Social Media has made a tremendous impact on our world. It enabled us to interact with a greater number of individuals and has connected people from all over the globe.
Although some may think that it is just a young person’s game, Social Media is definitely not built only for a specific generation. I understand why some Baby Boomers are skeptical about the digital platform but I strongly urge you to try it. You won’t regret it. If nothing else, you can impress your grandchildren with how “hip” or “with it” you have become.
Here are some of the general benefits of Social Media and how it can be an important tool for your everyday life.
Social Interaction
Today, it is not unusual for families to become scattered across the country, or even spread across different countries. Through social media, keeping in touch with family members all over the world has become very easy. Grandparents can keep up with their grandchildren’s daily lives and are able to see their accomplishments. Thanks to the different social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, there’s no more need to wait for your children’s vacation photos to arrive in the mail because you can get those updates in near-real time. Aside from the photo sharing tool, you can use instant messaging and video chat, too.
Social media interaction is not limited to just communicating with your family. Nowadays, you can catch up with your college friends, high school buddies and ex-coworkers.
Entertainment
It’s possible that you are left at home alone and sometimes suffer from social isolation and depression. Thanks to social media, you can watch old movies and television shows from “back in the day”. Youtube, for example, provides access to a lot of entertaining videos that you can watch for free. Not only that, you can search old songs and reminisce about the “good old” days.
If you love to read, books have already reached the digital world as well. There are a lot of sites where you can download e-books for free. Now, you don’t need to go to the public library or spend a single cent at the book store. Plus (and this is a BIG plus), an e-reader weighing less than a pound can hold thousands of books.
Current Events
Social Media has provided us with access to immediate information. There are a lot of official accounts on Twitter that give us breaking news and other relevant updates on any field that you are interested in. From sports news to Hollywood gossips, I am sure that social media is a helpful tool for those of us who want to be in the know.
These are just three out of the many reasons that I can think about why you should be concerned about social media. I assure you that with proper use, it can enrich you life in unexpected ways. The best thing about Social Media is that it can bring you closer to people that you can’t even imagine reaching in the real world.
I am working on a series of articles covering the different social media services in more depth in future articles, providing “how-to” articles as well as explaining in more detail how each service can best enrich your life. If you have any specific topics you would like covered, or questions you would like me to answer, feel free to leave a comment below! I assure you that every comment will be read.
