When speaking to my mother, I get a sense of the attitude of many people in her age group. She refers to social media in general as “that Facebook” and displays a genuine and deep seated dislike for anything related to the field. Imagine her chagrin when I began my career as a social media writer. While she was pleased for me, and my ability to express myself and make money from my true passion, she is still quite skeptical about how social media can be a positive thing. I’ve made it my one-woman mission to show her.
I’m well aware of the negative aspects of social media, as I’ve written about them, in detail, previously. However, in one recent instance, social media banded people together to show their support to a family that was fighting a battle with a vicious disease. It’s seldom expressed or celebrated, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t consider the amount of charitable advances made as a result of social media. A lot of people focus solely on the negativity associated with social media activity, but I’m here to tell you: social media is not your enemy.
Recently, in the social media world, many members of the community were introduced to a young man who was battling cancer. The child of a fellow #AutoFam member, this little boy generated a veritable wildfire on social media. As many were clamoring to get their hands on a Caleb vs. Cancer t-shirt to show our support and express our solidarity, social media was the root of all of it. A small prayer request for a young boy, rocketed into a widespread campaign to show our solidarity to a child many members of the community had never met, that showed us all what true courage looked like.
We live in a world where stories of violence and horror lead the news reports at night. On a daily basis we are greeted with a barrage of terrifying images and bad news, so that it is difficult to remain optimistic. Social media, for the most part, is no different. A good story on social media is a diamond in the rough, but they’re out there. For every ten negative, politically fueled curse-laden rants, there is one story that will renew your faith in the human race. You sometimes just have to know how to find it.
Yes, social media is filled with vile opinions and horrific grammar that makes you reconsider the job the education system is doing, but every once in a while, people will surprise you. Recently, Facebook creator, Mark Zuckerberg took to Facebook to announce a momentous occasion in his life; the more than halfway point of his wife’s pregnancy following several miscarriages. These are the types of posts we normally miss, as we’re skimming through our pages either looking to get into or avoid a fight with the more outspoken of our Facebook friends.
While the announcement of pregnancies, new life coming into the world, or engagement announcements are often looked at with joy and are celebrated, they’re also often overshadowed by others’ complaining tendencies. Another incredible aspect of social media, is the increased visibility of charitable organizations. A friend of my sister’s, a 25 year old woman, gave birth to a little boy almost two years ago. While this was a time of celebration, it was also cause for concern, as she gave birth to a little boy who has XLMTM, a very rare disease. Social media has allowed her to increase awareness, meet other parents whose children have the same issues, and also set up a charitable organization to help her family and her son.
One of the greatest stories in the media recently, speaks to the true purpose of social media. There was an animal shelter in Atlanta that posted a photo of two dogs that appeared to be hugging. As the dogs were slated for euthanasia in a high kill shelter, the photo went viral and within two hours they were both adopted. This is the true spirit of why social media has become so important in our society; the human connection, and inspiring compassion and empathy.
We need to get away from what social media has become, a space for us to vent our contempt for nearly everything, and get back to what it was meant to be. When Facebook first emerged, it was primarily to connect with people. I, personally, was able to find my best friend from kindergarten, after we’d lost touch for many years. We live in a place that is obsessed with negativity and other people’s pain, but occasionally, when you look around, you’re surprised by the genuine outpouring of love and support for our fellow man.
Social media can be a bad thing, when used improperly and left in the control of the wrong people. However, social media also has the incredible and awe-inspiring power to connect people across the globe for the greater good. We don’t always focus on what is good in our lives, but a simple alignment of our point of view can do amazing things. When is the last time you posted something uplifting on Facebook or Twitter? Give it a shot, you may be pleasantly surprised.
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