Social Media

Is Beneficial
To Millennials
 Social Media is Beneficial to Millennials

Among the developments and innovations that happened throughout the history, social
media has been the most popular and has a massive number of users worldwide. Social media is
defined in the Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary as forms of electronic communications through
which people create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages and
many more. It continues to grow, develop and become essential to the lives of the people. With
the use of the different gadgets, social media is becoming a conventional tool of social and
human interactions. Social media has pros and cons which contribute to the different issues that
are happening globally. In connection to this, the millennials or referred as Generation Y, the
first generation of digital natives use social media more than any other generations. The
millennial generation is a diverse, tolerant and influential generation. This generation ranges
from people born between the early 1980s and the 2000s. The ‘Digital Natives’ generation
(Palfray & Grasser 2008) is a subject of great interest that concern the educational context, with
a conceptualization that focuses on the changes induced in the learning models since the
development of new technologies. According to Prensky (2001a) millennials are defined as
“digital natives”, because they are “native speakers of the digital language of computers”. Social
media has advantages and disadvantages but it is considered as one of the most convenient tools
for the millennials.

Social media has boons and banes depending on how people use it especially the
millennials. Millennials are digital natives and thus, consider social media as a helpful tool in
different aspects in life. Social media provides its users with a wide range of information,
entertainment and communication. Some people consider social media as a hindrance or barrier
to the lives of the youth. Some parents often scold their children because the youth of today are
said to be glued to their gadgets because of social media which is for some, a waste of time.
Excessive use of gadgets can have harmful effects in health. Radiation and lack of sleep affects
the physical and mental well-being of a person. Also, cyberbullying may be one of the biggest
dangers in teens which can be made possible through social media. Although social media
contains negative effects, it is also valued for the positive and wonderful things it provides for
the millennials because everything in the world has positivity inside it.

Social media has lots of beneficial things for millennials. It offers adequate opportunities
for learning and interactivity between people. Not all millennials are bookworms who spend a lot
of time reading books. Some millennials find social media more convenient to get access to
numerous informations. Social media is widely used for educational purposes. Millennials are
used in using social media which makes it easier for them to read educational articles that may
contain different things which can help millennials in broadening their knowledge because social
media can also be a tool in learning. It plays an important role in the cognitive development of a
person. Social media is also a way to self-development through self-education. One can access
the internet, visit social media applications and search for pages which contain facts that can help
the youth in their education. This greatly affects the person’s thinking skills and the different
information accumulated from the different social media can affect the way they criticize and see
things. Digital technology, with its rapid impact on the lives of young people has extremely
changed the structure of thinking. Just like the internet, social media improved the exchange of
knowledge, making it more convenient. Social media such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
contains different educational information with interesting illustrations about the topic which
makes the millennials or the users more eager to read it.

Aside from source of information, social media is also used as a means of

communication. The millennials are accessing different applications of social media such as
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram to share and connect with those around them.
Communication has improved significantly through the development of technologies. According
to Natalie Saaris, the biggest advantage of social media is its power to connect people. Social
media has been commonly used by people who are away from their families. Millennials who are
away from their friends, classmates and loved ones use social media to connect with them.
Communication is extremely important among millennials. Today’s technology made people
more connected than before. Improving communication and strengthening human connection is
the reason social media emerged. A study showed that keeping family connections alive is
important to the respondents. Given that many of the respondents live away from home as they
study to get their degrees, interactions, the sharing of photographs, and family news using social
networking sites ensure that family members remain updated about both school and outside
school related activities (Le Moignan, Lawson, Rowland, Mahoney, & Briggs, 2017). Social
networking sites provide an excellent way to bridge the geographic distance of living away from
home or of having parents who work in other countries or who travel often Communication- the
human connection- is the key to personal and career success (Paul J. Meyer).

The media has a vital role in molding a good society to develop lifestyle and move it on
the right path. Aside from educational purposes and communication, social media also become a
place for awareness. A lot of people use social media to spread awareness. Social awareness is
defined as being aware of the problems that different societies and communities face on an
everyday basis and to be conscious of the difficulties and hardships of society. According to the
Research Scholars from the University of Allahabad, social media is the best tool to spread
awareness in the modern society either it be political, social or economic and giving people latest
sight about what is happening in the world, making people aware about the rights, creating
awareness against evils in the society, what are the new happenings around, exposing corrupt
politicians and hardcore criminals by sting operations. Social awareness helps the millennials to
understand and respond to the needs of others. Awareness on certain issues such as LGBTQ
community, women’s rights, domestic abuse, equality, and many more is important. It is viewed
as one of the key components of consciousness-raising. For many researchers, awareness about
issues affecting the community or raising social consciousness has always been a precursor to
social movement (Steinem, 1983; Swift, 1990). From a research perspective, social awareness is
an important facet of student development to understand because of the recognized links between
social awareness and social change, as well as the development of critical thinking skills (Tsui,
2000).

Social media can be used in a positive or negative way. It depends on the users especially
the millennials on how they use it. According to Aubrey Peeples, “There are a lot of pros and
cons about social media; it is just how you choose to handle it and how you have to be prepared
for the negatives as well”. In using social media, millennials should be responsible. One should
not teach the millennials to hate or to never use social media but teach them how to properly use
it.