Fire Power

The technology available to us today is an incredibly powerful tool for connecting people, but just like any tool, it can be used for many different purposes. Fire is incredibly useful in survival situations, can be quite destructive, and enhances recreation when camping. Similarly social media can be used for good, bad, and indifferent ends. Some of the dangers of social media include the fact that some degree of your information is available to the public and therefore vulnerable to identity thieves. Many people use social media to spread viruses for those who are not careful. Some people use social media to completely replace a normal healthy social life. There needs to be a balance in using social media, and all of these dangers should be avoided.

There are also many positive effects of social media. Most of these effects have to do with the fact that people are able to connect in ways and with people that they would not otherwise have access to. People can unite for shared causes and really make a change if enough people get involved. This self-organization can happen without an influence other than the people who want to connect reaching out to others. While this effect is well worth the risks, mostly social networking is used for purposes that are not inherently good or bad. Flash mobs can be organized using social media, but while they do not set out to hurt anyone, they don’t set out to accomplish anything either. Most people just use social networking for fun, and don’t get involved in any major causes further than occasionally liking a post. Social media can be a very powerful tool, but for the most part that’s not how it’s used.