2017
Social Media: What It’s Great for and What It’s Not So Great For
June 2017

“Social Media: What It’s Great for and What It’s Not So Great For,” New Era, June 2017

Social Media: What It’s Great For and What It’s Not So Great For

How to make the most of social media—and avoid letting it replace important things.

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New Era Magazine, 2017/06 Jun

Photo illustrations by Getty Images

Great for …

  • Quickly inviting people to a spontaneous hot-dog roast.

  • Knowing generally what’s up in your friends’ lives.

  • Quick-and-easy access to a massive think tank whenever you want to kick your mac ’n cheese up a notch or need help brainstorming awesome FHE activities.

  • Showing everyone your awesome nunchaku skills (or juggling skills or singing skills or baking skills …).

  • Staying connected with faraway family and friends (and finally be able to remember all your little cousins’ names).

  • Meeting people you never would have encountered in person and meeting new friends with similar interests.

  • Spreading some kindness(like posting or commenting with compliments).

  • Seeing photos of awesome stuff (like delicious-looking brownies).

  • Cat videos. ’Nuff said.

Not-so-great for …

  • Really seeing the complete picture of what’s going on in people’s lives.

  • Replacing face-to-face conversations.

  • Finding an actual shoulder to cry on.

  • Going on a date.

  • A safe place to go super deep in a conversation.

  • Detecting someone’s tone of voice.

  • Reading the emotions on someone’s face.

  • Actually eating a brownie.

  • Going bowling or swimming or walking in the park, watching your high school team play, attending a theater, or feeling the weather.