Views on Social Media and Intercultural Issues

My personal views on social media are very dichotomous. Some days I take endless pictures of my life, so excited to share my personal experiences with others online. Other days I find social media platforms making my life seem smaller; less vibrant. At least once a month I delete my social media applications, recognizing that I need a few day “cleanse.”

In my personal life I see many ways social media has created both benefits and challenges. This theme can be seen across the globe as well, with strong influences on intercultural topics. According to the Social Media Research Association, 3.03 billion people, nearly half of the world’s population, participate in some sort of social media activities (2018). Topics such as globalization have become prominently debated, but with the amount of people in the world using social media platforms, this is reasonable. Sharing pictures and stories allows for people to experience a life beyond their own. It presents the opportunity for one to consider the state of their own life in comparison to the life that is displayed on a screen. People feel a “grass is always greener” type of compulsion, and change their rituals, standards, etc. to integrate other cultures into their own.

For example, uprisings in Egypt have formed through the use of Facebook. This platform has inspired the right to protest in many, while also providing a new structure for social justice movements. It is through the dissemination of ideas from other cultures that this was made possible (Zeynep & Wilson, 2012).

Events like this highlight the beauty that social media can bring to the world. I also know there is an increasing amount of understanding/contentedness between people between around the world. This does not negate the fact that blending cultures gets rid of the uniqueness of each individual culture. I fear that we may all become the same, and I would love to see each part of the world preserve what is special to them. I am interested to see if the good of social media outweighs the consequences in the future.

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