Week1 – 3 my experience with social media
Social media has been around for as long as I can remember and I’ve had a lot of opinions on it throughout the years. I first used social media in elementary school through my mom’s phone. I would use her Instagram to look up my favorite Disney actors and singers. At that time, it seemed harmless, I didn’t recognize any of the effects negative or positive. However, subconsciously all of these people had an influence on me. People who before social media would have had no influence on me. Children having access to all these influences is bound to have an effect on societies youth.
Once I got to middle and high school the negatives of social media became obvious. Cyberbullying and the influence social media can have on society can be crippling. Social media is a platform for cowardly bullies who find comfort in hiding behind a screen. This screen gives them a sense of protection to say horrible things they wouldn’t have the guts to say in person. It wasn’t all bad though, social media can be a great source of inspiration and a way to connect with one another. It has kept me in touch with many friends who have moved away, as well as my family while I am away at college right now.
We were constantly warned to be careful about what we post on social media. They warned us that future employers would do background checks, and whatever you post on the internet is permanent. This made me scared as a child, thinking that if an employer was able to find me online, that I would be hired. However, an online presence does not have to be bad. I adore the idea of taking control of your online existence, the idea of getting ahead of the game and creating a good name for yourself online.
I am super interested and eager to learn about strategies and tools to create a strong online profile myself.