The perks of having the world at your fingertips

Posted on by Colleen Callander

I’m definitely guilty of constantly snap chatting and sending funny memes to my friends, don’t get me wrong. However, social media plays such a huge part in my education also and allows me to stay in contact with people I wouldn’t be able to otherwise.

I wouldn’t be able to thrive as a journalist without social media. For example, Twitter is the fastest platform for breaking news and for keeping your viewers informed. Not only can I break stories through Twitter, but it’s a great way for me to find them as well. If nobody tunes in to listen or watch your work, then it means nothing. News channels want high viewership ratings, and Twitter is the perfect way to attract people to your stories.  NBC correspondent Natalie Morales uses Twitter to share her Instagram posts about an upcoming story:

I also use social media because if there’s a way that I can easily keep in touch with all of my friends and family, then why wouldn’t I? College students leave behind a lot of things when they go to school, but platforms like Facebook and Instagram help us see what our best friends are up to. I enjoy seeing pictures of my friends and family when I’m at school because I like being informed, and keeping them informed, on what’s going on.

Engaging in social media keeps me in the loop with not only my friends, but also with the world. It allows me to communicate with my best friend studying abroad in Barcelona, and it allows me to keep up to date with current events in other countries. Photos, videos and stories can go viral on social media, and if it didn’t exist, we would never know about events happening outside of our backyards:

It can be used for negative reasons, but when used the right way, social media opens the doors to the whole world with just the push of a button.

 

Social media has benefits for everybody!

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