Benefits Of Social Media Essay

Essay: The Benefits of Social Media

By Mia Dancey (913 words)

The benefits of social media outweigh its challenges. Social media is defined as the public sharing of

content on open forums. Since the development of these platforms, there has been an increased

awareness and tolerance of disadvantaged peoples such as the LGBTQ+ community and POCs

(People of Colour). Social media has allowed people to become more actively involved in activism

such as the Arab Springs and the more recent, Black Lives Matter movement. Businesses have also

been impacted positively by social media; it has become a powerful platform from which to launch

campaigns – such as Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2004. The open forums and direct

communication

Social media has

allowed diverse people to come together and, through mutual sharing, has given a voice to

marginalised peoples. Tolerance is a benefit of social media, as is activism.

Activism has become a key part of social media platforms. Recent studies show that nearly 62% of

social media users search for political news on their platforms. The clearest use of social media for

activism is the Arab Springs. The 2011-2012 uprisings within Egypt demanded for the overthrow of

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The protests were largely lead by social media-active youths. The

protestors used sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube to mobilise support and awareness.

One activist said, “We use Facebook to schedule the protests, Twitter to coordinate, and YouTube to

tell the world." The same was done in the 2013-2014 African-American protests, “Black Lives

Matter”. The movement used “hashtag activism” to spread awareness of its cause and spark

debates. After the death of Mike Brown in August 2014, the movement received international

attention and went “viral” gaining support within social media. Social media therefor offers