Is social media good?
I have a funny relationship with social media. I'm a journalist, using social media is like a prerequisite these days. And I recognize the power, the incredible uses, the onslaught of personal information and competing headlines, and the sociological insights.
But I feel overburdened with it at times, and perhaps I'm in the minority, but I haven't fallen in love with it, although I am quite proficient. I still have to make an effort, while it seems others crave it, thrive off of it. Don't get me wrong, I have my overkill moments. When I'm deep into an issue and can't wait to share details on social media, getting public opinion, while also devouring everything I can find being discussed on social media. I guess I'm just not a full-time junkie, more of an occasional binge consumer who keeps up appearances.
I can't seem to weave Twitter into my daily routine but oh have I tried. I use Twitter when I want to check out a trending topic and particularly when there is drama in the media field so I can see what the insiders are saying. But I find that time consuming and sometimes salacious. I try to tweet insightful tidbits, share articles that I think should be read and offer poetic personal touches without revealing too much — but I don't do this enough to garner a loyal or interested following. As exposure becomes more and more important in my field, I'm constantly exploring new ways of streamlining my social media presence, with a clear and relatable message, and where I can express myself and connect with people on a deeper level.
Facebook I use more often, although guiltily as it's more to check out the latest sensational headlines and odd articles being shared among the masses, and also to stay pseudo connected to friends and family. I try to keep my professional life separate from Facebook and as a rule I only connect with people who I would hang out with in a personal setting, but even that gets a bit blurred. So I am careful to maintain my online image and compose my posts carefully.
Since I'm very focused on my career right now, I'm really enjoying Linkedin. This is almost entirely because I'm going through a transition from full-time newspaper work to part-time teaching, and I'm motivated to take stock in all I've done. Tweaking my Linkedin page, updating my skills and accomplishments, and connecting with other professionals has really pushed me to think about my whole image, my professional image and how I can leverage that to open up opportunities. It also gives me a chance to connect with organizations and people who can help advance my career or provide me with critical information. It's a great professional tool.
Add to this, I now use Google+ to manage a data journalism project I'm working on, Wordpress to teach my students about portfolio building and now I've just joined Blogger! Social media overload or covering all your bases? Hmmm, let's see how it works out before I answer that.
All social media platforms influence our perspectives, some more than others, and particularly if we use them a lot. Out of them all Facebook is probably the most in-your-face influencer, although Twitter can branch out in even more broad ways and have farther reach.
On Facebook, your own personal onslaught of messages is usually from your friends and websites you follow. This can lead to your newsfeed being overrun with sensational articles meant to entice the lustful Facebook user, plus your friends reposting and commenting on the same messages, which together reinforce the messages.
On Twitter, however, all it takes is a hashtag to bring together millions of people virtually under a common cause. But in the case of Twitter, there is more individual seeking out and following certain hashtags and movements, rather than advertisement-type posts on Facebook that are designed to seek you out.
I try to manage what messages I connect with, or give my time to, and I also recognize slanted or overly subjective content, which seems all the craze right now on social media. I see that many news organizations are appealing to our preconceived opinions rather than feeding us objective information. I'm not sure social media has much of an influence on my behaviors, but I know that it makes me acutely aware of my digital footprint. I do observe others getting swept up in daily media storms feeding on our emotions and the mob mentality.
Like the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. Initially all the outlets rushed to condemn the man, as they kept finding commentary and reports by other military personnel calling him a deserter. But when the dust settled, many headlines turned to condemning conservatives for condemning him — it was like they watched the tide of public opinion and gave us news to fit neatly into the box of our existing sentiments. They rushed to confirm our beliefs instead of trying to find the truth.
But then again, I can call on social media any time I need to connect with many people, whether it be for advice, localized input or to gain followers on a particular issue. I have some friends who spend all day sharing messages about animal rights, trying to save a particular dog or fund a program; and I have others who spread awareness on autoimmune diseases, educating people and connecting common interests.
The influence social media has on people can be good and bad. On the negative end of the spectrum you can have false, misleading and socially destructive messages spreading like wildfire and influencing everyone to stand behind a distorted issue. On the positive end, you can rally people around a good cause, garner donations, support and development, by extending your reach and therefore your influence.
So, is social media good?
That can't be answered with a simple yes or no. The answer is, it can be.
