The Pros & Cons of Using Social Media – Tina B's World
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The Pros & Cons of Using Social Media

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I think it’s safe to say we’re all aware that social media is here to stay.

People enjoy it too much, and it makes too much money for it to not remain a big part of our world.

Social media can provide a lot of benefits, but can also be detrimental.

Social media is powerful and can enhance your life/biz, but can also damage it. 

woman holding hashtag sign

Social media can harm your physical and mental health.

Let’s discuss some pros and cons, so you can decide for yourself just how deep you want to wade into this pool: 

PROS

KIT with friends & Family

This benefit definitely ranks near the top.

Social media has made it incredibly easy (almost too easy) to stay in contact with your nearest and dearest.

You can communicate with ease:

  • messages
  • videos
  • photos

It’s like sending a mass email without worrying about those “Reply All” people. 

You're not alone!

Britney Spears was right. Sometimes, your loneliness can kill you.

Loneliness is a common affliction, especially among the elderly.

Social media provides a convenient way to connect with others.

Not only can you connect with family and friends, you can also find plenty of groups with like-minded people. 

fill your rolodex

Developing your contact list is a huge benefit to social media.

Whatever you’re looking for, social media can help.

  • Personal or Business contacts
  • Mentors
  • Coaches
  • Clients
  • Friends
  • Hunting Buddies
  • Business Vendors
  • Pug Lovers 

Instant Communication

SM Communication is so much faster.

One post is faster than 30 phone calls.

At the very least, you can reach all of your friends and family with one communication.

bigger reach

SM allows you to have a greater reach.

With a simple post/tweet, you have the potential to reach millions of people instantly.

You can address people that live thousands of miles away that you’ve never even met.

rock on!

SM is a great place to showcase your talents.

  • Are you a fantastic singer?
  • Amazing artist?
  • Do you tell the funniest jokes?
  • Can you train a dog to stand on his head?

Social media gives you that outlet to share your hobbies or talents. 

Mo Money, No Problem

It’s not easy, but there are a lot of people that make a lot of money from social media.

It can be a great way to:

  • find customers
  • sell your product or services
  • make money from ad revenue 

learning never ends

A site like YouTube can be highly educational. 

Best part? It’s FREE! 

There are tons of experts who can teach you how to:

  • cook
  • garden
  • fix things
  • breed turtles 
  • play the guitar (that’s how Davina learned)
  • earn an income from home
  • to name a few 

CONS

Anxiety

It has become common knowledge that social media use can lead to anxiety.

Fear of missing out is one cause of anxiety in social media users.

Some can’t handle the mean comments and internalize them, not realizing that people sometimes make it a point to just be mean because they think it’s funny. 

Addiction

Any social media platform you enjoy using can become an addiction.

Your addiction to attention means you end up doing things you would never do in a million years just for the likes and comments. 

The creators of these sites know how to keep your interest piqued and reward creators who help people stay on their apps. 

Depression

Social media users often report depressive symptoms.

When everyone else’s life seems so idyllic, it can make your own pale by comparison.

Think about this: how great would your life seem if you got to pick and choose what good things happen to you and nothing ever goes wrong?

Well, that’s the version of life people are putting on social media. 

Greatly reduced productivity

Social media use robs employers of worker productivity.

It robs you of your own productivity at home and socially.

You spend so much time in the virtual world that you forget the real one exists. 

Nothing is more annoying than being in a store and the associates are on their phone. It’s especially maddening at the register when your cashier takes longer to ring you up because they’re obsessively checking their phones or answering texts. 

no more face-to-face contact

People spend less time with actual in-the-flesh humans, because social media provides a substitute that feels valuable, but often isn’t.

Have you ever been out to dinner with friends and everyone is sitting around on their phones, scrolling social media instead of talking to you? It’s sad. 

It’s also the #1 reason I don’t hang out with certain people anymore. If I’m trying to have a conversation and I’m talking to the back of your phone, I’m out. 

time waster extraordinaire

Social media use can take your time and attention and make it go *POOF* gone.

There are apps you can use on your phone or internet browser that will track your time. Instagram has a “time spent on app” (or something like that) so you can see just how much time you’re on there everyday. 

Try one and keep track of your social media time. Your discoveries might surprise you. 

Privacy Concerns

Identity theft criminals use social media to mine personal information.

Don’t believe me? There are websites out there in the public domain that contain harvested information from social media. Do a search for yourself and you’ll see what I’m talking about. 

These sites provide a tool for stalkers to keep an eye on their victims, and burglars to know when you’re out of town.

Protect yourself at all times! 

Bottom line? Take your social media use seriously.

If you’re not careful, it can cause more harm than good.

The trick is to get the most from social media without negatively impacting your life.

Social media can be a great tool used wisely.

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