Hi Class!
Being that I am a millennial born in 1993 I grew up with social media and have watched it evolve over the past 29 years. I was twelve years old when I started using AIM Messenger, MySpace, and then Facebook. It wasn’t until I graduated high school in 2012 that Instagram came out. Instagram has evolved tremendously over the past decade and completely changed the social media world. Instagram went from only posting food pictures or pictures of your dog and only using Instagram filters. To now, creating an aesthetically pleasing Instagram grid and making money off posting for brands.
“In a study done by Kate Meyer on her article “Social Media Natives: Growing Up with Social Networking,” she revealed that 90% of millennials have at least one form of social media in 2016 compared to only 55% in 2006″ (IPL, 2022). Now that the majority of people have social media and can easily access it at any time on their cell phones it is safe to say that it can be very addicting. Since social media has become so popular it has caused many people mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts. The content that we see every day on social media can affect our brains – “Even if you know that images you’re viewing on social media are manipulated, they can still make you feel insecure about how you look or what’s going on in your own life” (Health Guide, 2021).
Even tho social media can have a negative effect, it can also be a positive thing too. Having social media makes it easier to keep up with friends and family because you don’t have to necessarily pick up the phone to ask how someone is doing. One of my favorite things about social media is that it is now a marketing and branding tool. Social media has helped many small businesses grow and become very successful. “According to data gathered by score, 77% of small businesses use social media to help build brand awareness, facilitate customer service, and increase revenue. For example, data from Meta shows that 83% of Instagram users say they discover new brands while using the platform. Those users are then able to share posts with friends, further increasing brand awareness” (Peek, 2022).
I think social media is great to have but it is important to monitor how often you use it and what content you see on the daily.
References:
Millennials: Growing up with Social Media. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2022, from https://www.ipl.org/essay/Technology-In-Social-Media-PJUC78VTYTG
Social Media and Mental Health. HelpGuide.org. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2022, from https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/social-media-and-mental-health.htm#:~:text=However%2C%20multiple%20studies%20have%20found,about%20your%20life%20or%20appearance.
The importance of social media for small business. business.com. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2022, from https://www.business.com/articles/social-media-small-business-importance/
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