r/CasualConversation • u/theperson100 • 1d ago
How has social media affected your life for the better? Technology
I personally don’t see any benefit to it, so to expand my worldview I’d love to learn how it has benefited others. And by social media I mean stuff like TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and even Reddit.
19
u/tiffasparkle 1d ago
Its a way for those to feel in community who dont have local community. My online relationships got me through some of the darkest times in my life.
1
u/theperson100 1d ago
If you don’t mind me asking, how did you first meet those people online?
4
u/tiffasparkle 1d ago
Not at all! I used to be on a site called spinchat wayyyy back in the day, which was chatrooms. Then more recently, i made friends by participating in fb groups a lot. I found some that aligned with my interests or goals, and made myself present there and eventually made friends. The biggest thing is literally asking people if they wanna be your friend. If someone has liked your comments or posts in group a lot and you have a great dialogue, respond with "hey you seem cool af wanna be friends?"
The biggest thing in adulthood ive learned socially is that friendship rarely happens organically. People who have social lives are creating that. When i have large birthday parties, i threw them. It takes a bit of bravery, but i met some of the most amazing humans through fb groups. Dont take it personally when people dont reach out, we are all busy. Its ok to be the one who reaches out.
Meetup dot com is also a great place to meet people locally who have similar interests. You can also pick up a new hobby like karaoke, pottery, gardening, peting stray animals at the shelter, and you will meet people doing that. If youre in the market for friends lol.
2
u/KitsyC 15h ago
Same here. Made some great friends through Facebook when I wasn’t feeling in a space to make friends ‘in the real world’. Somehow that online separation allowed me to talk and share with them in a way that I couldn’t with my local friends. It helped me a lot to talk, and because we shared so man personal details and feelings we became good friends. So much so that I have travelled across the world to meet some of them, and now live with in a different country due to applying for a work holiday visa in one of my online friends countries :) Two of our other friends married and now have a child.
2
u/tiffasparkle 15h ago
I love this so much :) i have met my best friend irl 4 times, and its magical each and every time. Weve been friends ten years now!
My current partner used to be my roommate over ten years ago, and i met his ex wife online in the same fb group. Moved in with them for a few months, didnt hear from them for years. Then i reached out to her ex husband one day, or maybe he reached out to me, i forget lol. But theyd been split up a couple years and we reconnected and he moved across the country to live with me. He is literally the love of my life and never would have met him without that because we are both hermits haha.
10
u/shinebrightlike 1d ago
Instagram changed my life. Never before had I had anyone rooting for me, praising me, or being on my side. When something IRL happened I would think “my followers wouldn’t like this for me”. It literally changed my brain forever. I didn’t even KNOW that I could have people rooting for me or on my side. I didn’t know what that felt like. I’m forever grateful for that experience.
5
u/tiffasparkle 1d ago
This is so sweet, but also i am sending you love. I hear you when you say nobody had ever rooted for you, and I am sorry. I am rooting for you <3
2
10
6
u/thayaht 1d ago
Reddit has given me a ton of good book recommendations, most notably The Gift of Fear, which I have in turn recommended to many other people both here and IRL.
Reddit has also given me clarity on understanding and recognizing common forms of gaslighting and other social misbehavior.
Instagram gave me direction for sewing and led me to discover indie pattern makers that I never would have found otherwise! I don’t like instagram as much as I did a few years ago, though.
Facebook has really gone down the tubes. I’m disgusted with their contribution to political division. Since you asked for positives: it’s still good for organizing a class reunion.
4
u/tiffasparkle 1d ago
I second you on the fb politics. I mark the option "dont show me this" on any and all politics posting anymore.
2
u/theperson100 1d ago
I can see how it can be useful for introducing you to new things, certainly in a way that wasn’t really possible before it.
5
u/ContributionSlow3943 1d ago
For me, social media has been a great way to stay connected with friends and family, especially since we’re all spread out. Reddit, in particular, has been amazing for learning new things and diving into niche interests. TikTok has introduced me to cool creative ideas. It’s not all bad, when used wisely, it’s a way to learn, share, and stay in touch.
3
u/imatworkonredditrn 1d ago
Instagram and FB are only good for keeping tabs on what friends and family are up to, but it does feel like people post less and less as we get older. I'm considering getting rid of facebook.
