My favourite daytime drama: Facebook
With the advance of technology and the efficiency of the internet, sharing your 2 cents has never been easier. Too many times, I’ve caught myself thinking how would I word that into a Facebook status or what instagram effects to apply on my photo to achieve the most ‘likes’? Since the launch of social media, there is a popular trend of online communication. This also include the old fashion emails, blogs (and now vblogs), podcast and forums. The down-side of online communication is that we lack body cues that would otherwise help us get the full picture of the message. It is times like this when we could get a bit stuck.
Have you ever come across a post on Twitter or Facebook where it triggered a nerve in you? Messages online could easily be misinterpreted and tension could occur into real life relationships. This is because we don’t see the reaction of our audience, this makes us ignorant of the impact things we share online have on others. On the other hand, if we are discussing a deep and at times embarrassing issue, it helps to not have that face-to-face contact. There are definitely pros and cons to social media, what other ones could you think of?
It is important to be able to utilise online communication in a safe and effective manner. What happens online could potentially cut and paste into our real lives. So on Monday 3rd of June 8pm AEST, we will get together and discuss the issues around social media. What impact does it have on us as social beings? Are we benefitting from being in cyberspace all the time, or are we missing out on present day life? What do you think of people who tweet about a fire in the building when they should be evacuating it? I want to hear your thoughts!
See you all there!
What can we do to enjoy benefits on social media as well as stay attached to the offline world?
One of the best things about social media is how you can use it to arrange things for the offline world - organising events/get togethers.
What can we do to enjoy benefits on social media as well as stay attached to the offline world?
I think instead of using social media as a way to boost my self-esteem (good work on coining that everyone), I should use it to get more connected with the real world. Using my virtual life to boost my real life, not live my life on a virtual world.
I prefer communicating face-to-face but social media is so easy and doesn't really take much effort so its hard to choose but face-to-face I get to see facial features and body language unlike online.
I too like face-to-face. I find catching up with someone physically def gives more to talk about when we are online together. But it doesn't work the other way, meaning catching up online doesn't mean there is a lot to talk about face-to-face....Weird huh?
At the end of the day I do prefer meeting up with friends face-to-face, but social media keeps us a lot more connected together on a day to day basis.
It is interesting to know that we all have shared too much and we all use delete which is so amazing. Thank Goodness for that delete button so moving onto the next question:
What do you do when you see a post that is triggering or offensive?
What do you do when you see a post that is triggering or offensive?
It depends on what kind of mood I'm in. IF I'm really triggered by it, I try to take a step back and try to assess the comment in the context it was meant in. Context can so easily be distorted online, so it's important to say how was this meant to be? Was this actually aimed at me? And assess whether you need to do anything. IF it is attacking someone I'm more likely to report it, though if it seems some harmless fun I just ignore it. The poster will cope the backlash not me...
@N1ghtW1ng: Agree with the whole facebook obsession. I've been there, and now I look abck and think how silly the yougner me was. But hey it was a learning curve right? 😛 I look at facebook now and I just see wasted time. For me, I stopped using it regularly because it was only makign me feel worse! I'd see photos of peers hanging out and wonder why I didn't have a good relationship with my friends. I'd see personal jokes and feel upset and angered that I didn't know what they were going on about. I had to let go and say, If I don't see it, I don't know, so it can't hurt me in any way possible.
Since we have a choice to access to face to face communication or social media communication. It comes down to a choice. So which one do you feel more comfortable using? And why?
I like a bit of both. Moderation is good. In talking to my friend today, I've realised how important face to face communication is between people and realised that that is what I've been doing more recently since I decided to limit my facebook useage. I find it easier to talk about certain things online, but then other times it's easier to say it allowed, because it's just easier to say it instead of typing a whole long paragraph that lasts a page or two out! 😛 (as I have a good habbit of having heaps to write! haha! 😛 )
What negative impacts can social media have on us?
As I've found, social media can issolate you from the world. It can bring about a fear of other people. I think if you rely only on social media with limited face to face communication you loose a sense of reality in a way, and social skills. It can be hard to maintain conversations and actually look people in the eyes! It's really hard to bring yourself back from that - as I've found.
I think social media also brings in a bit of expectation of people, that sometimes are unrealistic. Basing them upon what they're online profile looks like isn't always a true indication of a person!
What can we do to enjoy benefits on social media as well as stay attached to the offline world?
Social media brings us together globally.
So we have talked about how social media brings family and friends (across the globe) together, get events up and running, help talk about situations that are embarrassing or hard etc, my next Q will be -
If you have a friend/family/colleague who is new to social media, what would be the top 3 things that you'd tell them to do, so to look after themselves online?
Apart from the privacy stuff and adding people they don't know, I'd tell them to be themself - there is nothing worse than thinking someone is so great online and find out they are tots different offline.
I think everyone else has covered it really welll 🙂
@Bee - good point. It is so easy to be someone else when it is online, we forgot being ourselves is more important.
@N1ghtW1ng - nice goal in trying to stay offline more 🙂 What are some strategies you could do this week?
@sagira - lolz on the culling. I did a few times when I haven't seen them for awhile. I remembered it used to be a competition to get the most "friends" on myspace back in yr 8....old times.
@Doris stop procrastinating really. Go outside and play with my pets, play on a musical intrusment, walk down to the shops. Do study... so many things. I think I will time myself on social media websites, so I can become aware of how long I actually spend on social media and then find out the best way to actually cut down that time.
Thanks guys for contributing tonight. Definitely turned my night around for the better 🙂
@Doris Being aware always helps 😉
Thanks for the great GR session tonight! Have a great week 🙂 And for those of us on exams, we will rock them! 😄
Good night all!
N1ghtW1ng
Take care of yourselves everyone and have a pleasant week 🙂 Stay safe
Thinking about all the positives we've mentioned, what's the one positive thing about social media and mental health that you'll take away from tonight? will you do anything differently?
Ultimately social media keeps me more connected with the people in my life. Often when I meet up with friends face-to-face they even comment on certain things i have posted on a blog etc.
Personally I won't be doing anything differently as I'm pretty careful. I often go through 'people culling' sprees that I only added out of obligation...but haven't said a word to me.
Thinking about all the positives we've mentioned, what's the one positive thing about social media and mental health that you'll take away from tonight? will you do anything differently?
A positive thing about social media is that it is very informative and helpful for long-distance communication. I will try to spend more time offline though since in my opinion I spend too much time on it.
If you have a friend/family/colleague who is new to social media, what would be the top 3 things that you'd tell them to do, so to look after themselves online?
1. Tell them to get involved in positive safe spaces like the reachout forums and do stuff like the community challenge! (like this month's HAPPY THINGS!!)
2. Educate yourself about privacy settings, how long things stay online and what your public profile says about you. Think about your grandma or your boss seeing your page - would you be ok with it?
3. Make the most of this new environment, and get involved in the issues you care about
If you have a friend/family/colleague who is new to social media, what would be the top 3 things that you'd tell them to do, so to look after themselves online?
1. Set privacy settings properly.
2. Don't add strangers.
3. Remember that while there is a delete button, what is put online may be held against you.
If you have a friend/family/colleague who is new to social media, what would be the top 3 things that you'd tell them to do, so to look after themselves online?
Pretty much the same thing everyone will and has said.
1. Privacy settings
2. If you post something, it's out there and you can never get it back.
3. Only add people you actually know, not a friend of a friend of a friend but your friend.
31/2. Add your parents.
