Advantages and disadvantages of Social Media/Social Networking

In the world today, there are hundreds of millions, if not billions, of people who use one social media or the other. From the grandfather of social media, Facebook, to the likes of twitter, Instagram, and WhatsApp, we always want to network socially. This has made social networking a multi-billion dollar empire.
Undoubtedly, many people spend many hours on social networking sites on a daily basis, either to chat with friends or to promote one business idea or the other. In view of this, are there other advantages of this? Does social networking has its disadvantages too? Let's take a look at some facts

Advantages of Social Networking

1. It makes connectivity easier:  Today, we find it easier to connect with valuable people from our past than our fathers and fore-fathers could do.Using the "Search" button on Facebook, a friend that you have lost
contact with some decades ago can be connected with if he/she is still living and active on social media.

I recently met a primary school classmate on Facebook after I have lost contact with him for more than 26 years! That is the power of social networking.

2. Gives you a wider business platform: Imagine transacting your business within your locality. You are somehow limited and restricted. But with social media, you can promote your business and potential customers will contact you and carry out their transactions with you if they are satisfied with your services.

3. You will always know the latest in any area of your business if you are active on social media. People will post articles that will enlighten you more since nobody knows it all. To make the best use of this, join a group that is related to your area of business or services. As a blogger, I am a member of about 5 blogging-related groups on Facebook alone, not to talk of other platforms.

Disadvantages of Social Networking

As good as social networking is, it has its own disadvantages. Some of them are:

1.It increases crime rate. Recall of the lady who was murdered in Lagos a few years ago. She was murdered after she had been robbed and raped. She was killed by those "friends" that she met on Facebook. That is one of the down sides of social networking. Other crimes committed include scamming, identity theft and cyber bullying. What about exposure of children to pornography? That is another minus for social media.

2. Some people who are addicted to these sites waste a lot of productive hours engaging in unproductive activities. Some students who are academically lazy are hyperactive on social networking sites.This will definitely have a negative effect on the economy.

3. Have you been the victim of false rumour on a social network? The experience is better imagined than experienced. Some people have committed suicide because they were subjected to unpleasant experiences on social media. So be careful with whom you share secrets with on social media

In spite of this disadvantages, social networking remains an integral part of our lives now. It is now left with each individual to determine what he/she wants to use social media for and how it will be used.