Today, 30 June, is social media day and time to celebrate the ways in which digital culture has revolutionized how we communicate.
Social media is all around us, whether we’re looking at Twitter trends, laughing about a social media fail or obsessing over keeping up with our Facebook news feeds. Even if Facebook and Twitter aren’t your thing there is still YouTube, Snapchat, Whatsapp, LinkedIn and many others. For many of us it’s the only way we stay in touch with our friends, even if they’re on the other side of the world.
Even businesses have jumped on board, using social media for things like advertising, selling products, connecting with customers and updating consumers about problems affecting their service.
Social media has taken the world by storm, playing a part in not just our ordinary lives, but world events, for example Twitter is used to organise protests.
Being the shallow beings that we are, social media is a fantastic way to keep up with what our favourite celebrities are doing and brag about our fabulous lives. In fact most people present an idealised version of themselves on social media through posting only glamorous aspects of their lives, editing photos, untagging unflattering photos and generally making their lives out to be more exciting than they really are.
Did you know there is an anxiety disorder called visiobibliophobia which is the fear of Facebook. This isn’t just fearing Facebook itself, but also the fear of not updating Facebook or not checking it regularly enough. Visiobibliophobia can sometimes go hand in hand with Facebook addiction.
Speaking of addiction, social media addiction is a real thing. Some say that social media is as habit forming as crack-cocaine and that social media companies are trying their best to make their sites irresistible and hard to get enough of.
Here are five signs you’re addicted to social media:
1. You check it first thing in the morning. If you reach for your phone before you’ve even brushed your teeth, you’re addicted.
2. You can’t do anything without posting it. These aren’t just major life events, but ordinary things like driving to work and what you had for lunch.
3. Your friends use it as the only way to get hold of you. Forget calling and texting, if they tweet you, you have a better chance of seeing their message.
4. It’s your first choice of recreation. If you spend all your free time scrolling through Instagram or watching YouTube videos you have a problem.
5. It’s the main thing you use the internet for. Believe it or not there are other things to use the internet for besides interacting on social media. It’s a wonderful research and marketing tool as well as job finder and shopping resource.
What do you use social media for? Tell us using the hashtag #SMDay.
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