The Benefits of Social Media in My Teenage Sister's Life
Social media
supports teens' social lives in difficult times. For example, in my teenage
sister's experience so far, social networks have brought her a great advantage.
It helped her communicate with others, learn new things, and consolidate more
information. Given the limitations of COVID and many of her friends who are
currently in other schools, it may not be easy for her to keep in touch with
everyone and meet each other due to restrictions on everyone. However, apps
like Instagram and Twitter have helped her connect with friends who she might
not be able to follow otherwise. Most of the time, every one of her age is on
social media, making it easy for her to stay in touch with them.
Connecting with friends is even more important for teens today, given how COVID
restrict everyone's lives. For example, my sister usually travels, visits, and
meets her friends in groups. However, now she can meet them while she is in the
kitchen. Nothing is impossible with social media. She can get everything she
needs through social media. Without social media, my sister believes that many
teens of her age would feel incredibly lonely at this time of restrictions in
place. Since when social media is shut down, they will be stuck at home for
weeks, then they are sure to become even more aggressive.
My sister used to chat with her friends on Twitter, as she would stay with her
until late at night and at least have fun with them that way, unlike going out
at night. On the one hand, social media has become a rich source of news and
information for my sister. On the other hand, the second positive point for her
is helping her to follow fashion, home décor, art, and any other news that she
wants to follow. Whenever my sister goes to social media, there are always new
themes and unique ideas that she finds great as a fan of all décors. It can
also keep her informed of general world news, which also helps her think about
how important it is to know the information. These apps are essential in social
media and helpful in finding new information and specific topics that aid
general knowledge or help with homework and research projects. I have provided
my sister with opportunities to share experiences. This app allowed her to
share experiences with her friends. It gave them something in common to chat
and laugh. Now I will turn to the more negative aspects of social media my
sister has felt over the past month. Teens understand the dangers of social
media. Before we begin, let us dive into briefly the stereotype that some older
generations may have about social media, for example, that social media is the
wrong place or perhaps a dangerous place. Communication can be a waste of time.
According to my sister's opinion, because sometimes she cannot study and
therefore begins to browse some pages on Twitter. We disagree with this view
because we have never experienced any profound negative experiences like
cyberbullying or anything else. Also, we believe that the younger generation is
aware of the risks, we know how to view and manage them, and there are plenty
of helpful resources if we need help, such as the Internet. Of course, this
could still happen, but we think it is not as common as my sister claims. The
only negatives that I have seen so far over the past year is when she has an
online meeting with her teacher, she cannot do it because of sleep, so that she
is not always ready for it at home. In sum, judge the role of social media for
teens during the pandemic in general, given the current conditions of the COVID
world, and according to my sister, she thinks that social media is very
positive for her and her friends since social media helped her communicate when
she could not meet friends in person and following news and decorating.