Social media vs social life

Photo credit: Merakist on Unsplash

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Q: Tell us a bit about yourself

A: Hey, my name is Dan, I'm 23 but 12 at heart. I'm currently working full time in I.T for a company called KMT Group.

My hobbies are football (and I mean the real football), the world game, a bit of photography and playing music. 

A fun fact about myself is I'm an adrenaline junkie, so I'm down to do anything crazy.

Q: In your own opinion, what are the pros and cons of social media? (and how can you manage your time)

A: Pros of social media are that I'm connected to my family and friends overseas. I grew up in Egypt so my childhood was there. 

Just being able to see their posts or being a tap away from a call or a message is a huge blessing. And [it's] something I love that I can just go through my phone and message each one of them.

Obviously, the same applies to friends here too. But I have the privilege of seeing them, so it's a bit easier.

Another pro is just some of the banter you can have with friends, whether it's through sharing memes in a group chat or tagging them. It helps create a closer bond in friendship groups.

Cons of social media are everything I just said as well because you can get consumed by all of it and live your life in a screen.

I take public transport to work and so many times I'll look up and every head is just staring at a phone. I'm guilty of this too.

But I think social media has made us socially awkward in human interaction.

This is why I love catching up with friends because it breaks that barrier.

If we are able to manage our time between social media and being social then you have a good mix. 

It is up to you to manage your time, I can't tell you what is a healthy amount of being on your phone. But you have to manage your life outside of a screen too.

Q: How do you choose what to post and what not to on your social media accounts?

A: If I'm posting things it's either on Facebook or Instagram, and each of them is different.

If I'm posting on Instagram it will mainly consist of something that's really meaningful to me.

For example, some worship lyrics that have impacted me at the current stage of my life, or a picture with a friend that has a special meaning behind it. A memorable event that has taken place and each photo would hold a memory.

I remember when I was speaking to you about this earlier, I mentioned the group photo with all the boys at a wedding. Now, this photo is very memorable and all the boys will know why but that's as much as I can say about that picture haha! so those are the kind of posts for Instagram.  

( Here is the photo Dan talks about)

As for Facebook, it's seen by a lot more people. So if I want to reach out or share something important then Facebook is the platform for me.

Most of those posts will be to challenge people with a perspective that has helped me grow and develop. Or just a bit of ranting about football haha. But yeah, managing my Facebook is a lot tougher. Especially being in a place of leadership at church, I have to beware of what I'm sharing and what I'm tagging my friends in. And it's not because I don't think it's wrong but so it's not influencing the youth, especially in a direction where I think it's okay.

Q: What do you think of receiving negative feedback on something you posted?

A: It depends on how it's approached.

But usually when receiving negative feedback, I approach it two ways:

First, I'll make sure what I said was not misinterpreted. If it was, I'll make sure what I'm saying is conveyed clearly to whoever it is.

If they still don't like it then so be it.

I shared a point of view that I see and thought I needed to share with people. If you don't like it, then block me. But it also shows that I struck something with that someone, which I see as a win.

Secondly, I might have just been too excited or motivated by my point of view at the time, so I would approach whatever topic I'm writing about too aggressively, and my wording could have been too harsh, which happened multiple times. But I'll point out the fact I'm sorry for how I worded things not how I said it.

Ultimately, you will never please everyone, so why should I post with that mindset. It just sets me back. I say things how they are. Also if someone asks my point of view on something, I'll just give you a straight answer.

Q: Lastly, what is some advice you would like to share on how we could use social media more meaningfully?

A: Simply know how to manage your time. 

It's not whether you post or scroll, but managing that time is the most crucial.

As for how to use social media that's not up to me, be yourself on whatever you're posting you'll never make everyone happy so why worry about what others think. Just be yourself.

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