Social media seems to get a lot of stick these days, whether that’s being linked to an increase in mental health problems, being addictive for teenagers and children, or just downright “anti-social”.
While these are definitely issues we should be concerned about and discuss, we can sometimes get sucked into all the negativity surrounding social media and it’s very easy to forget all the good things it can bring to the table.
Just for a quick example, I’m probably the most unorganized hap-hazard person you could come across which means I easily tend to forget about upcoming events I would honestly forget my head if it wasn’t screwed on. Facebook means I don’t have a good enough excuse to forget the things that are important to me. If I’m invited somewhere I’ll always see it somewhere when I open the app and I spend a hell of a lot of time on it!.
Here are some great things about social media because I think it doesn’t get enough credit!
1. It Makes The World Seem Smaller

One awesome thing about social media networking sites is they can power the world open to you. There are endless possibilities, perhaps you want to join a group that talks about a common interest to you, you’ll sometimes find these groups have all sorts of different people from all kinds of different backgrounds, cultures, and countries. This makes social media so fun and can help you integrate yourself into learning about the wider world around you.
Maybe you have family or friends that live abroad and you can’t just pop round for a cup of tea, a message can be sent to and delivered to them in less than a minute wherever you are in the world there are no limitations to telling them the latest gossip or news and with sites like Facebook and Whatsapp for example, you can video call which makes the experience a whole lot more like the real thing.
2. Social Media Makes it Easy to Make Friends

This is the most positive aspect of social media in my opinion. As a bit of an introvert, all the way back to when I was a young child, socializing has always been somewhat difficult for me. When I started getting into music as a teenager I discovered my voice a little more and from there, I found a new way to find some common ground with people on Facebook.
I quickly joined various music groups local and afar and it wasn’t long till I felt part of a community. Many of the gigs I have played have been offered to me on social media and I have had countless conversations with other musicians sharing tips with each other.
You no longer have to be the outgoing person in the room to make friends thanks to social media!.
3. Social Media Fosters Empathy

Social media has given us the green light to be more honest and open about our lives. Many of us have all sorts of struggles that could span a range of different things. We can share our lives day by day with all the ups and downs and the twists and turns in between. Support groups are a great place to go if you feel like you want to open up about something that is troubling you, a man in my hometown decided to create a group during the pandemic so people could reach out to others and offer support.
This was a great use of social media as families struggled to get food in their fridges while they were isolated with coronavirus. The group was full of people wanting to go out of their way to help those in need and it was a place that welcomed with open arms the lonely and the vulnerable.
It really made me reflect on how good humanity can be and how caring we are all capable of being.
So yes, like I said at the top of the article, social media addiction and mental health problems are something that should definitely concern us but we should also celebrate the good it has brought to us as a society.