What does social media mean to me?

Note: This post is published as a part of my Digital Marketing course in Haaga-Helia.

For my generation life has become almost too difficult to manage without social media. Whether it is school work, hobby or just keeping up with your family, social media is there. Necessary and inevitable. Social media has made networking and socializing a lot easier and has opened many possibilities in personal life and in business life. But sure, it has it's downsides too and some of them are particularly tricky. Not that I have experienced them particularly keenly, or at least not yet.

I would not categorize myself as a skilled social media user. I use Facebook and WhattsApp regularly, Instagram then and now and have tried my hand with Twitter. About the average, I would say? Actually i have no idea if I'm using social media more or less than my peers... 

Passively I do a lot more and not a day goes by that I would not open at least one feed. My use of social media is kept on leash by my severe case of motion sickness, I pretty much have to be stationary to read anything. During commuting or walking, both a prime time for some serious social media action, I mainly listen to Spotify (well, a kind of social media channel too) or Podcasts.

I like to use the social media platforms I’m using mainly because it allows me to be in contact with people I can’t otherwise see on weekly, monthly or even yearly bases. I have made friends from all over the world so keeping in touch with them would not be that efficient if there were no social media sites. 

 

My family is perhaps above average with our social media use. Both my parents are avid facebookers and my mother has just gotten inspired with Instagram. We use mainly Facebook Messenger for chatting and making plans, I very rarely need to call them anymore. Everything that needs to be said can and has been already done and shared in social media!