Social Media: A Safe Place For Students

I have recently come across an important article in the New York Times. This article was about how social media has become a private space for college students and other teens. There are so many news stories reporting about how bad social media is for the younger generations. Yes, I do agree that sometimes social media has caused some problems, like virtual bullying, but I think more people need to talk about the positives associated with it 

This article talks about how social media has given college students a place to complain, empathize, debate, give support, and belong. A student at University of Washington said that social media “makes you feel less alone about what you are going through. I totally agree with that statement. Many times, I see post, weather it is on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Tik Tok, or even Snapchat, about people reaching out for support or just ranting about what is going on in their lives, and I see so many comments on those post saying, “Omg I am here for you” or “I’m going through the same thing”. This helps people feel less alone when they are going through something. Social Media has created a space for people to connect and support each other when they cannot in person.

Social media is often a place where students go to release their stress and make their opinions heard. At the University of Washington, a student created a Facebook page called UW Teens for Boundless Memes. Students can post memes that put a funny twist on the stressful life of college. One student described as a coping mechanism. Many of the memes deal with worries about midterms, the coronavirus, global warming, and getting into a major. They even made some memes about emergences. There was a robbery involving an ax around campus and one person made a meme of a guy holding an ax saying, “stay safe out there”. It is a way for the kids to relieve stress and send a message to their classmates in a light-hearted manor. 

I think social media is often viewed as a bad thing because many people just post about the negative effects it brings to our world. I hope more people post about the positive it brings to the world, so people see how wonderful it is. It does have negative effects but if we point out the positives and teach people to use it in that manner then more good will come from it. To read the full article click here