By Marilena Kagkaraki,
As social media expand, we all know they have become a vital part of our lives. We are always scrolling, consuming content, texting, watching videos, and more. They work with very advanced technologies and algorithms in order to have the best captivating and addictive content for the user/viewer, to keep them engaged and connected all the time. That has brought about a change in how businesses work and even has allowed for new places into the workforce. The new trend I am referring to is called “content creators”.
People rushed to start creating photos, learning videography and filmmaking, so that they can express their passions, as it became easier for them to have access to those learning tools. Thus, the so-called ’’influencers’’ emerged. Those are people that promote on social media things that they are good at music, cooking, working out, travelling, photography, modelling, and all sorts of activities or hobbies, with sometimes millions of followers. They started creating a whole new way to approach audiences and do marketing, using the new ways the social media have brought, meaning that thousands of people you are now able to reach.
Sometimes, as in all things, influencing has a good and a bad side. The bad side being, in order for the content to be appealing, the creators make it look perfect, which requires a huge amount of time. It does make sense that you want your work to be as flawless as possible when you are interacting with millions. However, sometimes this can lose touch with reality and the audience assumes that some people just have the ‘’perfect life’’, without failures, exhaustion, or bad days. That statement and ‘’appearance’’ on socials could not be further from the truth. People choose what to post. So, of course, the posts will be the highlights of a week or day. All that has a negative effect on people’s mental health, constantly trying to strive to have the social media ’’perfect life’’. That is just one small intake on the effect the content we consume can have on us.
Nonetheless, it is good to remind ourselves that social media can also have a very good impact, with thousands of people coming together for a cause. A recent example is now that the wildfires in Greece have destroyed homes, lands, and natural beauty, people with a lot of followers have come together to help in any way they can. Whether that is sharing information about the needs of the communities affected, going there and actively helping out with meals, bringing necessities, and so on. The most striking example is the gamers/streamers team called ’’Unboxholics’’ that did a charity stream and managed to raise €350.000 for the National Red Cross, to help all the communities affected by the wildfires. These are just some of the instances when social media can have a really positive impact when used for the intention they are meant to — to stay connected and interact with people from everywhere. In the end, it is always up to us how we choose to be on social media, to take breaks, and follow accounts that make our days better and not reduce our mental health.
