7 Ways Social Media Makes Us Better People

If you think social media is only a distraction, think again! On 18 and 19 March 2014, we attended a series of workshops and took part in a mini-challenge that was really an eye-opening experience. The workshops taught us much about how we can utilize social media effectively, while our visit to Kranji Countryside for the mini-challenge opened our eyes to the beauty of nature in Singapore. Above all, we experienced first-hand how, with a simple hello, we made friends with other fellow contestants.

Confused about how all this links? Fear not, for we have a list of 7 ways that social media has made us better people! We have learnt to expand our social circles, to be more succinct in communication, and to be more sensitive to our audience!

1. #Togetherness

No matter where you are or when you’re posting, hashtags always help you find that common ground with other people around the world! Did you know that on Instagram, #instagood has over 7,690,902 posts? With hashtags, you get to connect with even more people who are interested in the same things! #isntthatnice We can bond with more like-minded people and convey our thoughts to a larger audience.

2. Back to Basics

On social media, everything has to be kept short and sweet. Who wants to read an essay when they are looking for some fun?

So instead of using 1000 words to describe your day, we learnt to use more creative ways to keep people reading your content. Things like videos and gifs change things up a bit, and people go to great lengths to keep things S&S, IYGWIM (short and sweet, if you get what I mean).

3. It’s harder to forget things… sort of.

Our memories may be getting worse, but at least we have a record of everything online in a hoard of different places! That being said, anything that goes onto the internet stays there and never gets forgotten. Perhaps we should think twice before posting anything on the internet...

4. Sensitivity: We are forced to care about what others think.

Person A likes dancing and soft toys, but person B likes computer games and soft toys. But if A goes on and on about the latest dance moves while B is only interested in the latest Skyrim cheats, there isn’t a common area where they can connect and form a relationship. When blogging, tweeting, instagramming, or posting something on facebook, we are forced to think about what others like in addition to what we want to communicate across, We are forced to find that sweet spot, something that’s appealing to everyone, the “soft toy” that will engage all our readers!

5. We dig all the way into the Mariana Trench

“To boldly go where no man has gone before.” - Star Wars 

We will go to any extent to push boundaries, to venture into uncharted territory, in order to bring to our audience new perspectives and a deeper insight into things. The quirkier, bolder, newer the insight is, the more interest it will receive! With social media, news can spread like wildfire, especially when it’s new and hot off the press-keyboard! We learn to dig deep when using social media.

6. We’ve been everywhere without going anywhere. 

We’ve brought everyone to Kranji Countryside with us: live updates on Twitter, pictures on Instagram, a more in-depth introduction to Kranji on Facebook, and a video on youTube. The only muscles you’d really need to move are your fingers, to retweet the tweets, to double-tap your way through photos and to comment on our Facebook posts. All this in the comfort of your home, perhaps even under our snuggly quilt. And you got to learn everything along with us!

7. Making friends is that much easier

Making friends is really just a click of an “add friend” button away, so social media has really made connecting with people really easy. Let’s all harness these benefits and take the opportunity to get to know the people around us better today!