College Chronicles: The social benefits of social media | College Chronicles
Growing up in the 2000s, I didn’t have a smartphone and wasn’t constantly surrounded by technology. I didn’t get my first phone, a flip phone, until I was 13 years old, which meant I had to find other ways to occupy myself. I remember more kids used to play outside. I watched VCR movies, most of my childhood memories were filmed on a camcorder and we kept actual, physical photo albums.
Entertainment and socialization were different back then, so I understand why social media is viewed negatively. I understand the arguments against it—the addictive, the self-comparing and the anti-social aspects. It doesn’t seem like someone is being social when they have their head turned down at a phone, but I’m going to make the controversial argument that they are, and perhaps even more so.
To me, the benefits of social media outweigh its negatives.
Social media is simply a different kind of interaction than the older generations know, but it is still social, even more so because it is always at our fingertips. We constantly interact and engage with others online, building relationships and learning about people’s lives through the thoughts, events, struggles and successes they share.
People are also reading…
With app updates like Instagram stories and the boom of TikTok, social media users have recently become less like distant watchers and more like active participants. Hundreds of communities exist around topics such as working out, hiking, books, travel, van life, acting and parenting.
The video platform TikTok, for example, encourages active participation. Its stitch and duet features allow posts to be connected with other videos, creating a chain of personal responses, reactions and interactions. Personality and emotion are more present in a video than a like or a comment, which lets users connect in more meaningful ways.
Trending content is often part of relationship-building in-person as well, as people share posts they think are interesting or funny. The algorithm pushes these trending videos to the top of users’ feeds, regardless of whether or not they follow that account. This drives up engagement and opens up users to more people and a wider range of content.
Social media is also a key venue for political debate and discussion, as well as civic engagement, according to the Pew Research Center.
In 2018, Pew conducted a survey of Americans which found that 53% of adults engaged in at least one civic activity on social media in the past year, 69% of adults said social media is very or somewhat important for getting elected officials to pay attention to issues and 58% agreed that social media is somewhat important for influencing policy decisions.
Activism, in particular, reaches a much larger audience through social media than via other channels. Social media has been central in propelling two recent notable movements, #MeToo and Black Lives Matter.
In addition,a 2016 study by the Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace concluded that social network sites like LinkedIn are beneficial to users’ professional life.
“However, just creating a profile is not enough,” the study stated. “To reap short time benefits, frequent skimming of posts helps to develop ambient awareness of what is going on in one’s field and network.”
Active contributions to work-related discussions are also important, the study found. Here, the benefits of social network sites come when users strategically select and cultivate ties and regularly interact with them in a goal-oriented manner.
Social media is a balance; it can expand your social circle and your mind, but it’s still paramount to be intentionally present in an experience or with people around you. Social media can be a powerful supplement to building relationships and engaging with communities.
MacKenzie Brower is a photojournalist. She is passionate about cultural diversity, climate change and the environment. Her goal is to travel and see the world through the lens of her camera.
