Blog Essay(Lj 1)

  My Hindsight and Current Perspective on Social Media LJ1

Prompt 1:

The purpose of this essay is for me to answer the following questions and give you my personal perspective on social media. First off, I'd like to discuss my personal do's and dont's in regards to social media. For the do's, I like to treat social media like the real world in a sense; treat everyone with repsect and try to make it a positive environment for everyone else. I also like to use it as a place of entertainment and a place where you can learn cool things like life hacks, fitness and etc. depending on what you like on your feed. For my dont's, I personally keep negative/ toxic comments to myself and believe that cyber bullying/ black mailing is an issue that alot of people deal with. I'm a firm believer in treating people how they treat you, and just because you're behind a screen doesn't rationalize people treating others poorly. 

     Next I'd like to talk how I used social media in the past compared to now. Well back in the day I used to post stuff like memes, basketball highlights/ clips and video games that caught my interest at the time. As of now I haven't posted much on social media lately just because I've become a more private person and just more concious about what I post over the years. However, when I do post on rare occassion it might be in regards to my music or musicians that I enjoy listening to. When it comes to social media platforms I used Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram,(for as long as I remember) and as of recently I decided to make an account on Twitter. When I look back in hindsight, I wish that I understood the power of the internet/ social media, the networking/ monetary opportunities instead of wasting hours on end just mindlessly scrolling through funny cat videos and etc.

Prompt 2:

For the second prompt, I'd also like to answer some questions and give you my perspective as well. For me personally I enjoy having social media for many reasons: for one, it is a great form of entertainment, place to network, build your online business, meet new people, and the ability to express yourself in anyway shape or form. Although, it is very easy to get addicted to social media and or comparing yourself to others in a negative light. Self expression is definitely needed in times like this where everyone has an opinion on certain issues and or things they are interested in. I think selfies are cool, I actually remember when selfies were a trend (with a song as well).I think it is nice to take selfies with yourself or with your loved ones to make memories. In modern times it is crucial to have a good image when you're online like you should in person. People will make judgements and may act accordingly depending on how you carry yourself online. It's also important if you're an online influencer with a lot of influence, because influence is everything and cancel culture is also something to keep in mind. The rules/ criteria should be simple, treat others how they treat you and keep negative comments and energy to yourself. I don't have much of a problem when it comes to comparing yourself to people online. However, it is more common than you think to compare yourself to fitness influencers, and Instagram models (this can affect your self esteem and give you a false sense of reality). I didn't offically quit social media, and I'm not opposed to it. However, I do take breaks away from social media from time to time to give myself mental clarity and avoid information overload.