What do you mean by social media ? - Social media means a system. By using it we can exchange our thoughts virtually. In social media interaction occurs through various apps, websites and other platforms. There are many popular social media sites available today. eg: Facebook, Messenger, Twitter (X), Instagram, Reddit, Snapchat, You Tube, LinkedIn etc . You can create, share or exchange information through these platforms.
Why is social media essential for human beings ? - Well, there should be a lot of reasons why social media is essential for us. Let's find out some reasons ;
Social media can connect people globally. This theory is known as the global village. Suppose you are staying in America for your study purposes and your parents are in Bangladesh. You can see and talk to them easily by the blessing of social media.
Social media can engage people in any kind of activity. Suppose suddenly you have a desire for tree plantation. You can gather some of your social friends through volunteering, fund raising.
Social media can enable targeted advertisement. Suppose you are a local shop owner, you can maintain your business globally without any physical wire house or store. By using different social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube you can manage a good quantity of sales of your brands.
Social media can provide recent updates and news. You can connect yourself with your family members by observing their posts and photos. Where they are going, how they are. Because usually people update their activity in social media. Many newspapers and broadcast media can provide 24/7 hours news though online.
An important part of social media is it can influence human decision. Suppose you are a fan of a specific cricket player. You wanna try to make a proper haircut like him or you can follow his dress sense or stylish sense etc. Social media can also influence your regular day's decision. The celebrity people play a crucial role to influence the general mass.
You can monitor your competitors and engage customers through social media marketing.
Social media is becoming a platform of entertainment. You can spend time here for your refreshment and also you can visit your desired activities.
Top social media platforms of recent times
- Facebook : Here you can share your thoughts, posts and videos from your profile. Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms. This is owned by Meta and the founder was Mark Zuckerberg and some of his friends.
- YouTube : This is a video sharing platform. You can post your videos for marketing and also can share various information through videos. This platform is owned by Jawed Karim, his father is from Bangladesh and he also has the nationality of Bangladesh.
- Twitter (X) : For any kind of trending content you can use twitter or X. You can share posts, photos, and videos here. Hashtag on twitter can be a trending issue for global attention.
- LinkedIn : Here you can hire your employee from a number of varieties. This platform is usually used for professional work. You can connect your employee through it and also you can create a network for yourself with your desired person.
- Instagram : This one is another platform owned by Meta. You can share stories and reels here. And also you can message your desired person, you can also follow them for their updates.
Negative sides of social media
At first a lot of activities on social media are usually fake. People try to pretend to be happy; it makes others depressed. You need to be reminded that social life and real life are completely different.
There is a lot of fake and false information available on social media. On the other hand there are a vast number of rumours on social media. So, there should be a trust issue in social media.
However people can bully others easily now through social media platforms. Social media has made it easier to make friends but it failed to ensure if they are true friends ?
People can make fake profiles and then blackmail you through various processes. It can be part of joke but sometimes it can be too much crucial it can force to take suicidal attempts.
Social media generates unrealistic expectations. You need to be reminded that everything is not possible in an easy way but social media pretends that anything can be gained easily it can make false expectations. On the other hand people can hide their actual thoughts from the world and can only show off. It can make you depressed and make your life unhealthy.
Fake expression is another side of social media . Body image is now an issue for almost everyone. Of course, seeing so many people who are supposedly perfect (according to society's standards) on a daily basis makes you conscious of how different you look from those pictures. And not everyone comes to healthy conclusions in this situation.
Addiction is one of the worst side effects of social media. Our generation spends 12-14 hours of time per day on social media. It directly hampers their regular routine and also they fail to make their thoughts visible due to lack of time. And also they became addicted and they failed to remove themselves from such kinds of activities.
An annoying issue for social media is privacy. Hackers can hack your personal information anytime and then they can blackmail you by using your confidential activities. Social media platforms also gather your sensitive information and your digital identity if it leak to public your credentials can be hampered.
