being social. So social media is a place where people connect with everyone and the market. But today, we will not discuss how social media acts as a beneficiary for marketing. Instead, we shall discuss how social media affects our lives.   Internet usage is mostly done for using social media and its aspects. Life today is highly dependent on social media. Whether you are a 60-year-old man or a 6-year-old child, you would find anyone and everyone on social media sites in this world of the internet. People can’t function without posting their selfies and updating their life on social media sites.   So how does social media affect our lives…   Most of the time, you must have heard your parents asking you not to be on social media or to use your phone less if you are a teenager. Being a teenager, you even think that your parents are saying all wrong and would want to oppose them, but here’s a reality check.   Social media affects our lives more than we think it does. We are in contact with social media and even constantly think about social media content. For example, the memes. Memes are super popular in this generation, and if someone today has a bit of meme knowledge, yes, that’s right, meme knowledge is a proper form of education, then that person is considered elite. Well, if you have related to this example, then I am sure you must have understood how social media has incorporated itself into our lives without us even knowing.   Social media is a place that has both positive and negative impacts on our lives, so first, let’s discuss the positive aspects of social media.   Social media has become a marketplace for the world. It is not just a place to share happy pictures, videos, blogs, or memes. It has become more than that. Social media has become a place where people can sell their products and make friends as well as have regular customers. It is a place where you get genuine customers who appreciate small businesses.   Social media has become a great place to reach an audience. Whether one wants to share a piece of news or wants to market themselves, social media is the perfect place for you. It has such a huge user base that it’s impossible to stay invisible unless the person is private. Social media has helped many businesses grow out and have stable businesses. Along with this, it is the perfect place to raise a voice. If one wants to be vocal about some issue, social media can spread the word. With such an enormous user base, it is easier for people to raise a voice and even support a movement.   If we talk about the conventional use of social media, it’s about making new friends and reaching out to people with similar interests. Social media has become a partner to people who feel alone. It has proven to be a companion even for people who don’t enjoy making friends. Many people make friends online, becoming best friends even though they haven’t met once. People often find their soul mates or the love of their lives on social media. So, social media is not all bad.   But like every coin has its two aspects, so does every situation, and so does social media. We have already discussed some of the major positive aspects of social media, but you need even to know the negative aspects to be a better judge of the situation. Even have a better understanding of how and when to use social media.   Social media can be both positive and negative; like mentioned before, making friends has become much easier because of social media, but making friends on social media can be risky too. When you share your details, it can be a fraud that may hurt you. When you haven’t met the person and don’t know whether the person is genuine, you may share a lot of information that can backfire on you. So thus, you must know whom to share the information with.   Along with this, another major threat of using social media is the cyber threat. Cyber security is one of the major concerns today. Cyber security breaches are very common. Whether you own a multinational company or are a small internet user, you can easily be a prey to cyber hackers.   Another disadvantage of social media is that everything is open to public. There is no control over who may view my profile or send me a friend or a follow request. Anyone sitting in America can reach out to me in Australia. So, as distance has been reduced, it has even increased the risk of fraud and hacking.   People have become so addicted to social media and its life that people have stopped living real life. They are living in “reel” life and not “real” life. People need to update their friends and other followers on social sites, as though it’s as important as breathing. For example, if they won’t post good mornings on their account, the sun may not rise that day! That’s not the case, but people think social media is that important, and they won’t be able to live without it. Along with this, people have even started being so fake because of social media and the need to post happy pictures only.   When people go out on vacations, they don’t click pictures just for themselves or for memories; they click it to post them on social media and tell everyone they are on vacation. But situations like these can easily backfire on them. Since if someone with the wrong intention is following them, he can easily know their location and try to hurt them.   But social media can even help people. Many people have been saved just because they had shared their location while being in distress. Emergency help has been provided for people stuck in flood, earthquake or other natural calamity. So many rescue operations have been done on social media. Want to learn a new skill and you can do it almost free.  So, it is not all bad. You need to be a better judge of how and when to use social media and, of course, what and whom to share the information with.   About SNS: Secure Network Solutions India ( SNS ) provides a quantifiable, risk-based approach to build cyber security based on globally recognized frameworks and standards. We have been protecting business for the last 20 years! Write to us at [email protected].