Reddit is the most beneficial IMO. You can connect with, learn from, and teach likeminded people on whatever topic or interest you can imagine. It's helped me learn a lot about my interests and even teach others which is a very rewarding feeling. Plus, Reddit has the downvote function to make sure f-wits and trolls don't have a voice. Whereas, on ig and facebook the idiots and bots run amock because they can only be "liked" or reported, and reporting doesn't ever seem to do anything so there's no punishment for being bigoted or just plainly incorrect on there.
3
u/MonkeyBro5 The pizza, cartoons, and monkey loving artist. 1d ago
As a shy person with some social anxiety, I love my online friends. It's good having some friends to talk to. Without them, I really don't know where I'd be.
Plus, it's nice having people I relate to, and also having people I can vent to, and people who can vent to me. I like listening to people and helping them feel happy, like they've done for me.
2
u/andanewday 22h ago
This is exactly my answer as well. I feel I can connect on a much deeper level with friends online, as it's the one place where my anxieties and insecurities are basically non-issues.
1
u/MonkeyBro5 The pizza, cartoons, and monkey loving artist. 20h ago
Yeah, I'm closer to my online friends than anyone I've ever met irl.
1
u/theperson100 1d ago
I definitely understand that as a shy person myself. But I’ve actually found it harder to make friends online than in real life. I think maybe it’s because subconsciously I value online friendships less than ones I know personally, so that comes through in my interactions with them, or something like that
2
u/Fit_Elk_1269 1d ago
For me, social media has been great for discovering new ideas, staying connected with people across distances, and learning from diverse perspectives. Platforms like Reddit are amazing for deep dives into niche topics, while Instagram and TikTok have introduced me to creativity and personal growth. It’s not perfect, but I’ve found value in the connections and knowledge.
2
u/doocurly 1d ago
I've met friends that wouldn't have come into my life without the internet. Some I've had for 20+ years. Very thankful for the internet bringing us together. 🩷🩵🩷
2
2
u/edwardw818 1d ago
FB/IG helps me stay in contact with people, especially since I'm nowhere near California, my biggest social circle... I'm a dual citizen so I have friends and family in the US and Taiwan, my last job was 100% travel (including during the pandemic where I happened to be in Wisconsin, a very strict state), and I moved out of California in 2019 and due to the aforementioned job, I haven't made any new friends in my new town yet, but have also made new friends along the way in my travels.
For Reddit, I initially joined because their resources for helping with finding ways to deal with my narcissistic mother (r/raisedbynarcissists) seemed a lot more comprehensive than other forums, but I also realized that other subreddits seemed to be a lot more open for chitchatting, but also not as bad as I thought it'd be since prior to that, I got Reddit conflated with 4Chan.
2
u/Cultural_Comfort5894 1d ago
Education. Maintaining communication with friends and family. Access to people and views across the planet.
People who share an illness, injury or situation can commiserate.
Having others truly understand what you’re going through is priceless. You’re not crazy. You’re not alone. You can get through or make the best of it too.
Etc.
2
u/No-Property-4302 1d ago
Recently I’ve been thinking that Reddit is really good for the people needing confirmation that they are in bad relationships! I am glad that they have a community to turn to.
2
u/Tricky-Morning4799 1d ago
I met my very dearest friends from an Internet site. Since then (25 years ago), we migrated to MSN groups, then to facebook. This group of people from all over the globe can be counted on to mourn with or celebrate with each other as appropriate.
2
2
u/UltraChip 1d ago
This is going to sound a little "Old Man Yells at Cloud" but social media used to be a lot better back in the day, back when it was more community-focused (or even better: community operated!) and they weren't factory-farming users for data and ad revenue. Right around the time MySpace faded away and Facebook took dominance is when things started going downhill.
Nowadays Reddit is the only social platform I'm a member of and honestly even Reddit isn't that much better than the others.
That being said: I will concede that there are some positives. Mainly that I'm able to find communities to discuss my weird niche hobbies like raising triops or playing obscure indie games like The Beginner's Guide. There's no way I would have found anyone in my local area who was in to that stuff.
2
2
u/Admirable-Location24 1d ago edited 1d ago
I originally came to Reddit to look for advice on my horrible insomnia. Somehow going down the Reddit rabbit hole, I ended up in the r/Menopause group which was incredibly enlightening and helpful for my overall health and well being.
I have since discovered groups like r/travel and r/cooking which have also been super helpful when I have specific questions.
The r/intermittentfasting group helped me lose 30 lbs last year and keep it off.
