Let's investigate this question. Remember this well repeated maxim-
"Guns don't kill people. People kill people."
Well, it is the same thing with social media. Social Media doesn't mess up people's lives. People mess up their lives. Social media is just the means of choice for individuals who have a difficult time with judgment. In some cases, a VERY DIFFICULT TIME WITH JUDGEMENT!
So how is it that social media gets the rap and the blame? Well, that's just a way of shirking responsibility. Just because I can do something, doesn't mean I should do something. If contacting young, attractive females on facebook is the drug of choice for some men to feel better about themselves or their lives, it isn't really facebook's fault. Sure, they are the conduit to which the guy can contact the ladies, but just because something makes bad behavior easier or more accessible, doesn't mean it deserves the blame. It's called self-control, personal integrity and a moral code. If you don't have one, or if yours happens to be dysfunctional, impaired, relaxed or on vacation- perhaps some introspection or therapy may help guide you to a better way of managing your issues. Posting photos of one's private parts on twitter will rarely lead to anything good.
Perhaps in the very short term for some, but never if you are a married congressman. Let's look at it this way, marriages come and go, but the internet is FOREVER.
On the positive side, social media can be an incredibly positive and constructive force. It connects people, it informs, it provides an outlet for the lonely or those who are isolated. It gives many people a way to meet new friends and reconnect with old ones. I read a friend's blog today in which she mentioned that she connected with someone on facebook who enabled her to hear of a baby that was up for adoption. She and her husband had been waiting a very long time to find a child to bring into their family and it was through a facebook connection that she heard about the child. There are many, many stories of people finding lost loved ones and reconciling with people they hadn't been in contact with for years. To demonize social media because of individuals who lack personal ethics or self control is like blaming cars for all the accidents that happen. What if there weren't any cars? Sure, no one would die in car accidents, but would the world be a better place? I don't think so.
Before a person can blame the social media phenomenon for some of the tragic consequences and choices that individuals make, they need to realize how much of a cop out it is to lay the blame at the feet of social media sites or the internet. People acting irresponsibly or irrationally is nothing new to mankind and although social media "helps" to facilitate the stupid choices and dysfunctional actions of some people is not a strong enough case to say that it is destructive or evil. It’s all in how you use it- whether for good, or for ill, the person wielding the tool is the one ultimately in control. Their destiny is within their own choices and actions. So think before you tweet and don't put your business out on facebook unless you are willing to live with the consequences.
