Social media is useful because it makes it easy to stay in touch with loved ones, find new information and exchange experiences. It provides a forum for networking, expressing oneself and keeping up with current affairs.
Research studies show a strong connection between the use of social media and its undesirable outcomes that increase the prevalence of numerous mental health disorders, including anxiety, stress, depression and loneliness. Thus, as with any wildly addictive substance, one should proceed with caution and use social media responsibly and in very small doses.
I work in social media. It truly is my actual job to read Meta, Instagram, TikTok and all things Google daily. I monitor comments and trends and keep an eye on what is happening on the information superhighway. This means that I am often accosted while on my phone by well-meaning people who tease, “Get back to work!”
Jokes on them. I AM working.
I click on a pic of a cute dog with its owner, and an hour later I know the owner was born in 1954, her favorite ice cream is pistachio (weirdo) and she is married to a man who claims to have attended “the school of hard knocks.” It’s almost scary how much you can find out about entirely random people online.
I don’t plan it. It’s a superpower. I like to think I am a card-carrying member of S.M.U., otherwise known as The Social Media Unit. We are an elite team.
Online exposure does come with risk. I’m doing everything I can to stamp out the concept of keyboard warriors. If you share something online — your home, your family or your hobbies — the idea that you are inviting every frustrated cretin’s “things I wouldn’t say to your face” diatribe is ridiculous. Let’s normalize having civility and kindness in online interactions. If you wouldn’t say it in person, try to curb the enthusiasm for being abrasive and rude online. Own your words face-to-face AND online.
I do suggest that in place of a credit rating, we institute a “credibility rating.” This rating will allow others to be aware of just how gullible a user might be.
This will assist in knowing how seriously one should take posts such as “Meta will give a $100 donation to this sad child for every ‘like’ on this post,” “copy/paste this if you love your family!” and “I’ve been hacked, don’t accept any friend requests from me.”
Extra care shall be given to the hashing-out relationships crew. The first red flag online is the surge of lengthy, sassy posts about finally speaking up, seeing someone’s true colors and cutting out the toxicity in their life. This is often followed by a photographic purge until the only thing left is newly posted selfies and pics of them with children and pets. For them, we send a heartfelt heart emoji and wish them well. People need support in all things.
As for the rest, as it turns out, other people do NOT hyper-fixate on random subjects. I sure do. The ability to find niche information on just about anything fascinates me. Do you know what to call a decorative molding piece that sits at the bottom of a door frame to add architectural interest or hide imperfections? I do. It’s called a plinth. I am absolutely brimming with information such as this. Not trigonometry, though. Some things even Google can’t teach me.
