Social Media

Social Media

Social Media can have many different positive effects and influences on society, but can also have devastating effects on a person’s life.

Examples of positive effects include: Contacting family members that live in a foreign country, getting in touch with people who have not given you their mobile number, starting campaigns that a multitude of people all around the world can see. YouTube/blogs (advertising your company or independent business etc.) and many more.

Although it is universally understood that social networks are not there to be abused and taken advantage of, many people still seem to use social networks as a platform to abuse and bully. This is not right!

One of the main issues that occurs by people using social media is cyberbullying. Because a person can instant message another, even without being friends with them, anyone can send abusive messages to someone else. This can also link to cyberstalking, where someone pretends to be someone else. This can be through sending instant messages to someone else, and using fake accounts.

A major risk to children, teenagers and even adults when someone uses a fake identity to contact them. In some cases people refer to this as ‘Catfishing’ but it is better well known as someone having a ‘fake online identity’.

This is something that parents should be aware of, and monitoring. If a person is being victimised they may not even know about it, so it is important to look out for your friends and family and keep an eye on them.

It is also vital to remember that all social networks are dangerous. Whether it is Facebook, Snapchat or Instagram, you can be in danger from using them all.

Remember to look out for yourself and others when using any social networks.