Social media, has both positive and negative benefit, but most people overlook the positive benefits and rather concentrate on the negative influences on the youth and society as a whole.
The perception that social media is a negative influence, is rather the opposite way. Have you realized that social media is a cost-saving platform as compared to making calls? How do you feel when you want to make a call and you are out of credit? You just hear a lady say “you have no call credit please recharge your account” or when you are making a call and there is a reminder that “you have just one minute remaining”. That awkward moment.
An estimate shows that, in 2018 there will be 2.67 billion social network users around the globe up from 1.9 billion in 2014.www.statista.com
Now all types of information can be accessed via the internet and every important subject that can be discussed and debated on social media. Nowadays even organizational meetings can be held on social media to cut down cost, time and stress; these meetings are held on social platforms like skype,viber,imo and due to their video chat functions and even whatsapp group chat. It has totally become impossible for some companies to maintain control over data. Advertising business and work opportunities to enable the youth to attain job easily. Spending time on social media may seem like a waste of time. For instance Facebooking, instagraming, snapchating, whatsapping all the “ings”. Sharing, posting of pictures and writing will seem like time being wasted as opposed to time being invested.
Social media helps to build our social relationship in the sense that, being on campus we might not be able to make much friends. Social media is a step in making new friends. It helps the youth to build relationship by knowing ourselves better and probably in the future, we might end up helping ourselves.
On the other hand social media enhances edutainment, it is a very good example to the youth as a source of entertainment where we follow and like most of our favorite songs and artists, checking out new clothings and hairstyles. Social media sites keeps us abreast with happenings around the world. The youth find it difficult in buying newspapers .Social media is now here, and with it the youth get to know what is happening outside the country and in their country as well. Example flippy campus and google+ where we can get access to news, updates from different campuses and etc.
Moreover, it is even educating by informing us to know the institution we will like to further after senior high school, and universities. It gives information on scholarships to the various types of institutions around the world,which makes it very exciting and motivate us too. It also informs us about the awareness of job opportunities for the youth during vacation and the university graduates as soon as possible. Apps like LinkedIn get us connected to business minded people who train us in our field of study.
Social media sites enable us to communicate in a speedy and efficient manner like Facebook messenger, WhatsApp, viber, imo, twitter, etc. Writing updates takes all over 15seconds and with cross posting over social networks switched on, the updates gets to everyone you want it to reach. It makes it easier to get in touch with friends and families living outside the country and even closer family members. It allows us to communicate easily and effectively. Social media has eventually made the world a global village where anyone at any point in time talk to a friend or someone at the other end of the world with little or no stress.
There is no doubt that social media is an eye opener.
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