helps us in constructing an informed opinion, free of bias and pre-conceived notions.
2) Birthplace for Celebrities and Careers for many
Now on a lighter note, you probably have heard of Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes. Both of them are huge celebrities who make hit songs and do shows in sold out stadiums. But how did the world get to know about them?
You must be thinking of their initial songs like “Baby” or “Stitches”, but who discovered them before that and where? Now die-hard fans who even know when Shawn Mendes got his first permanent tooth probably know this as well, but the larger population who doesn’t have an idea, these celebrities got their careers kick-started because of social media.
Justin Bieber started posting covers of songs on YouTube at a tender age of 9 and Shawn Mendes used to post covers of songs on an application called “Vine”. Soon enough they started getting noticed which led big record labels to signing them and eventually launching their grand careers. So all thanks to social media, had it not been there we probably still wouldn’t have heard of these prodigies.
Therefore, social media is a big platform to showcase talent and potentially build a career. Many people nowadays like Influencers, artists and aspiring singers rely on it for their daily cheques. Checkout the Top 10 Popular YouTubers in India
That’s why many individuals who might be struggling with college on one hand are making a fortune via there art page, makeup and food-blogging channel on the other hand.
3) A discovery Platform – Social Media
Argo, social media is a very dynamic aspect of our lives and each day we discover new things whether it be about the rising sea levels and spell of global warming or how cookie dough tastes better than the actual cookies.
But no matter how hazardous we may call it the bitter truth is that we can’t survive without it, so the wise thing to do is to make the best out of this situation and use it for the greater good rather than misusing it because it truly is what we make it, either a boon or a bane.
Now go ahead and share this article in your WhatsApp family group so that they know there is much more to life than just good morning texts!
