When you spend time on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or any of the other myriad social media sites, do you feel a little guilty? It wouldn’t be surprising if you do. Study after study, article after article, blogger after blogger tell us that social media is wasting our time, dumbing us down, killing our productivity, taking us away from our kids or our kids away from us. It’s frustrating to be told that a widespread habit is bad for us, but it’s nothing new. Every time a new technology or invention comes out, people flock to it and enjoy it, and just when it becomes the latest craze, pundits and scientists and pop psychologists rush in to tell us to stop. When television became widespread, first it was a modern miracle, and then it was rotting our brains. I’m sure the advent of radios provoked similar reactions. Maybe it even goes back to Gutenberg’s printing press. When books became easily accessible, did the pundits of the time tell parents to take the books out of their kids’ hands and shove the kids outdoors?

It’s certainly been proven that social media can be addictive, and probably does compromise our productivity. But there’s another side to the story. What’s GOOD about social media? Why do we love it, and what does it do for us? I’m no pundit, scientist or pop psychologist, but here’s my opinion:

1. It strengthens bonds with friends and family. Close friends and family are people we see in real life, so social media is not necessary to connect with them, but it does strengthen our connections. When we have dinner with friends, and later post a picture and tag our friends, “Great time ladies! Let’s do it again soon!” it reinforces the memories of laughter and warmth.

2. It connects us with people from our past. Most of my Facebook friends aren’t people I speak to or see regularly. Many are from high school or college, and I would probably not still be in touch with them if not for social media. Not only wouldn’t I be “liking” their baby’s picture and commenting on those cute chubby cheeks, I might not even know they had a baby at all.

3. It spreads news. When there’s a celebrity death, a big weather event, or even a school delay, social media gets it out there quicker than any news outlet. There may be 24-hour news now (thanks to Ron Burgundy!) but most people don’t watch it as often as they check Twitter or Facebook.

4. It’s a marketplace of opinions. Need recommendations for a new dentist in your area? Want to know when other parents started potty training their kids? Just ask your friends and followers on social media, and you’ll get varied opinions within minutes. It’s like having a Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? lifeline in your pocket. (Fun fact: the “Ask the audience” lifeline was said to be correct 95% of the time.)

5. It keeps us honest. You know those white lies you used to tell when you had plans with another friend, but you didn’t want to tell your mutual friend? Well, you can’t do that anymore, because that friend might Instagram your photo or Tweet about your brunch plans. After a few fights and hurt feelings, you start to realize, Hey, maybe I better just tell the truth about my plans. Turns out telling the truth is liberating.

6. It occupies our minds. This is often used as an argument against social media; we use it too often to fill time that should be spent doing something more brain-boosting, like reading, or more helpful, like laundry. But sometimes there really isn’t anything better to do. Say you’re waiting at a doctor’s office, and they only have those crummy pamphlets about the risks of glaucoma. Isn’t it nice to know you can look at pictures of your friend’s trip to Hawaii instead?

7. It exercises our empathy. When you delve into little slices of another person’s life via status updates and tweets, you practice putting yourself in her shoes. That skill can boost our ability to empathize face-to-face, too.

8. It’s great for introverts. I’m still thinking a lot about being an introvert, thanks to Susan Cain’s Quiet. I think social media levels the playing field for us introverts. I’m not always great at talking about myself directly to another person, but the ability to post, “I’m having a short story published!” makes it much easier to celebrate good news. The January issue of Real Simple magazine had a quote from a teenager who said he enjoyed texting and social media because it gave him the opportunity to think before he “spoke.” As someone who doesn’t always say what she means to say, but can generally get the point across via writing, I applaud that statement.

Why do you like or dislike social media? What do you think is good and bad about it? 

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