Over the last decade, there were big changes in our daily lives, and the power of social media has been a big part of it. If we look 10 years back, there is no way that social media then has the same power and influence it has today. The differences are enormous, to the point that it wouldn’t be something crazy to say that, today, we are in a whole different world.
Without exaggerating, nowadays, social media has an incredible power — a power that seems to have no limits.
According to Statista, a German company specializing in market and consumer data, social media usage is considered to be the most popular online activity. In 2020, over 3.6 billion people were using social media worldwide, a number projected to increase to almost 4.41 billion in 2025. Apps such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook have more than 500 million unique visitors.
As time goes by, these apps continue to grow and show that they are an incredible resource. Consequently, such apps control almost everything. On Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, you can see ads everywhere. Even companies, no matter how big or small, use them as they know they are able to have more outreach to current or future clients.
Even though social media has been a great advance in communication, there are indeed certain negative aspects of such a tool. One of the greatest discomforts of social media is the respect for the user’s privacy and the impact certain comments and opinions have that have repercussions. Networks such as Instagram and Twitter are in favor of showing the user as they are. They want to let users feel authentic and able express themselves either through a photo or a comment. However, today, many are afraid to show who they are because of comments, likes, and in short, because of what others may think.
Unfortunately, this is normal. With the improvement of technology and social media networks, everyone seems to be watching and paying attention as to what one is going to say and think. This problem has led to the possibility of censusing certain comments. Because these social media companies have a principle idea that users are authentic on their platforms, it should make it impossible to censor content.
Faced with this, I think that the responsibility is only on the users, and not only on social networks, but also in every second of our lives. You yourself can never show your true image unless we evolve as a society — an understanding, caring and respectful society.
The responsibility is unique and completely ours. It is our job to grow as a society and understand that we can all think differently. Because we think differently, because we like different things, we cannot look at the other as a stranger and separate him, her or they. Being different is normal. It is just a matter of respecting those differences.
