How social media influence me

Social media usage has widely spread over recent years, making it hard to ignore. This has meant adjusting my lifestyle to incorporating social media into my daily life. Social media has changed the way I relate with other people. For example, I now make friends via the internet, unlike in the past where I used to go to popular hangout joints to meet new people. I have also resulted in holding most of my formal and informal meetings virtually rather than physically. Social media has also influenced most of my daily routines, including diet, hobbies, and dress code. So many people post their diets on social media, which has prompted me to try out some of the appealing meals that my social media friends have posted. My only hobby before joining social media was reading novels. However, I have picked up some more exciting hobbies through social media and grown to like them. Common fashion trends on social media depict casual dressing as the most stylish dress code. Such fashion trends have made me switch from official or casual dressing to fit in with other social media users. I have also had to dedicate several hours daily to strict social media use to avoid being left out of the continuously changing trends.

 The type of social media that has influenced me positively or negatively        

The type of social media that has influenced me the most is Facebook; It has negatively and positively influenced me. The first negative effect is dedicating most of my time to social media instead of engaging in more valuable activities. Spending all this time on social media has exposed my eyes to harmful light released by the screen of electric gadgets such as phones and laptops. As a result, I was recently diagnosed with shortsightedness, and my optician described the course of the problem as damage due to too much light. He also prescribed glasses to aid in rectifying my eye problem. Another adverse effect is that my social skills have been significantly reduced. I now find it challenging to start and maintain conversations with other people. I became too used to texting people on social media, which has damaged my one on one- verbal communication skills. I recently had difficulty expressing myself in an interview, which was a revelation of how poor my social abilities had become.

An advantage of using social media is that I have connected with many friends who have proved beneficial to my career. For example, I met my current employer through a job advertisement on social media. Another advantage is that social media has helped me make significant career advancements. My career entails sales and marketing, and social media has enabled me to advertise my products to diverse audiences. I have reached international clients through Facebook, which has helped me to keep diversifying my clientele. The sales I have made to this diverse clientele base made me emerge as the top sales representative, which has earned me a promotion to sales executive.           

What I have learned from using this type of social media

Interacting with people from diverse backgrounds on Facebook has taught me to appreciate and tolerate different cultures. Most Facebook users post events that only show their positive side of life. However, a deeper investigation has revealed that such people also contain a negative side of life. Therefore, I have learned not to trust everything I see on Facebook because most of it is not valid. For example, an individual may seem happy on Facebook but sad in real life.

Figure 1Burnett, Dean. Image of a person happy and sad at the same time.  2016. The Guardian.  https://www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/2016/nov/17/its-only-wrong-when-you-do-it-the-psychology-of-hypocrisy

These one-sided posts have also taught me to avoid judging people based on the one part of the public image they portray on Facebook. Finally, Facebook has taught me that everybody has different views, and they should be respected and tolerated to avoid conflict.

The difference it has made in my life 

Facebook has made a significant difference in my life by changing my view of the world. For example, as earlier mentioned, I am now more appreciative of different cultures and more respectful of people’s opinions that differ from mine. Facebook has also changed my life financially from an average income sales representative to a well-paid sales executive.