Social Media is as we all know a very powerful tool, for the good, bad and indifferent. Today I wanted to look at the good things about social media whilst not denying there is plenty of bad and indifferent. As you would all be aware, social media has been something that has only existed for such a small period in my lifetime.
Whilst that is almost impossible for my gorgeous teenage granddaughters Maddi and Meali to believe, it is very true. It has been an interesting journey for me, I enjoy seeing what my new and old friends and their families are up to.
In years gone by, you had to have the time to ring your friends or write letters and emails to know how everyone was. To be able to keep in touch so easily is a huge bonus, especially if you are like us and have extended family living in another country and state.
The other bonus is that when your nephews and nieces have grown and had their own families, you can enjoy the journey of watching their children grow through social media no matter where they live. I love the opportunities to be able to encourage people that are still in my world because of social media, even when I or they have moved away.
Some of my young friends keep a wonderful record of their children’s experiences, funny things they say, their growth and development through social media which is a fantastic way to keep records for the future. I love all the productive information we can gain, obviously we have to be careful and check the source to make sure it is reputable; however, it is fantastic having it at our fingertips.
I have enjoyed encouraging others through writing a blog over a few years now, researching different topics of interest and sharing some of my own thoughts and experiences in life has been fun. One of my friends, Susan Shon has taught me most of what I know about social media, as well as my children and grandchildren of course.
Susan has also supported me by putting together some blogs for me when I was unable to find the space to write and I am very appreciative of her.
My time has been freed up more this last year and going forward, so now I am looking forward to being able to research more and write more blogs that will hopefully encourage you all. When I have people tell me how they have enjoyed a blog and as a result had value added to their self-worth, I see how social media can have such a positive impact.
Social media is like most things in life, when we have a healthy attitude towards it, being aware of the pitfalls and the advantages we can use it productively.
Life is full of choices, one after the other, choices from what time to get up in the morning, what to eat or not eat, who to have a relationship with, how to raise our children and the list is endless.
Social media is just another area full of decisions to be made, how are we going to use it, what is our involvement with it if any, however, the good thing is we can make these decisions for ourselves. As parents and grandparents, we definitely need to stay on top of teaching the young ones how to use social media wisely and that can be a huge job but when we teach them, they too can enjoy the benefits for themselves.
I can remember when televisions first came into our worlds there was a lot of fear around their negative impact upon society. My parents kept resisting until they realised the benefits and my older brother just kept watching it in the local milk bar up the road which wasn’t good.
Yes, you would have to say that there sure is quite a big component of television that harms children and adults however, we didn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. There are so many shows that educate, empower and entertain us very productively in amongst the destructive rubbish that is also available to all.
All in all, to fear social media is not necessary, to use it to your advantage and the advantages of others can be a great thing. Be wise in your use and enjoy the benefits because like television, social media is a part of this amazing world we live in now.
Blessings, Susanna.
#littlemiraclescommunity
