I was sitting at the dinner table with my host parents and roommate, eating dinner and watching the news, a typical dinner scene for my semester abroad in Spain. The next report that came on was about how teenagers’ use of social media is negative and harmful, not only to themselves but to society as well. My host dad made a joke about how we’re rotting our brains, and my roommate and I laughed and agreed. I guess this is a universal view. But then I really thought about it: why do I accept that this is a bad thing? My parents, peers, media and the vast majority of everyone else around me tell me social media is like a harmful leech, taking away valuable time that could be spent doing a lesser evil.
To some extent I agree; social media is a breeding ground for cyber bullying, can lead to serious depression, and can isolate us from the “real world,” whatever that is. But there’s something inside me that feels differently. It’s not because I’m “addicted to social media”, it’s because of how it’s helped me grow as a person.
1. It has helped me become more interested and informed in politics.
Like many other people from my generation, politics was a word synonymous with “immunoregulatory microbiology.” Everyone was either corrupt, old, too rich to relate to, or all the above. Just recently, I’ve found some amazing accounts on Instagram and Twitter that put politics into a fun and interesting light. Being able to see what people really think, without media censorship, is pretty neat. Hence: the media bias on the democratic debate.
2. It has widened my support system.
Growing up in a small town in Wisconsin, it was hard for me to find friends that had similar views, let alone friends that challenged and helped me grow as a person. I was isolated, and no one felt the same way I did. Then suddenly I found people on the Internet with similar problems and had found ways to cope. It was a mind-blowing experience to find out that I wasn’t alone.
3. It lets me dictate how I want to be viewed.
I’ve found that social media is the Internet’s equivalent of what you wear outside. This is a way of expressing yourself without anyone else telling you otherwise. You can show the world your spirituality, what kind of cupcakes you like, or the new apartment you’re renting. This puts who you are in your own hands, not others.
4. It has been a valuable self-teaching platform.
Sometimes I look back and realize how much I’ve had to teach myself due to gaps in the education system. From following a magnitude of rockin’, confident, highly educated chicks (and dudes) on social media, I’ve went from thinking feminism was for people who don’t shave their armpits to an extremely outspoken intersectional feminist. I can now tell you exactly why black lives matter, why PETA isn’t as great as it seems, and why the root of the problem of mass shootings in America isn’t mental illness.
Whether you agree with me or not, social media is here to stay. Instead of dwelling on some of the negatives it can bring to our world, I say we focus on the positives. We have here, literally in the palm of our hands, the power to change the world: to end hunger, create world peace, and make a microwaved chocolate chip cookie in a mug. By the click of a button, we can spread a message fast and efficiently to millions of people worldwide; this could be an extremely powerful tool if we use it right. Let’s change the stereotype and make social media good.
