Evolving Opinions

I have come to the end of my Psychology of Social Media course, and I am brought to reflection about how I truly feel about social media. As we have studied different social media platforms, I have seen things I like and dislike about each of them. I have gained a greater idea of how I want to use social media and how much I want it in my life. But the most surprising thing that I have learned is that my opinions of social media are evolving just as much as the media and technology itself.

I came into my Psychology of Social Media class with an open mind. Having used social media on my mission, I knew that there was much good that could be done and I wanted to be a part of it. The course has shown me a whole new way of looking at things in regards to the Internet and social media. The best conclusion that I have come to is that social media was given to us to do good, but that it is also being used for evil, and it is our own personal choice to decide how we use it. We need to stay in control of our media and not allow it to control us. Using social media can be very fulfilling and can bring many good things, but I feel that what we experience online comes secondary to the things we experience in real life.

I have come to appreciate and like social media more over the years, but I still think that it needs to be used with wisdom and in moderation. And we have to realize that it is constantly evolving, and so our ways of regulating it have to be adapted from time to time as well. I used to be very critical of social media. I used it from time to time, and I saw how it negatively affected me and those around me when used too much. But my opinion has evolved as I have come to learn more about it. Now that I have a better understanding of what is out there, I have a greater capacity to make decisions on how to use social media to benefit my life and the lives of those around me.

The things that social media and the Internet can do are simply extraordinary. But we at times forget that all the things that are amplified by the Internet and social media already existed. The world before the Internet had just as much information, but the Internet gave us as individuals to access that information. People had remarkable talents before there was YouTube, but social media has created a virtual audience that spans the entire world. People communicated with each other, sharing ideas and inspiration before there was Twitter and Facebook, but again these platforms amplified the communication between individuals all over the world.

The truth is, we live in a digital world that is constantly evolving and changing. We can fear these new medias and technology and hide from them, or we can learn about them and use them in a way that benefits our lives and takes us one step closer to making the world a better place. We don't have to change our values or opinions in order to embrace a new way of doing things. I for one am set on my standards and goals, and I plan to use the tools I have been given to make something wonderful.