Social media The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly.....

This week we will talk about Social Media, The good, The bad, & The ugly. Sis: I'm wondering nowadays if being on social media is helping or hurting me mentally and emotionally state. At this point I think I'm addicted,​I'm constantly checking my page, obsessing over like, comments & views. It's like I don't feel validated unless there is a certain amount of attention paid to my post. Sadly, my moods can be controlled & predicted by a group of strangers. Why do they have this much control over me? Does anyone else feel like this or do I have a problem? Social media is an internet-based form of communication. ... There are many forms of social media, including blogs, micro-blogs, wikis, social networking sites, photo-sharing sites, instant messaging, video-sharing sites, podcasts, widgets, virtual worlds, and more. RGP Answer: Sis, I completely understand what you are saying about your mood being controlled by strangers. I sometimes look at a post, a picture, or a blog even & if it was not received as well as I thought it should have been I can kind of get in my feelings about it. When I started looking at a documentary about the history of social media & its intended platform vs. what it turned out to be I started to re-evaluate my opinions. Originally Social media was invented to make it easier to share memories, pictures, make new friends, and communicate across distances. Over time it has been turned into many other things, so many of those things have been reported to have a negative and positive impact on society. Another thing Social media has been blamed for is how the algorithms behind these massively influential social media platforms may contribute to the rise of extremism and online radicalization. Extremist groups continue to turn to fringe chatrooms and the “dark web” that begin on social media, combing through the underbelly of the internet and stopping the spread of hateful narratives is a daunting task. Whereas with a public health crisis Social media can be both a space to enlighten and spread messages of doubt. Social media has been the space for digital activism across a myriad of social justice issues. Movements like #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter hashtags have gone viral thanks to the power of social media. What starts as a simple hashtag has resulted in real change. The negative impacts that social media can have on mental health has led pre-teens, teens, & some adults to a point of suicide which is very disheartening, because something that started as a sharing and keeping in touch kind of platform has been perverted and been weaponized to shame, bully, and perform a host of illegal activities. We just need to take our power back from anything that has that much control over us. The first step to doing this is recognizing that it is a problem & trying to find a solution. 1. Know your self-worth. 2. Let go of the need to know everything. 3. Filter out the negative. 4. Allot time for Social Media. 5. Do a Social Media Cleanse. Tribe: What words of wisdom or encouragement do you'll have for Sis???