How is Social Media Changing Us for the Better?
We are continually hearing about all the negative ways that social media has changed us. How about the positive side of social media, though?
Photo by Wonderlane 
Finding Organ Donors
Organ donors have been able to find donors more easily through social media. Social media does save lives! For instance, my friend Amy Donohue donated her kidney because of a tweet! See her story at Social Media Stole My Kidney.
Getting Connected Socially
For me, knowing that I can log onto Twitter nearly any time and get on a chat is tremendously positive. And I run #DigiBlogChat on Twitter every Tuesday at 1 p.m. PDT, so that is a tremendous way to stay connected, too.
Sharing Family News and Photos
Didn’t everyone get on Facebook to share news and photos? It’s the fastest way to update an entire group of people when you have personal news.
Finding Work, Especially Remote Work
Lots of companies now use social media to post their jobs. You can also use social media to check out what a company’s policies are, to look at complaints lodged against them, etc. Before you join a new firm, why not check out their reviews on Google and Facebook?
Reconnecting with Old Friends
We’ve all found people on Facebook whom we haven’t seen in years. Whether those people want to be found is another story.
Promoting Your Business
Advertising on social media is a huge deal now. Do you use social media for advertising? And what is your favorite platform for doing that? Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram are my favorites.
Getting Petitions Signed and Laws Changed
I love that petitions can now be signed so quickly and change laws. This is another way that social media can save lives. It used to take weeks or months to get enough signatures on a petition. With social media, the whole process can take days or hours.
Sharing News about Disasters
Whenever there’s an earthquake, I jump on Twitter to see where it was, how big it was, and who is affected. And you can check on Facebook to see if people have marked themselves ‘safe.’
Discovering Weather and Traffic
Want to know what the weather is for the upcoming week or that camping trip? Jump on social media to see! Your local weatherperson probably has their own social media accounts where you can get very personalized weather reports.
Helping Those Who Are Isolated
If you’re in the middle of the desert somewhere, as long as you have a connection, you can get updates from friends. You can also make friends, find a partner, and become less isolated.
How Has Social Media Changed Your Life for the Better?
This is my list. Maybe you have other ways that social media has helped you connect, reconnect, find the news you want, or…? Please let me know in the comments! And thank you.
I know of lots of people that benefited from social media by asking others for a specific medicine to save someone’s life. It’s simply great. Xoxo
Hi Sam,
Don’t you love hearing about things like that? Wonderful!
Thanks for stopping in!
Carol
Fabulous post! I knew it would be…and great pics as always, too.
You’re going to love this, Carol. I belong to the Facebook Lomond Terrace Neighbors group (I’ll refer to it as LTNG). We’re in Tahoe until next Friday. I was checking my neighborhood groups a couple days ago and I noticed the founder of the LTNG posted a couple lines: “What’s going on with the messed-up fence at the bottom of Park Drive? Hope everyone is okay!” She didn’t leave any details, i.e. address, but I had that “Oh, sh*t” feeling and I just knew it was our house.
I asked if one of the LTNG members could take a picture of the fence to confirm my suspicions. A woman a few houses down kindly offered to take pictures of the damage and posted them to the group. Yes, some fool hit our fence with his/her car and left a big hole in it
The husband of the nice neighbor who took the photos, a contractor, offered to place a big piece of plywood over the gaping hole until we can fix it. Of course, I offered them some Tahoe coffee as a thank-you. It was so cool to have our neighbor, who we’ve never met, offer to help us like that. While the situation sucks, at least we know about it now instead of coming home to such a surprise after an exhausting drive.
Ah…..the beauty of social media!
Happy Friday my sweet friend!
p.s. I’m back on Instagram – I want to follow you there if you’re still on it! I’m at birthofanewbrain or birthofabrain – can’t remember, ha ha!
Hi Dyane!
Thank you about the pics–my pro boyfriend does them for me, and I’ll let him know you said so.
I’m so sorry about your fence. What a rotten thing to have happen while you’re on vacation. That’s wonderful that your neighbors let you know what had happened and that another put plywood over the hole. Now you’ll know what to expect when you get back home instead of having an unpleasant surprise!
See you over on Instagram!!!
Thank you for checking in and I hope you have a great trip!
Carol
Excellent piece, Carol! Thank you! When done right, social media can save lives! Without social, I wouldn’t have met you, either. Love you!
Thank you, Amy! That’s right–without social media, I never would’ve met you! And people are alive because of social media. It’s so easy to stay focused on the negatives.
Love you!
Carol
I’m one of those folk who believes social media hasn’t been totally bad. It’s just like real life; it intensifies what people are, only they get to be either stupid or very nice and the whole world sees it. I’d have never been able to meet so many people all over the country and the world without social media; what a pleasure that’s been!
Hi Mitch,
If it was so terrible, we wouldn’t all be using social media, would we? Not that it should replace real life, but there are lots of positives. Yes, we get to enlarge our circle of friends and that can never be a bad thing. I wouldn’t have met you if not for social media! I love hearing about your adventures with your mom. I’m sure you had a sense of humor before, and your sense of humor is getting an even better workout now!
Thanks for commenting. I hope you’re having a great weekend (and maybe even a donut or two!).
Carol