Part two in my mini series on the state of social media. See my previous post - 5 Reason Why I Hate Social Media
1. The people
My social media use has created so many opportunities for me to meet and converse with some truly wonderful people. I've been able to create some valuable and personally rewarding relationships with the people I've met over sites like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
Social media has completely broadened my horizons. At my core, I'm an introvert. In college, I was terrified by the idea of networking. Now - I love it. I get to meet and talk with people! It's great! But it took social media for me to completely realize this.
2. The possibilities
There is so much power behind social media. We've seen what it can do for social change, and how it can empower individuals to take on ideas and entities that are much larger than themselves. We've seen social media entertain, influence elections and save us money at the movies. Social media is limitless in where it can go in the future. That's awesome.
3. The conversation
This goes along with my point about the people, but I've had some phenomenal conversations over social media platforms. Not to mention, it's helped me to stay in touch with old friends and colleagues, who I probably would have lost touch with over the years.
4. The community
On a daily basis, I get to interact with thought leaders, innovators, industry experts, friends, family, artists, politicians... you get the point. Before social media, it would take some serious work to get to a point where I could engage with these people offline. Social media has brought the community - and those who lead it closer to those who want to participate and contribute.
5. The learning
Sometimes, I think I've learned more over the past year though social media than I did in my entire college career. It seems that those who are leading the social media charge have done a great job at fostering a community of those who like to share knowledge. As a 20-something professional, it means I get to benefit from the experiences and knowledge of those who are much older (and wiser) than myself.
Related posts:
