Introduction
In a contemporary society driven by technological advancements, people are capable of engaging in trending activities easily. In particular, the popularization of smartphone use, the Internet, and social media platforms has contributed to trends’ spread and following by the online community. Indeed, social media use is now omnipresent, especially among youth. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter are some of the popular online platforms, and Facebook is one of the most followed ones. This essay is designed to establish the cause-and-effect relationships between social media use and its impact on one’s lifestyle and development. Three distinctive benefits of using social media will be at the center of the discussion. Namely, using the example of Facebook, it is argued that Facebook use increases the level of one’s socialization, provides a favorable setting for personality expression and contributes to brand awareness and informed consumption.
Social Media Use for Socialization
The first benefit of social media use is socializing easily in an online setting. The transition to online communication means has become an everyday practice for people worldwide. In such a digitalized context, the socialization processes have also shifted into the digital world. Using Facebook as a messenger platform allows reaching friends and community members for information exchange for multiple purposes. One can engage in conversations with friends on Facebook to be a functional community member and enhance personal relationships with others. In addition, the availability of information about other users through access to their Facebook pages allows for being informed about their interests, activities, and life events. On a more generalizable level, social media use allows for cultural integration and socialization between the diverse representatives of the same society. According to Comlekci, “compared to other Internet-based applications, the difference with social media is that it can create social networks and offers users the chance to create, share and consume content and/or ideas” (670). Thus, one can benefit from using Facebook through its positive effect on socialization due to facilitating communication with other people online.
Social Media Use for Personality Expression and Development
The second advantage of using Facebook or other social media platform is the ability to express one’s personality through the process of posting texts, photographs, and videos. As stated by Comlekci, Facebook’s use helps in “improving the users by giving them the chance to generate content” (670). Indeed, the ability of users to create content and share information with the online community allows for their personality development and accomplishment. When posting a status, thought, reflection, or opinion, a person demonstrates their position and worldview and consecutively expresses their inner world. It might be evident through both personal information dissemination and the postings of political, social, or other publically-relevant information. On the one hand, a person can express and demonstrate their lifestyle through texts, photographs, and videos. Such a feature creates a favorable setting for interpersonal communication and meaningful expression of self. In addition, social media is a solid platform for creativity boosting, which is validated by the availability of generating creative content. On the other hand, the expression of one’s political or social position might be a means of making a change in the community.
Social Media Use for Brand Awareness and Informed Consumption
The third positive feature of social media that benefits users are the possibility to connect with brands and businesses to be informed, consumers. Such a feature contributes to their awareness of brands and responsible consumption of business products and services. Indeed, the intensification of online platform use has become omnipresent not only for individuals but also for business organizations. Companies create their public pages to share official information, promote their products and services, and connect with their target audiences. In addition, they post advertisements to reach their customers and persuade them to purchase products or services. Such use of social media for business purposes helps a user obtain official and transparent information from a company about their products. Apart from such a direct connection with a business, social media users can obtain information about business organizations and popular brands using mere interaction online. Researchers state that “in social media, members try to communicate with or circulate personal opinion and experience about any products among their peers through their network loop” (Shareef et al. 258). Thus, being an active Facebook user helps a person be an informed consumer.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this essay has been devoted to discussing the influence of Facebook usage on one’s lifestyle and development. Firstly, the use of online social media platforms in general and Facebook, in particular, helps a person stay connected with friends and the online community through conversations, chats, content postings, and observation. Secondly, it allows for one’s personality expression and development by sharing lifestyle choices, life events, opinions, and even leadership ideas. Thirdly, the use of social media platforms ensures one’s access to official information about businesses, as well as obtaining feedback about their products and services expressed by other users for more informed consumer behavior. Thus, utilizing a popular trend in social media use is worthwhile since it improves users’ sense of belonging to the community, self-expression, and consumption.
Works Cited
Comlekci, Mehmet Fatih. “Social Media Use Among International Students: Cultural Adaptation and Socialization.” TRT Akademi, vol. 5, no. 10, 2020, pp. 668-685.
Shareef, Mahmud Akhter, et al. “Advertisements on Facebook: Identifying the Persuasive Elements in the Development of Positive Attitudes in Consumers.” Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, vol. 43, 2018, pp. 258-268.