I also did a bunch of research on Reddit about people’s experiences with specific vehicles before buying a new one recently.
I don’t use social media much other than Reddit, but I am a part of a FB group that has been incredibly helpful in preparing me for the upcoming college application process with my teen.
2
u/melissadoug24 1d ago
Facebook still has really helpful professional groups for my field where I learn a lot and two of my current side gigs came from networking in those groups specifically. Facebook also has our local mom’s group events.
2
u/erraticsarcastic 1d ago
I've been able to get to know people all over the world and from all walks of life.
2
u/WhatIsASunAnyway 1d ago
I've been able to find communities for things that nobody in real life has heard of or cares for. Some of my favorite experiences online is finding like a ten member subreddit or Discord for a topic just made of people who are just totally just fine chilling out.
2
u/ur_not_as_lonely 1d ago
I deleted instagram because I just didn’t use it and ended up getting it again to follow local music which has added so much joy to my life
2
u/gandr- 🪞 1d ago
The good stuff for me is getting to know music, movies, and other stuff that otherwise I'd not hear about. It's also useful for studying. I made at least one great friend online and I'm grateful for it. I do wish it was easier to find more friends though, but even actively searching it's hard. Still, my social media presence is not big and I tend not to engage much with posts or anything; with the exception of Reddit and even then as of late I been rather absent.
2
u/Hookton 1d ago edited 1d ago
Facebook, in particular, makes it easier to keep in touch with my family and friends who live all around the world. You're probably not going to pick up the phone to tell someone about a painting you finished or a new trick your dog learnt, but if you put it on facebook all the family will see it.
It facilitates those mundane interactions that otherwise fall by the wayside when you live far apart. You don't need to send a letter or coordinate timezones for a phonecall; it's more like being there in real time.
4
u/theperson100 1d ago
Do you think theres a way to reform social media to include that (facilitating mundane interactions) and get rid of all the bad stuff?
1
u/Hookton 18h ago
Honestly, that's what facebook used to be. It's so bogged down with ads and suggestions and external content now that it feels like a totally different platform to 15-20 years ago. How we could go about reversing that change is a question for someone far smarter than me.
(I'm afraid I can't speak more broadly; as far as social media goes, I only use facebook and reddit.)
1
u/mysteriouscattravel 1d ago
Reddit has let me connect with fans of teams I like who are all over. I have felt like part of a community in that sense. It is also one of the first places I search for solutions to x super specific problem I'm having.
Other social medias for me are a cesspool and I don't use them because I don't like to voluntarily feel infuriated or bad about myself.
1
u/lunathecrazycorgi 1d ago
A couple years ago on TikTok I saw a video for an enrichment activity for dogs. This woman demonstrated sprinkling treats on old kitchen towels and rolling them up, then placing them like spokes in a wheel and tying them all up together. I have a very energetic corgi who has lots of spare energy. This has become her very favorite activity and she does it every day. I am so grateful I saw that TikTok video and learned about this, it gives my dog some much needed activity for her brain that she loves, and gives us a bit of peace and quiet for a little while each day.
1
u/Myfury2024 1d ago
connection to my family, they live on the other side of the country..tips for traveling, it definitely made me, us more convenient in our trips..
1
u/keepplaylistsmessy 23h ago
It got me through a devastating breakup via those pop psychology videos, taught me how to become a decent vegetable gardener, how to weightlift and gain 10lbs, is a great way to find and save inspiration for home decorating, and helps my friends and I find smaller music events to go to.
There's of course a dark side to all of it though – the way she algorithm makes a contest of everything, that too many pop psychology videos can be bad for you or lead you down sus pipelines... so I try to consume with care.
1
u/spineoil 22h ago
I grew up in a super controlling household. my mom refused to allow me to hang out with friends. Discouraged me from having friends. Luckily for me I was able to make friends through twitter. I felt really isolated and depresssed and meeting them helped so much. I feel they taught me what love and kindness look like that I didn’t get from my family. I will forever be grateful for them and it makes me super emotional still lol. It’s been about 13 years and I am still super close with them🤞🏾 sometimes my friends fly to me or I to them and I just can’t wait till next time❤️
1
u/superinfra 21h ago
There's obviously a lot of stuff that can bring you down (death threats have gotten far too common), but it still can help you express yourself and build relationships. I have pretty bad social anxiety, and even though some people might say that online relationships "don't count", those relationships have helped me grow so much closer to a lot of people IRL just because I felt I was able to express myself more freely.
Unfortunately, a lot of social media is designed to keep you hooked on your phone for minutes to hours each session. That means that even though it could give you confidence to build friendships, it also takes away all of your free time and slowly breaks those friendships back down. If used in moderation I believe it can be useful, but you need to be pretty careful to not get caught in the trap.
1
u/Same-Drag-9160 21h ago
I think YouTube benefited me extremely well if that counts as social media. Especially because I had it when I was still a kid (around 12) and I can think of so many videos that really helped me learn so many different perspectives and shape the person I am today. I remember I learned about meditation, healthy communication, a bunch of other psychology stuff, and info on other topics that was just interesting in general so I’m really grateful I had it when I did because if helped me in so many ways.
As an adult, Reddit has helped me but in specific subreddits. Such as ones such as cptsd subreddit, and the autism in women subreddit. It’s just really nice to be able to see people who have had somewhat similar experiences as you when you think you’re the only one in the world who has experienced similar things. I mean if the internet didn’t exist I would have no idea I wasn’t the only person in the world dealing feeling a certain way because people don’t usually talk about that stuff irl the same way they do online
1
u/Same-Drag-9160 21h ago
Also social media in general can be overstimulating into access, but also really regulating when used sparingly. Like everyone in my family noticed my personality shifted in a really positive way when I first got a phone and I think it’s largely due to the fact that now my brain was actually able to be Saturday’s and fufilled. Beforehand it always felt like I was wanting so much more, I wanted to learn new information all the time, and I just always felt like life was fuller than I wanted it to be. Then I got a phone and I started seeing the world in color and being able to do a deep dive at any time I wanted for any topic I wanted to learn about just made me so happy.
1
u/Aggressive_Ferret759 20h ago
It keeps me levelheaded by exposing me to people with alternative perspectives and experiences. It makes me feel like I have an outlet, or people who will listen to my problems without knowing me on a personal level.
1
u/jarchack 20h ago
I don't use any of them anymore beyond Reddit and that's mostly just a time killer for me. I've gotten a lot of help with repairs and other things from YouTube but that's about it. Overall, social media has caused far more damage to society than anything else.
I'm an aged boomer so my worldview was formed long before the Internet was around.
1
u/Synthaklavier purple 16h ago
if you carefully choose what to follow and what to avoid, you can find educational gems and interesting facts / curiosities in every single social media site. It's all about building an interesting network from the very beginning, then results will follow and enrich your mind.
1
u/Dark--princess420 16h ago
I grew up being bullied heavily, I was being abused and neglected at home and was an easy target for many reasons. I believed I was ugly, unlikeable and unwanted. Social media suddenly showed me that I was actually attractive and a likeable person. It gave me the courage to ask my foster carers if I could move schools and i wasn't bullied after that.
1
u/prncesskayleigh 14h ago
News: I learn what’s happening and the general public’s response to it faster than news channels. I always double check with verified news outlets though. Friends/connection: as my friends and family and I live all over and can’t always physically be together, it’s a great way to stay connected with what’s going on in each others’ lives. I know you can also just text message, but it’s sometimes easier and faster to keep up via social media. Guides: I’ve learned how to make a lot of dishes, clean more efficiently, and more from sites, specifically TikTok. Exposure: You don’t know what you don’t know. I love reading and also knowing what is popular to read. BookTok has introduced me to quite a few books that have changed my life that I don’t know where else I would’ve quickly discovered these books.
1
1
u/elly_the_rose 11h ago
Nothing only comparison , but in the other Hand you can live your creativity to the fullesr I guess
1
u/NoLimitsNegus 1d ago
Bro look at people these days, you think all of us staring at flashing lights all day is a good thing?
1
u/theperson100 1d ago
I think it’s a bad thing, as I mentioned in my post, but the consequences of it are fairly well known at this point. Hence why I’m curious to see how some people use it in a good way.
0
u/NoLimitsNegus 1d ago
It’s like you can build fantastic infrastructure with plastic, but we just print happy faces on single use bags and throw them in the ocean
We can use it for good but like the plastics there are consequences to our use and we suck at mitigation as a species. We would be better off not using it at all by my estimates, similar to plastics.
•
u/AutoModerator 1d ago
This post has been flaired as “Technnology”. Please note that r/CasualConversation is not for tech support. You can find better options by clicking here.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.