The Good and the Bad of Social Media

I’ll be the first one to say how much I love social media and how because of it, I’ve met some of the most amazing people and gotten to partake in some pretty cool experiences. I’ll also be the first one to admit that it’s also had a negative impact on my life in some regards. Just like everything else in our lives, it’s a balance, we must all constantly work on!

There are so many aspects of social media that we can’t help but focus on the benefits:

• Forming Relationships – If anything, SM has connected me with more people than ever before!  I’ve met some amazing people and have developed some crazy good friendships.
• Networking – Networking goes along with making connections, but as someone who sells commodities and sells herself and her writing, social media has allowed me to network with people that I probably would never have met prior to social media.
• Transparency – For me, it has made me a bit more transparent, think more about the person that I portray and put out for everyone to get to know.  Blogging has also allowed me to be more transparent and share my struggles and successes with others in the hopes of helping them.
• Awareness – I believe that because of social media we are aware of more issues, causes, and news faster and more often!  This helps us to become better humans (hopefully).

Unfortunately like with most aspects in our lives, what has benefits also has negatives or challenges and social media is no different.

• Time Consuming – if you’re a person like myself who is very connected with social media on many different platforms, it takes time.  Time is something that isn’t a premium in my life, so I have to be very conscious about the time I am spending “catching up” and “being connected”.
• Distracting – Social media can be distracting.  You can be distracted by wondering what you’re missing on Twitter or Facebook.  You can be distracted by feeling overwhelmed by catching up on multiple platforms. It has been known to take time away from our family and friends and being more of something wedging its way in between us instead of connecting us.
• Transparency – Yup, this one is showing up on both lists.  Just as these platforms have allowed some of us to be more transparent to help others, it has allowed some people to put it all out there, all the time.  There’s the rule that not everything needs to be put on Facebook.  This is so true, however some people haven’t learned it yet!
• Takes the Place of Human Interaction – A lot of people have allowed social media interaction to take the place of personal, one on one interaction.  We’ve abandoned calling, writing, and visiting with people!

There is a lesson to be learned from both the positive and negatives of social media.  We need to remember to use social media to connect, but not lose the personal touch.  Get to know the new people in your life that social media has introduced you to, but don’t forget to send a birthday card in the mail to let that friend know you are thinking about them!  This is especially important for business owners, but also for all of us as individuals.  We can use social media for the benefits that it has, but also be conscious of the negatives so we don’t allow them to overtake and outweigh the amazing experiences that come from social media.

What have been the benefits you’ve experienced from using social media?  What is your greatest challenge?