At a family gathering when my grandmother beckons me into the kitchen to help her cook, I take out my trusty cellphone. She immediately scolds me, thinking that I’m browsing Twitter, Instagram or any of the other prominent sites like the “other kids” instead of paying attention to the food preparation.
The reasoning behind my grandmother’s conclusion isn’t exactly wrong. Internet accessibility has become a bit of a problem. We’re often met with associates who can’t put their phones down during a discussion or would rather take Instagram selfies than contribute to a group hangout. Constant reliance on technology is often cited as the reason millennials fail to possess necessary skills like reading maps or checking tire pressure. Social media can be, in simpler terms, just plain annoying.
Facebook is, at face value, everything I hate. It’s an online realm that practically begs you to document every pertinent emotion you feel and every picture you take, all the while encouraging you to feign interest in what others have to say. It’s also one of the biggest resources on the Internet. Look past those unwanted event invitations and exasperating game requests and you’ll find an enduring system of networking that allows you to stay engaged in social groups and sometimes even reminds you to vote.
Is refreshing your newsfeed instead of studying for midterms a waste of time? Yes. Should we stop immersing ourselves in wireless interactions? Never.
Let’s stop overlooking the success stories of social media. There are fashion models who have been scouted by posting selfies on Myspace and Instagram. There are thousands of students who have ditched in-person networking and have made notable connections through sites like LinkedIn. There are new occupations popping up every day — search engine optimization specialist, social media strategist and online community manager, to name a few — that boast salaries higher than $50,000 and deal directly with the flow of electronic information.
Social media isn’t only handy on the professional end of the spectrum. Don’t know how to cook steak? There’s an online guide for that. Forgot how to solve a differential equation? There’s an app for that. Want to reconnect with an old acquaintance who lives across the country? There’s a messaging system for that.
I’m not advocating for a world in which Twitter rules all; I’m not gunning for a society full of people who are unable to pry themselves away from their iPhones when the time seems fit. But I am #TeamFacebook, and for the right reasons. Social media is much like everything else that surrounds us — prominent, ever-emergent, potentially overbearing and highly useful if you know how to use it. It’s a vital part of how we function and it’s here to stay, so why not take full advantage of it?
My grandmother may be annoyed that I’m using my cellphone in the kitchen, but little does she know that I’m using social media to find a recipe for the best apple pie she’ll ever have.