Yea if you on social media then you are likely to know what these apps are. Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook. And I can’t forget Twitter either. All of these social media vices are where most of the country absorbs it’s content. From news to sports to entertainment to social activities and events. Social media has become the largest influence over society. Print Media and Television media have become second and third in whatever order you want, but their importance has definitely diminished as instant news and idealist news has become the it thing in society. When you can have someone who looks like you and talks like you deliver what you think is the news. It’s usually their slant on what’s going on in the world and more specifically the country we live in.

It’s gone so far that now we have people labeling themselves as influencers. What does it mean when you call yourself that? More important what does it mean when a generation of people believe it without questioning the source or the validity of such a claim? It means that we are living is a bit of dangerous times. Social media as a whole is and has been a positive. It allows for people to unite far quicker than needing to call and get people in place. It allows for messages to be disseminated to the masses quickly and efficiently. It allows for you to find someone that you need to find, for people to memorialize themselves without having to pay lots of money to do so. It allows for people to be discovered without sacrificing their livelihoods to do so. All positives and things that have helped move us forward as a society.

However, it has also come with a great cost. It has allowed for social media thugs. People that pretend they’re hard or living a tough life, while really they are the total opposite. It allows for an alarmingly high rate of bullying, especially among teens. That has led to far too many deaths because of these hurtful actions. It had lead to pressures of having sex earlier than one wants, just to fit in with the crowd. It has led to people fighting and being killed over the go live culture. People who need to feed their egos and fan the flames rather than put them out. There are so many things that social media has been used for that is unhealthy and it has been used for many helpful things as well,

What it means is that the more that people, societies and cultures gravitate towards this vice for business and personal use, it is incumbent upon us to be more respectful and thoughtful. We all know someone who has benefited from the rise of social media and someone or people who have been hurt and as a result of social media. While we will never fully remove the negatives that are associated with social use, we can definitely control how much we allow people to attempt to tear each other down. Remember that even though you can’t be “seen” doesn’t mean you are all powerful. Consequences come with everything that we do, both good and bad. So with the rise of the influencer title, comes a rise in responsibility.

If that is something that you don’t want to assume, responsibility that is, then don’t label yourself as a influencer and don’t seek that mantle. Truth it that is millions of people out here looking for someone to believe in. Someone that will speak to them in a way they understand and can relate to. Someone who may be able to relate to their life and maybe help better their life and in some cases save their life. There is more to social media than just crystalizing a moment, or shaking ya ass for the camera or mike dropping on somebody. It is also to inform, connect, build, and inform. So choose your social media outlets wisely, Whether you know it or not, whatever you indulge in is influencing what you believe in and the view you take on things.

Be smart, be wise social media influence is on the rise.