A Simple Answer To A Simple Social Media Question

Posted on by Elisa Oberst

Does social media bring the world closer together? My answer to this simple question, is simple: yes and no. Social media is a place, that has reached tremendous levels. Who would have thought, once the word spread about Facebook back in the early 2000, that there were many more social networks and virtual meeting places we „needed“? Now, that we have all sorts of online networks, we can’t think them away. There’s a place exclusively for sharing pictures and short videos, there’s a place for connecting with potential employers or employees, there are a thousand of virtual market places, there’s a place you can let everything out, but packed in not more than 140 characters. Each and every of them serves their own purpose and is valuable in many ways.

Now back to the question we are trying to answer. The fact that there’s a virtual place for almost every need or interest people have, makes it easy to connect with peers or simply stay in touch with friends and family when we can’t have them close-by. So part of answering the question, if social media helps us, bringing people and the world closer together is a simple yes. How would I know if my friends made it to Venice safely, if i didn’t see that snapshot of her smiling at Grand Canal on Instagram. How would my mom know other housewife’s Thermomix hacks, if she didn’t connect with a dozen of them in their own facebook group. Because social media makes so easy to talk to people virtually, we mustn’t forget, that there’s a real world with real people out there, that we should always engage with too. Many people forget that nowadays, that’s why part of answering this question is no. Social Media can drive people apart, if they no longer participate in real life.

 

 

 

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