Social media has become synonymous with any essential need; its ubiquity is a testament to its power and spread throughout the world. It is used everywhere in the planet, in countless languages and in numerous settings such as casually, politically, economically and socially. The sheer volume of data and information shared because of social media is unbelievable. It is believed that in the last two years, the volume of data produced and stored is actually more than ever done before in the whole history of mankind. This idea easily illustrates why social media has the power to do both good and bad.

Facebook – The giant living everywhere

The leading social media platform is, without any doubt, Facebook; a social media giant that has recorded over 2.3 billion active users. A study highlighted that Facebook observes 900,000 logins every minute. If this number is extrapolated to a day, it would be 1.296 billion logins. The same study also estimated that 15,000 GIFs are sent through messenger every minute. These numbers all illustrate how Facebook has become a household name.

However, in the last two years, we have repeatedly learnt of events where social media has been used (subtly) in modern day warfare. The fact that the elections of the United States of America were affected because of Facebook has troubling ramifications. A famous guardian article exposed activities of a company known as Cambridge Analytica which harvested data of millions of people using Facebook. The data was acquired without the knowledge of people and was used to create profiles for conditioning.

Similarly, concerns have been long shared about Facebook’s exposure to children–a survey concluded that the average age of children who join Facebook is 11 years old. 40 percent of children spend more than 1 hour on Facebook every day and many have interacted with scammers. These concerns have left parents aware of the down side of social media platforms such as Facebook. As a result, they are usually advised to take active roles in setting age restrictions, parental controls, teaching and implementing better privacy settings and blocking inappropriate content.

The Youth & Social Media

While in a more local and dangerous manner, social media has opened doors to human hatred in the guise of anonymity and proximity. Through social interactions online, such hatred oozes out and a lot of harsh things are shared and said. For millennials, this has much darker implications as they have lived with social media as an essential component of their social fabric and interaction method. This has also made them susceptible to the effects of harsh comments and mental disturbances, which include depression and anxiety.

Anyone exposed to such form trouble online should:

  • Avoid groups with toxic discussions and report if someone is bullying you or others
  • Discuss issues openly with adults and find spaces that are supportive
  • Approach organisations that work to help in such issues.
  • Block people who can hurt you and beware of scammers.

I am Enough (Non-profit Organisation)

Engage with organisations that work with people facing trouble online. A perfect example is ‘I am Enough’; a non-profit organisation that deals with digital related afflictions. They deal with concerns related to depression and anxiety caused through social media exposure. The idea behind it was simple, social media is a giant that has gripped the world and will not seize to exist. The benefits of social media are widespread and require to be embraced. Where problems arise, professionals with an understanding of matters related to technology and mental health can provide support. Such support involves using different tried and tested techniques, which helps to build digital resilience. For more information, visit https://imenough.co/

If you are looking for a digital partner that you can trust, contact Net Branding. In comparing us to other New Zealand digital marketing companies, we know our difference in the marketplace is the value we give to our clients, (both large and small), which is place on trust, quality and service delivery with transparency. We are their preferred end to end digital solution provider.

If you are looking for a preferred digital marketing, website and solution provided to many New Zealand businesses, get in touch with Auckland based Net Branding. Call us on (09) 523 0478 to start a chat about our fully integrated digital mareketing services.