Twitter, Tumblr, and Time

Social media is all around us. We can’t walk by 2 people who don’t have 1 type of social media, and you can see people everywhere using some sort of digital device.  I believe that social media is beneficial , despite the negativity surrounding it.

The main people influenced by this new introduction of technology , are teenagers.  Multiple teenagers in North America these days have multiple types of social medias, and almost all have a digital device with them.


[1] A lot of people such as parents and/or teachers believe social media is not beneficial to teenagers, probably because of the stereotypes surrounding social media , which are based off jokes and what parents think is going on.  I believe that social media is actually a lot more beneficial than people believe.  Do you know there is a lot more going on in social media than you think?

 In this video, A youtuber named Caity explains common stereotypes of what social media really is, and what people believe social media is.


One of the many beneficial things that go on in social media are campaigns. There are campaigns for everything and they allow teenagers and anyone with an account to participate and spread awareness for things that may not have been helpful without social media. The biggest example right now is the #BellLetsTalk campaign on twitter and facebook. The #BellLetsTalk campaign is about spreading awareness for mental health, and bell donates 5 cents for every text, long distance call, facebook share , and tweet with #BellLetsTalk in it.

YouTube is also a great way for Bell to spread  for their campaign , included in this video where Howie Mandel explains his O.C.D ( obsessive compulsive disorder) and why we should speak and become aware about mental illness.

Social media is also a great platform to spread news to people that may not even watch the news. I know a lot of people my age who don’t watch the news but have heard of things because it was shared on twitter, or tumblr. There are multiple sides of news stories that aren’t shared in your news station, but they are shared on social media, like in class when we discussed blogs, and how they are used to convey news that isn’t one-sided.


[2] For example , Feminism is a rising discussion on social media, since news platforms aren’t speaking about it. Almost everyday on my timeline on twitter I see people debating about Feminism and what it means at the moment.

 Many people believe social media is time consuming and can make teenagers isolated, but the truth is it all matters on the amount of time we spend. We have to balance it out in order to make sure we’re interacting in real life as much as we are interacting online. In order to do that , we have to make sure we’re not spending 10 hours a day online, and going outside sometimes. If you have the perfect balance of online and real life interaction, you can enjoy social media without any of the negative effects to your brain/health  or your real life relationships.

So what do you think? Do you believe social media is beneficial?


[1] “5 Phones” No date. Online Image. “Mobile advertising to double this year” 15/02/15


[2] “Who Needs Feminism” No date. Online Image. ” Who Needs Feminism New Tumblr Promotes Gender Equality” 15/02/15