Today is Social Media Day. But what are the pros and cons of these platforms?

Remember the days when making a call or using a fax machine were the norm? Those days seem long gone as the influence of social media has replaced and some would say surpassed those forms of communication. 

Since its creation, people have been able to connect with each other like never before. Friends and family can connect at any moment, and marketers have been able to reach consumers in an entirely new fashion. In fact, people use social media for an average of 144 minutes every single day. Because of its impact on society over the years, Social Media Day was created by Mashable back in 2010 to occur on June 30, and it has continued to grow in popularity ever since.

The day was born to recognize social media’s impact on global communication and to bring the world together to celebrate it. Social media has become a way to instantly connect, often with friends and family, but also with complete strangers. It has become a huge source of news, shopping, finding influencers for businesses and general entertainment. Social media day celebrates the positives of the  platforms that many of us use every day.

However, as social media has evolved and grown in popularity, so has the scrutiny that the platforms come under. With controversies surrounding their use of data, hate speech, impact on mental health, election results, and fake news, the platforms are under more pressure than ever to be transparent with what really goes on behind the scenes.

In a recent study by The University of Bath they explored the benefits of taking a week long break from social media engagement. Their results published in May 2022 in the US journal Cyberpsychology, Behaviour and Social Networking, suggest that just one week off social media improved individuals’ overall level of wellbeing, as well as reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety.

You can read more about the research here:

https://www.bath.ac.uk/announcements/social-media-break-improves-mental-health-new-study/

During this time of increased anxiety both at home and in the workplace, perhaps now is a good time to celebrate the benefits of social media while recognising that taking a break could really benefit our personal and professional wellbeing. 

New Dawn Resources works with organisations that recognise wellbeing and resilience as a key enabler of employee engagement and business results. We design and deliver tailored programmes for businesses who want to increase awareness of the importance of resilience and wellbeing but mainly to develop and enhance the personal resilience of their teams.

Visit our website to discover more: https://www.newdawnresources.co.uk/services/wellbeing-and-resilience-at-work