Personally, I don't really like social media. I would prefer to delete all of my accounts and never reactivate them again. However, it's 2015 and that's hardly possible.
I'm not afraid to admit that I spend more time than I should scrolling through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc.... but it's hard not to, especially now that I'm abroad. For me, social media isn't all about making sure that I'm up to date on all of the latest gossip, it's just a super convenient way to communicate with family and friends. It also gives me a place to collect thoughts, pictures, and important moments in one spot so that I can look back on them in the future.
Choosing a school to study at five hundred miles away from home has taught me to be extremely independent, I have learned that I don't HAVE to depend on anyone. Part of the reason I chose a school so far away from where I grew up was because I wanted to get away from home, but this doesn't mean I don't want to catch up with my family and friends sometimes. Being grown up and living on my own in another state is a wonderful thing, but I love to touch base with my family and friends from back home.
Facebook has proved to be the most useful to me. I'm friends with my old and current classmates, old and current teachers and professors, old and current co-workers, my boss, and extended family members. If I didn't use Facebook, I would go months (maybe years) without hearing from a good portion of these people. While abroad I've made friends from all over the United States, as well as all over the world. I can't always send a text to someone across the world, but I can log on to social media and get in touch with them almost immediately.
Social media is also very convenient for school. Not everyone has an iPhone and not everyone wants to download apps that will let them participate in group messages. Every group project I have been a part of while in college has been organized with the use of Facebook. Before starting my freshman year at Roanoke I met my roommate via the Facebook group for accepted students. Had I not used Facebook, I would have been put with a stranger and for me at least, that would have made starting college a bit more stressful. Roanoke College posts updates to all if it's social media accounts daily. Students do takeovers on the school's Snapchat account and everyone gets to see what it's like to live a day in the life of someone with a different major, sport preference, club preference, or background in general.
Occasionally you'll come across someone who doesn't use all or any social media. Although this person's phone battery lasts all day and this person gets left out of most drama, this person also misses out on some important things. A lot of people now use Facebook to create events and invite people to them. It's a lot quicker and less expensive than sending out invitations in the mail. People tend to post status and picture updates of their lives on social media rather than send out mass texts or make multiple phone calls. It's a lot easier to announce a new job or new birth in your family when you can just make one simple post and have everyone see it. No one with a new job or new child has the time to make sure to text all of his or her friends individually.
Ideally, I would love to get rid of all of my accounts. Realistically, it's just not possible. Despite how against social media I've become, I know how valuable it is. People often overlook how convenient social media has made staying in touch with people. If everyone could limit their time spent on all sites and stop posting derogatory things, maybe others would realize how important it really is today.
