What is one thing that is present in our lives every single day? Social media. Can you imagine your life without Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook? Most people can’t. 

Nowadays, the topic of social media is very controversial, but still, people continue to use it. Why is this?

According to helpguide.org, social media provides a way for people to stay in touch and communicate with family and friends that live far away. This is evident in most of our lives, because most of us living in Miami have families living in other Hispanic countries, or even in other areas of the United States.

Pew Research mentions that 81% of U.S. teens say that social media makes them more connected to what is going on in their loved ones lives. Being connected to distant relatives can help prevent feelings of loneliness and isolation. 

Social media not only helps people stay connected with people they know, but the exact opposite can be beneficial as well. According to internetmatters.org, these platforms give people, especially teens, an open space to reach out to strangers for help. The feelings of not knowing who to talk to and insecurity with telling people you know, in fear of ridicule and judgment, are known by all of us. Through social media, you can reach out to professionals or even every day people that are going through the same thing for help and advice. This way, you never have to meet them face to face, but still have a strong support system. 

In addition, social media helps us raise awareness for specific causes that we feel need to be addressed. People often repost posts, articles, or stories to either raise money or simply spread the news of some sort of injustice in the world. 

Helpguide.org mentions that social media provides an outlet for creativity and expression of talent. While this is a positive aspect, many are concerned these social media platforms may cause people, especially teens, to become unreasonably insecure or ashamed of themselves because they compare themselves to others.

However, I believe that if parents teach their children about the misconceptions of social media, and make them aware of these deceptions, they will be able to simply enjoy others’ creativity and entertainment.

We can come to the conclusion that social media is a positive part of our lives, as long as we remain aware of the possible negative effects. Social media benefits our society in many positive ways, imagine not being able to talk to your long distance family or have a support system that is necessary at certain times in our lives.