Social Media

In the era of social media, it's nearly impossible not to hop on board. Social media has taken over and has become the fastest way to connect with a multitude of people. For individuals, avoiding social media is much easier, however for businesses, this isn't the case.

In the beginning stages of social media, it was not as necessary for businesses to join. Now that the majority of the population is on some form of social media, it is critical for companies to have their own pages. With "newer" platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, businesses are able to promote their products and/or services and get their name out there if they are just starting out. Without being on social media, businesses will have a harder time building up a clientele because they have limited means of spreading information about the company. Of course word of mouth is an option, but that only goes so far. Social media reaches a much larger audience at a quicker pace.

Instagram,  Facebook, and Snapchat are appealing because they are easy to use, easy for audiences to read and understand, and a post can be made within a matter of minutes. People started to create accounts because of the accessibility to friends and family, but it quickly caught on with businesses as well.

Although social media is a wonderful way to connect with people, there are some downsides. People often forget that anything posted on the internet is out there forever, even after it is "deleted". People have lost jobs, internships, scholarships, and college admission because of things they have posted online. Self-esteem issues have also become much more prominent in our society because of social media, especially Instagram. Although it can happen to anyone, young girls are suffering the most. They compare themselves to models and celebrities they see, which most of the time the photos are edited, creating unrealistic standards. Even if the photos are not edited, many models and celebrities have had plastic surgery and have top of the line makeup artists, hair stylists, and clothing stylists. Social media creates a seemingly perfect world because people only show what they want to show, but things are always different beyond the screen.