Social Media It is amazing to me how social media has changed a lot of people. Some were changed for the better and some for the worst. When you think about it social media gave a voice to the previously voiceless. In years past if someone was upset about something, they would talk about it with friends and family, or even with fellow workers, but social media has given them a much louder voice in that they can now reach hundreds of people and sometimes a heck of a lot more. If one is selective in what they read, they can learn a lot about social media. If they are not careful, they will also be exposed to all sorts of propaganda. Some believe social media has given a louder voice to the devil and others think it gives the religious a better chance to get their point across. There are strong arguments which support both sides. Social media has accomplished some good things such as giving an alternate voice to the new media. It is now possible to find both sides to a story. I remember when I would see what was happening in a trial and the next day read about it in a newspaper and the reporter had embellished and added things which never happened. That was when I first realized some of the reporting was not trustworthy. One of the problems with social media is the number of people who go onto to it with the purpose of bullying others. It doesn’t matter what someone might be talking about when the bullies come on, they just pick a target and try and destroy the commentary. Many of these people found what I call courage in camouflage. I am talking about people who believe their identities are unknown so they can cause all sorts of havoc online. These are the same people who would never had the courage to challenge someone personally. There is also another problem and it is the fact many children get onto social media even when they are underage and think it is great, they can curse someone out and call people names. The people on some social media sites are more passionate than others. I am thinking about sports sites. These people get very angry if anyone criticizes the team they support, even if it is constructive criticism. In a way, I can understand this, but in another way unless their team is consistently number one, there is always room for improvement. I recently said something about a hockey team I support for many decades which is doing very badly lately. I suggested the coach needed to be replaced, and while many agreed, I caught hell from a few others. I have thick skin however. The game sites are used by millions of people, but not by me. Years ago, I had gone on to a card playing site. I can’t remember the game we were playing, but it might have been rummy. Anyway, there were four people to a table and it seemed my team was losing far too many times, then I found out the other two players were communicating with each other by phone and telling each other what cards they had. That was the last time I played on a game site. There are a lot of benefits to social media. Take the elderly for example. Some of them who can’t get around can go onto social media and still communicate with people. These elderly folks would have been much lonelier in the past. Another advantage is those retired folks can now stay in contact with former friends they used to work with no matter where they are in the world. I myself still stay in contact this way. Social media has contributed to free phone calls anywhere in the world with such apps as Messenger and others. Phone calls used to be very expensive and prohibitive to many, especially the long distance ones. These apps have connected the world. Social media for charitable causes raises cash for those in need. When a friend gets a terrible disease and needs funds there are places like Crowdfunding. This has been an incredible help to some and even those trying to get an invention off the ground. We now are privy to events happening all over the world because they are reported on social media almost instantly, which gives us insight into world events. Not everything is rosy with social media however. First of all, there can be a lot of conflicting and confusing information out there. During election cycles social media can be flooded with conflicting views. People who read these conflicting views should do their research before taking any of it as gospel. Sellers ply their wares on social media and sometimes they are just criminals or they misrepresent what they are selling. I admit I was taken by a seller on Facebook and would never buy anything advertised on there again. This seller advertised an Orrery. An Orrery is a mechanical device which represents planets moving around the sun. What I received was a tiny piece of junk and nothing moved. That seller is no longer on Facebook unless he changed the name of his company. One of the seemingly bad things about social media is some people are spending far too much time on it. Between social media and computer games, our population is suffering more from obesity on one hand, and under nourishment on the other. Things have gotten so bad the military is complaining they have to reject too many people for being unfit. Some people actually commit suicide because they are bullied so much on social media. This is a very sad state of affairs. Others suffer depression and anxiety from it. In the old days if you had a problem with people in school it ended when you went home. Today, many times it is continued on social media. There are those who stay up to all hours of the night because they are on social media. It becomes an obsession, much as drugs or cigarettes. This effects their sleep and general health. I know of one person who stays up to six in the morning everyday and has to be at work around eleven in the morning. This can’t be good for him. Social media can actually become an addiction. Used correctly social media can be a great attribute and an enjoyment.
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