From livestreams to photography to blogs, social media platforms can have multiple varying effects on people no matter who they are. Each individual path has both its own positive and negative sides. With how much it’s expanded in the past decade, lots of people have begun to use it as a way to either keep in touch with others or just to enjoy some photos or videos posted online. I think it’s become more of a positive look as it expands over time. The possibilities are endless when it comes to the internet, and multiple people have been able to prove their creativity with that power. 

Social media was also created with the intent to inspire people and influence relationships. Online friends, despite not being able to be in close range at times, have been able to still enjoy each other’s company whenever they can. More ideas and entertainment can be created within these friendships, and they can expand further out into the digital world. I’ve had lots of positive experiences with meeting people online, and I’ve created good bonds with people I’d never know if social media didn’t exist. We’ve created memories that can last a long time and can continue to do so for a long time just like local friends. Younger people, in specific, seem to know more how to enjoy that time and its benefits since they’re more familiar with how the internet works. Those teenagers are capable of navigating through the expanded world of social media and know what all it can do.

My personal experience with social media has a handful of varying branches. I found Snapchat at a younger age and made online friends rather quickly. Over time, I explored more and more types of social media such as Snapchat, Tiktok, and YouTube. The bonds with those online distanced friends I’ve managed to create have grown to become rather strong, and one has even lasted for up to five years now. Posting content as well has become a fun entertainment for both people and myself. It’s a great way to pass the time when needed and offers a break from any potential stressful things outside of the internet. 

The privilege of being on the internet doesn’t always guarantee a full positive experience, however. Just last February, a false rumor had begun to spread about me, and I never even realized until a few days later when someone brought it up somewhere. That very rumor stuck around for a couple months with little to no effect until mid May when it was brought back up even more than before. I lost a couple of friends to it before I had an opportunity to properly explain and disprove the rumor, and it was not a fun experience to handle. Even after I had cleared things up, it took a good couple weeks for the whole situation to die down completely. 

With so much modern day technology, there are also a few drawbacks that come from the use of social media. Certain posts can negatively affect a person in various ways. If someone viewed a post speaking negatively about something they loved, the person who viewed it can be negatively affected and may feel like they do not fit in. It’s also much easier for the friends met online to talk negatively about another person without them ever knowing, and when they do find out, it has the potential to bring them down as well. I’ve had very few bad experiences with the more down side of social media, but I’m aware of negative experiences that other people go through. I’ve seen some of my friends become guilt tripped, harassed, being falsely accused of things like art theft, and various other problematic possibilities that come from certain people online.

Each and every person is different when it comes to social media. Some think it’s some bad influence to have, and others see more of it as a benefit. Regardless of what form it is, they all have their ups and downs in the end. Each individual user is able to take their own perspective of it and have their own way of using such technology. I think it’s brought more benefits than drawbacks over the years with how advanced it’s become. Since it’s continuing to change each and every year, both the media and the people can continue to improve over that time and learn how to accept one another better overall. I think it’s become more of a positive thing if looked at right, and the experiences in it are a good time.