The Beauty of Social Media Is in the Eye of the Beholder

Posted on by Megan Swanson

It is easy to think of social media as something that is bringing the world closer together. It is definitely the intended purpose of social media (especially as it is stated in Facebook’s most recent mission statement) and I know several friendships and relationships that would not exist if not for social media. Today’s social media users are in constant communication with friends on any variety of platforms. They can also talk to and meet a variety of people that they would not have come in contact with in their everyday lives (many examples of this can be seen in the #WeMetOnTwitter hashtag).

So in many ways, yes social media platforms are bringing the world closer together by facilitating easier communication between people that know each other offline and those who would never have crossed paths otherwise.

However, I have also begun to view social media as something that divides people after recent events. The most prominent example are the political disagreements that arise over each of President Trump’s tweets. Each of his tweets on his personal @realDonaldTrump account garners thousands of replies, many agreeing or disagreeing with what he has said or replies to other’s tweets. In this instance social media is not bringing those who engage with these tweets who have opposite opinions closer together and instead acts as a medium to further political polarization.

All in all, social media has proved its power to be something that allows people to come together as well as a way to deepen the divide between groups. There is not a one size fits all answer to this question and it really comes down to how an individual chooses to engage with others on social media that determines if they are brought “closer to the world” or further separated from it.

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