Personally, social media has impacted my life in many ways, particularly regarding my self-esteem and mental health. Growing up, I was cyberbullied quite a lot through social media platforms such as Facebook and ask.fm. And since this happened during such a critical point in my development as a young woman, I still suffer the repercussions of self-doubt and low self-esteem to this day but most interestingly, I have a very low desire to be an active member on any of my social media accounts. People are also constantly using social media to judge and compare every aspect of themselves with other people. With that being said, there is also a positive side to social media.

As an international student, I wouldn’t be able to remain in touch with my culture, friends and family, as well as keep up-to-date with all the news and events via Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat. Also, as I delve into the “real world” and begin developing myself professionally, LinkedIn has also become a vital platform where I market and promote myself. These are just a few reasons why social media has become such an important part of my life, and why I’m so intrigued to study and learn more about it. I also hope to someday influence the way people use social media, and in order to do that, I have to understand what people think about social media, and how it individually influences all of them.

I stumbled across a particular video released by All Def Digital on YouTube recently, where a few comedians were poking fun at and discussing various points and perspectives surrounding social media, and it was interesting to see how different people from different demographics and backgrounds felt about the issue, as well.