On Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016, a young boy named Jake, who lives in a small village in Ghana, became a worldwide sensation as Instagram photos surfaced of the boy completely entranced in a lesson. Taken by Carlos Cortes, this photo far surpassed any expectations of receiving many “likes” on the social media site. Rather, it has given the boy the chance to receive an education thanks to donations from people around the world. Without Instagram, Jake and his peers might not have had the chance to attain an education.
This situation is not uncommon. People around the world view social media sites as enhancing the human experience. In every aspect of our lives — personal, social and even political, to name a few — we rely on social media to connect with people, establish an identity and gain information.
So why does it get so much heat? Critics argue that the younger generation's obsession with the instant gratification aspect of social media networking accelerates narcissism and diminishes attention spans. Maybe that’s reasonable for those who take social media to an extreme. But in most cases, social media is used as a way to enrich lives, not take away from them.
Thanks to social media, “long distance” relationships really do not exist anymore; at the click of a button, we can connect with loved ones virtually anywhere in the world. In fact, the connections we form on social media with our loved ones has been thought to improve our relationships with those people in real life. As one of many out-of-state college students, this does not come as a surprise. Tagging my mom in Facebook posts about cute puppies or "Gilmore Girls" allows us to bond 1,000 miles apart. The possibilities to connect are near limitless through social media.
What’s more, social media allows us to brand ourselves in exactly the way we desire, giving us more control over our identity than ever before. Researchers have actually concluded that because we are able to moderate what we post on social media, it has given self-esteem levels a boost for users that put their best effort into their digital identity. People are able to design their social media pages to reflect their values, experiences and important connections, oftentimes in ways they would not be able to without this platform. This allows for achievement of balance between who people see themselves as and who they want to be.
Finally, without social media, the distribution of information as we know it would simply not be possible. Twitter’s use of hashtags that have the chance to become trending worldwide is a prime example of this. Whether it’s popular TV show “The Voice” — which incited 3.5 million tweets in just four episodes — or the devastating Sandy Hook school shooting, incidents of national interest or significance gain widespread awareness over this popular social media site. Because ignorance truly is not bliss, this is largely beneficial to society as a whole and even supports our democratic system.
Gone are the days when communication existed through a handwritten letter received weeks after it was created. In a society claiming to support inclusion and collaboration, social media serves as a crucial tool. As we become more globalized, the use of these networking sites can only be a positive thing, spreading awareness and knowledge to whatever audience the user desires — from virtually everyone in the world to the relatively small amount of Instagram followers he or she has.
The mere number of social media users — 2.3 billion worldwide — heavily indicates that clearly these sites are doing something right. If people did not love it, they would not keep using it. Jake’s story highlights the absolutely amazing possibilities of social media: If done correctly, we can help our fellow global citizens live better, achieve more and contribute to our future.