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Home > Using social media to connect with others

Using social media to connect with others

Staying safe online Using social media to connect with others

What is social media?

Social media has many definitions (Fuchs, 2017). It is defined by Miekle (2016) as internet-based and networked communication platforms that allow both personal and public communication. As use of social media continues to rise, it is estimated that by 2021, over 3 billion people will be using it (Clement, 2018).

Aspects of social media

Important advice:

Social networks

These are places where you can connect with others of similar interests and backgrounds. You’ll usually have a profile, groups, messaging and photos and lots of ways to interact with others. Popular social networks include Facebook and LinkedIn.

Important advice:

Bookmarking sites

These allow you to save, organise and manage links to websites and other online resources. You are able to tag links; making them easier to find again and share them with others. StumbleUpon is one of the most popular bookmarking sites.

Important advice:

Social news

These allow users to post news links, articles, videos, pictures and other items. People vote on the items and the ones with the most interest get displayed most prominently. Popular social news sites include Reddit and Digg.

Important advice:

Media sharing

These sites allow users to upload and share different types of media such as pictures or videos. Most sites allow you to create a profile and post comments on others contributions. YouTube, Flickr and Vimeo are popular examples of media sharing sites.

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Microblogging

Microblogs allow the users to post short written entries, photos, other media and links to products and service sites and these can be seen by anyone that subscribes. X, formally Twitter, is the most popular example of a microblogging site.

Important advice:

Blogs and forums

Blogs are sites of information and discussion. There are lots of free publishing tools that enable you to share text, videos and photos to followers and comments are usually focused on the content of the blog.

Forums are sites that let users connect with one another by posting and responding to community messages. There are lots of forums online for many special interest groups.

Helpful tips for using social media

Apps

Use trustworthy applications

There are lots of different ones out there, with more and more popping up each week. Do a bit of research and check out the reviews of the ones you are interested in online before using them. Ensure you get any reviews from a reputable source too as there is a lot of fake news going around.

Positivity

Seek out positivity

Join groups where you already know the people in them or find some sites which focus on positivity, wellbeing and connectedness.  There are lots of special interest groups focusing on wellbeing and self-care. Try to avoid anything that you feel is having a negative impact.

Setting boundaries

Set clear boundaries

Think about what is acceptable to you and what isn’t. Think about what you are going to share online and don’t overshare. Consider how you will react if you see something you don’t agree with? People can sometimes be courageous behind a keyboard and say things online they wouldn’t say face to face. It’s better to scroll on by and leave them to it than to lose sleep over it! If that fails, there’s always the ‘block’ option.

Time

Limit your time

Social media can easily take over your life, especially if you install apps on your phone. It can be useful to consider how much time you want to spend connecting with others using this medium and to stick to the limit you set.

Disconnecting

Disconnect before you go to bed

Don’t use social media before you go to bed. To aid relaxation and help good quality sleep it is recommended that you avoid the blueish light from computer screens, tablets and smart phones approximately 2 hours before you go to bed. The blue light can disrupt your body clock and melatonin production. If you really need to use a screen in the evening, try using a red filter to reduce the effects of the blue light and rather than use social media try downloading a free app to help with relaxation

The perfect profile… If it looks too good to be true it might be

Social profiles are a description of individuals’ social characteristics that identify them on social media sites and most sites expect you to create an account before you can access them. 

Important:
Warning

Be cautious about meeting new people online. Some people may create fake social media profiles to gain your trust and appear interested romantically, before asking you for money, claiming that they need it for an emergency. These kind of profiles often use photos stolen from the internet. If you are unsure whether the person you are talking to is genuine, you can do a reverse image search of their profile photo at Google or another reputable search engine.

Consider more:

  1. What things would you be comfortable sharing on social media?
  2. What will your boundaries be when using social media?
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