There was a time when you had to write a letter to your loved ones or make expensive phone calls just to get in touch with them.
It really used to feel like you live on different planets or something!
But then, the internet came and changed our lives forever.
To be more precise, it was the rise of social media that revolutionized how we interact with each other.
Yes, social media platforms have their cons as well, for which they have received a lot of criticism recently.
However, we cannot ignore the immense benefits they provide to us.
I think it would be fair to say that the world is better off having them instead of not having them.
Let me illustrate that by talking about 15 positive effects of social media.
1) It Makes Connecting With People Easy
This one is pretty obvious, and I am sure everyone has already experienced this.
Whether it is your current friends, high school friends that you barely talk to, family members, or even your fellow yoga class students, social media makes it easy to connect with anybody you like.
There have been so many interesting stories of people finding each other after decades!
And thanks to the magic of technology, we have tons of ways of staying connected with people we know.
We can text, send audio files, do voice calls, do video calls, send emojis, share photos & videos, and even conduct group meetings!
2) It Helps Build Relationships
Adding to the previous point, social media helps build relationships with the people you know.
That’s because it makes communication effortless.
And as we all know, communication is one of the keys to great relationships.
Whether it is family members who have moved to a different state or a love interest that you have just met recently, social media is the perfect place to nurture your relationships.
A unique advantage of social media is that you can build meaningful relationships with tens of people at the same time.
Imagine doing that in the real world.
Most of your time would be spent for this purpose only!
But since social media is a digital space, you can easily communicate with people from the comfort of your home, office, or anywhere else!
3) It Helps You Make A Name For Yourself/Your Business
In the past decade, countless people have built million-dollar brands out of nothing just by using social media.
In fact, social media is single-handedly responsible for creating hundreds of thousands of influencers throughout the world.
This has enabled regular people to showcase their unique talents and make a name for themselves.
Social media is also a great platform for businesses and brands to market their products and services.
In today’s age, it has become a necessity for a brand to have a social media page.
Not only can they market their products through their page, but they can also communicate with their customers, host contests, do giveaways, manage perceptions, and educate people about using their products.
4) It Is Instrumental In Times of Emergencies
In life, emergency situations can occur at any time.
These can be natural calamities, health emergencies, sudden financial issues, cases of missing persons, and so on.
In times like these, social media can be crucial for individuals and even entire nations to ask for help.
There are countless examples of how social media platforms have led people to receive timely help.
I think we have all witnessed this during the COVID pandemic.
Millions of people were saved in one way or the other thanks to social media platforms.
5) It Can Be Used To Increase Social Awareness About A Cause
There are a lot of social evils that plague our society.
And surprisingly, a lot of people are still ignorant or misinformed about these social issues.
Thanks to social media though, it is now easier than ever to get the word out.
Today, many individuals and organizations are engaged in increasing social awareness about a number of important causes.
Some examples are bullying, racism, gender inequality, immigrants’ rights, domestic violence, and so on.
Through social media, people send out relevant information in creative ways about how we can deal with social issues.
This also leads to a lot of conversation that could lead to unique solutions to the problems we face. In a way, social media allows for the wisdom of the crowd to prosper.
6) It Is Crucial To Spreading News
There was a time when the newspaper was the only medium by which people got their news.
Now, however, social media has taken over as the go-to platform for news for most people.
This is especially true of the younger generation.
They are no longer interested in watching news channels or reading newspapers. They want to get their news as soon as it happens.
And there is no better platform for this than social media.
People can get relevant updates and info on any happenings in the palm of their hands.
They can even get access to images and videos of events that cannot typically be published in mainstream media.
In fact, they can get real-time updates via live video from the people where the events are taking place. Really, social media has allowed news to travel at the speed of light.
7) You Can Learn A Lot of Things On Social Media
Want to learn the ins and outs of trading stocks?
Want to learn how to do yoga properly?
Want to master your cooking skills?
Well, you can do that on social media, and that too, for free.
There are tons of people you can follow (according to your interests and preferences) and learn anything you want.
You no longer need to go to a university or spend on classes to learn new skills.
And before you think this is too good to be true, I would suggest you give it a try first.
I am sure you will have a much better learning experience on social media than in physical classes.
That’s because teachers on social media use all sorts of creative methods to impart knowledge.
