Weekend Engagement - Social Media Is More Good Than Bad

Social media, good or bad? Explain in each case.

Amidst all the possible negativity about social media, personally, I think social media has a lot more good than bad.

One, it allows me and people to expand their social network and make friends. Just like why it is called "social media", the "social" aspect is a big part of this experience. Whether it's Hive, Facebook, X/Twitter or other platforms, it allows me or other people to get to know more people, apart from just their usual circle of people, which are typically family, high school friends, work colleagues, or perhaps neighbours. For introverts like me, who prefer to type and chat via messenging, it allows us to overcome the barrier of expanding our social network.

Two, it allows me to learn a lot of new knowledge. There's so many people sharing knowledge, be it on cryptos, financial markets, or even cooking! I remembered during the pandemic lockdown, many people picked up cooking and baking skills just by watching videos on Youtube. Whatever one's hobby is, I am sure there are many videos available on various platforms for one's reference. With social media, it makes picking up new skills easier. I have definitely benefited a lot from people who are smarter than me, who put in a lot of time and effort to do their analysis, and definitely grateful to these people who selflessly share their knowledge.

I could go on further, but I feel these are the two broad benefits. And of course, there's the negative aspect about social media as well.

Addiction can be unhealthy. It's something that I probably can attest to, to some extent. Apart from reading the more serious stuff (which are the beneficial ones), I find myself being entertained by the light hearted videos like comedy, or even those with cute animals. Watching videos in itself is not a bad thing but it's tricky where we draw the line as too much. Personally, I feel that I should try to cut down the scrolling and try to sleep earlier each night.

Bad characters and fake news can be scary too. Just like the real society, there will always be bad people. Everyone including myself has to be more discerning and not succumb to scams or fake news on these platforms. With the proliferation of AI these days, sometimes it's hard to tell if the image or the video is real or AI-generated. I think one of the ways is to cross check with other sources, but it's not foolproof. Ultimately, when it comes to stuff online, I think one shouldn't treat every single thing too seriously as well.

On the whole, I think social media has benefited me greatly because it gives me the flexibility to learn anything at any time and at the pace that I am comfortable with. Over time, I have learnt to sieve out the more reputable individuals to follow and subscribe to, so that I get more reliable sources of information. As for the bad effects, I think a lot can be managed by oneself. Addiction can be managed through self discipline and setting time boundaries for usage, and the threat of bad characters and fake news can be mitigated by being more careful.

So that's all for my sharing this week! Feels like I am writing an essay response for an English examination. In the spirit of combating addiction, it's time to shut my laptop down and head to the pool for a swim! Hehe! I hope you enjoy your weekend too!