10 Benefits of Using Social Media That Nobody Talks About

Social media is never far from the news and quite often for negative reasons. The rapid access to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and more make it easy to voice a negative opinion. The many benefits of these platforms are often overlooked, and it has largely been condemned for its impact rather than praised. Today we will look at the 10 benefits of social media that nobody talks about.

1.     Social media for mental health

Mental wellbeing is never out of the headlines as we face an unprecedented rise in the number of people being treated. Quite often, social media is seen as a major cause of this, but little is known about the positive impact social media has on someone’s mental health.

Twitter pages and Facebook groups set up not just by charities, but individuals too, have enabled people to openly talk about things that worry them. It has allowed the potential embarrassment of visiting a doctor or talking on the phone to disappear as the person starts to feel more confident about approaching an issue that has been causing them problems.

2.    Streaming fitness and physical wellbeing into the home

During lockdown, it was all too easy to find yourself taking part in a Joe Wicks workout or scrolling social media for a workout video. Since restrictions eased and gyms reopened, the use of social media to act as a mentor to those looking to improve their fitness has not waned though. A recent report showed that there were over 180 million uses of the #fitness on Instagram.

    3.  Starting up new hobbies

With the ability to connect to people from all around the world, for free, the opportunity to discover new interests and hobbies has never been easier. Something you had a passing interest in before, is now bought to life on a screen with one quick search. In 2021 more people took to online art classes, music lessons and cookery than before as the people behind the brands found new ways to engage and encourage others to share their passion.

4.    Charity outreach

The saying goes, “charity begins at home” and it could not be truer thanks to social media.

Almost all good causes these days have a variety of social media platforms and through highly interactive admins looking after the pages, their reach grows rapidly and delivers results that benefit people around the world. A report in 2021 found that 29% of online donors say that social media is the communication tool that most inspires them to donate money. #

5.    Community outreach

Linked to the above point, the development of community has been vastly enhanced by social media.

Providing groups for single people, creating local fundraisers, or perhaps organising a city, town or village clean up. All these examples have seen huge waves of people engaging in activity with neighbours they may not have interacted with much before. After the 2011 riots in London, a twitter campaign was set up by residents of the affected areas and saw swathes of people turn out and work together to restore their neighbourhood.

6.    Combating loneliness

Loneliness is commonplace and combatting it is not for the want of trying. Many people wish they could be more interactive with others but sometimes the anxiety of being around people can be a little too much to bear. Social media has allowed people to engage with those that they may never actually meet but find a common ground with. The vast number of pages and groups on almost any interest in the world has allowed conversation, real life friendships and sometimes…..romance to develop.

7.    Developing confidence

Linking nicely to the above point, the increased engagement with others through social media can also lead to a build in confidence. Understanding that there are other people that share interests or opinions can build self-esteem and help someone begin to express themselves more when around other people in the school or workplace.

8.    Social media life saving

The ability to Tweet, share, upload and comment has in fact saved people throughout the world. Two examples that stand out for us were where 10,000 people were rescued from starvation in Saudi Arabia thanks to Twitter. In Venezuela a serious healthcare crisis led to people going without lifesaving medicine until posts online enabled people to share their excess drugs.

9.    Promotes social change

Climate change has been a huge focus of discussion recently and the name Greta Thunberg has trended on every social platform over the past few years. Multiple campaigns aligned with changing societal challenges have all been channeled via social media.

We can’t forget Marcus Rashford and his incredible effort to ensure all school children can eat. It saw the government reverse initial decisions over school meals and through the constant sharing and commenting on social media enabled further discussion on the issue.

10.  Allows you to inspire others

Everyone loves to feel good about themselves. Showcasing a certain skill or acting as a motivator for others can not only be good for your own confidence but can lead to others finding new interests, feeling better about their life or discovering that they are not alone in whatever they may be going through.

So social media isn’t all bad! It connects, builds, and inspires people. Even better, it’s free. Looking for hyperfast broadband in your area so you can use social media platforms easily? Try our postcode checker to see if we offer broadband in your location yet.