They use graphics, illustrations, videos, images, and what not to teach what they know. It’s pretty incredible if you think about it!
8) It Can Be Used To Enhance Customer Service
As I mentioned above, these days, brands have official social media pages where they actively interact with their customers and provide other services.
They are able to do this because of the dedicated tools that social media platforms have built for the brands.
This includes chatbots that can solve customers’ issues without any human interaction, status updates on their orders via chat, receiving feedback to improve products, booking service requests, etc.
All of this makes up for world-class customer service. And the best part is that companies don’t have to invest additional capital for this purpose as these features come free with social media platforms!
9) It Can Be Used To Motivate People
This can happen in two ways.
First, when people see other people becoming successful and enjoying the lifestyle of their dreams, it can motivate them to do better in life.
It can motivate them to become serious about their dreams and goals and pursue them fearlessly.
Suddenly, they have a window into their potential future if they get their act together.
Secondly, there are so many authors, bloggers, vloggers, and motivational speakers who share their content on social media.
Through their content, they try to motivate people and guide them through life’s challenges.
So, these people become a sort of support system for people. This helps them become more conscious of their dreams and gives them the confidence to move forward.
10) It Can Aid In Medical Research On Mental Health
There are billions of people using different social media platforms in the world.
Imagine the sheer amount of data that can be collected about people’s behavior, interpersonal relationships, and more importantly, mental health.
If this data is used to further the understanding of us human beings, it is a win-win situation for us.
This is exactly what several mental health professionals have been doing recently.
They are studying how social media affects mental health (both positively and negatively) and what can be done to mitigate the negative effects.
They are also studying how people’s mental health gets affected due to other people in their group and other relationship dynamics.
11) It Can Even Help You Land A Job
These days, it is normal for a company to go through job applicants’ social media profiles to learn more about them.
After all, a person’s profile is kind of like a window into their minds.
So, it helps determine whether a person is suitable for a particular job or not.
From the point of view of companies, it makes their hiring job more effective.
Now, this is equally beneficial for job seekers.
They can consciously craft their social media posts in such a way that they appear to be the ideal candidate for any company.
They can highlight their interests, achievements, thoughts, values, and more! This could potentially increase their chances of being hired.
12) You Can Be Entertained On Social Media
This is a no-brainer.
I am sure everyone has been entertained on social media platforms.
There are virtually endless ways people can entertain other people. They can post funny videos, memes, gifs, insightful one-liners, and more!
There is so much content that you can endlessly scroll through your timeline and have a great time for hours on end. This can serve as a positive form of distraction if used properly.
It is also this feature of social media that has enabled millions of people to earn some income through their content.
Essentially, it has created an entirely new type of economy (called the creator’s economy) where people can earn solely through social media!
13) It Helps You Remain Updated On Trends
One of the best uses of social media is to remain updated on the latest trends.
Whether it is politics, fashion, technology, sports, or social initiatives, people can get the latest trends right on their social media feed.
They don’t even have to do anything on their part as everything is shown on the homepage itself.
It is so easy to follow a particular trend.
Just click on it, and you will see endless posts on it from around the globe!
This is how social initiatives like the popular ALS Ice Bucket challenge are able to reach everyone on the planet!
All you need to do is tag your post with a hashtag and you become part of the trend! It might seem like a small feature, but it is truly what helps spread information at the speed of light.
14) It Helps You Buy Products And Services
If you have used social media platforms recently, you might have discovered ads.
And it’s quite possible that these ads were quite relevant to you!
You see, social media learns about your preferences and presents to you, products or services that you may like.
And thanks to the latest algorithms, these suggestions have become quite perfect.
Plus, these days, there are dedicated pages of brands and influencers where you can buy a product or service right from the page itself.
You don’t even need to go to an eCommerce website or the brand’s own website. You can do it all from social media.
15) Social Media Can Help Students On Their Projects
These days, it is very common for students to log in to their social media accounts to get information on things to complete their projects.
If a student has to write a report on Portugal, for instance, they could get all the information they want on Portugal right on their social media account.
They can get photos and videos and even learn about the culture of the place.
What’s more, they can connect with real people who live in Portugal and learn more about the country for them!
This is a truly remarkable way of studying the world.
Students have more resources than ever, and they can use this to learn better and score more in their exams.
And the best part is that all of this is quite fun!
