Pros and Cons of Social Media Networks

[La Femme Fatale]

This question was suggested by the loverly @Jen

Hello Femme.

I had an idea for next week's question. The question I thought of is 'what is your opinion on social networking sites?'

There are a lot of advantages to having social networking accounts like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, but there are people that think it causes trouble and some say it can also cause low self-esteem. I thought people could give their thoughts on it, any personal anecdotes about their experiences or if there's been a time when they've had any negative feelings because of social media.

 

[cheezMcNASTY]

Pros: Stay connected with people in ways previously unimaginable, get the inside scoop on what's going on in the world, and stay informed on your corners of pop culture.

Cons: None. Some people don't like the impulsive or immersive behavior social media invites. As with anything else, I say it only takes over your life as much as you let it. A lot of talk goes around saying things like they need to delete their twitter because "it was taking over their life." To those people I say it's just the fault of your own addictive personality and your own lack of self control. Quitting something you're uncontrollably addicted to is for heroin addicts. The rest of you with smart phones are just being melodramatic. It's really quite simple: if you don't like being on it all the time, just use it less.

 

[KennedyKiller]

Pros: Photo sharing, easy access to looking back on happy memories, easy connection with anyone and everyone in your life. Accessibility on nearly every device from Smart Phones, to computers, to Tablets, to even gaming consoles.

Cons: There are none really...People themselves are the problem. "Cyberbullying." That's bullsh*t. As a kid that was beaten up and shoved in lockers, even I think the people that talk about cyberbullying are simply weak and over dramatic. It's not that hard to turn off your computer. If you can't ignore something that has no physical relevance to you, then that's YOUR problem. And to add to what @cheezMcNASTY said, he's right. It's all about how often you use it. All things in moderation after all...

 

[Venomous Oddball]

Pros: Uhh... you get to talk to people?

Cons: Stupid people, having to hear about the Kardashians and One Direction everywhere you go... xD

The only real social network I'm on is Twitter, but I only go on it to talk to certain people, I rarely have "normal" tweets..

 

[wolf trail]

pro: that sniper who missed to blow your head will be informed that your still alive...
con: seeing my stupid high school friends posting stupid and baseless philosophy(and tell each other they are doing a good job!)...

For me not only they are not addictive, I even hate spending time on Facebook with all of my heart.

 

[Jen]

There are a few advantages to me to social media. I only have Facebook - it's good for planning/being invited to events, reminding you of birthdays and generally keeping up with family news. These things send a notification to my phone so I know when something important comes up.

Having said that, I actually barely use Facebook. I never went on it that much to begin with, but I've cut myself off from it even more now. I only post statuses for major things like getting my degree, and If I don't get a notification for it, chances are high that I won't be that bothered about seeing it.

I think it can cause people to have negative feelings about themselves. I overheard a conversation between two teenagers on the bus the other day, and one said 'my new profile picture got forty likes!'. The other girl didn't say very much, though she looked uncomfortable. It's almost like a person's worth or popularity is measured by how many likes they get on Facebook these days, and people get obsessed with it.

I went through a period about a year ago when I was worried to even open Facebook. I fell out with a group of friends and I kept seeing statuses from one of them that tried to make me feel left out. I deleted him, of course, but I do feel like these days Facebook is used by some to make other people feel bad.

I've also seen people have full blown arguments on Facebook, particularly with controversial topics. I think it causes far too much trouble.

In the end I'm really glad that I've distanced myself from Facebook. It was stupid how I was worried about looking on my news feed in case I saw something that would make me feel bad, and that's with me not even using Facebook that often. I know it sounds really sad me saying all this stuff, but it's just my personal experiences with Facebook and how it made me feel.

 

[Spikeyroxas]

I think at first the idea was great.
It really helped you to connect to friends and old friends you lost contact with.
I'm particular Facebook now:
Over the years it seems to have lost its way and became a nessesity for some people to post every detail of their lives on there.
Now I think Facebook is a bit of a problem.

I actually feel further from my friends on it and barely write anything about myself on there as it's my own business and people who I want to tell.

I mainly use it to store my photos cheaply and to share funny videos ect.

Reading other people's statuses makes me a mixed feel of angry and sad because there's always a the following types of people:

Those who complain about everything

Those who write statuses for attention such as "OMG I'm so angry today"
Those who reply to the bait "pls inbox me"
Then the casual "nah its not that bad" reply.

And those who talk about everything they do, did or going to do.

It also makes me feel like the ground is swallowing me when I see that people I knew are moving swiftly on through life but not that much has happened to me.

Same with Twitter and the others I'm sure, the novelty has worn off and you find yourself just looking at it but not reading anything on it.

Then there's the esteem problem,
My Facebook only has friends with people who I have spoken to or are friends with.
Then my brother who is 9yrs younger than me has about a million friends, most of which he hasn't met, seen or knows where they live.
And all the time he's posting stupid statuses that you csnt understand and posting silly pictures that instantly get a million likes.
Nothing wrong with that but it sort of adds pressure to keep on it.

When I have kids I honestly don't want them to have access to social media until they're mature enough to handle it correctly.

 

[Dr.Slaughter]

Pros- Info, picture sharing, vines, tumblr, facebook, youtube, sites like this one, facebook stalking , you get to look at all the chaos and drama people are able to conjure up on online sites.

Cons- You could potentially meet an icecream truck driving pedobear with a love complex and who has a ultra relgious tendencies and likes to fap to animal porn......

So no cons really.