In an age where social media has dominated the world, no one ever has to feel alone. Start typing something in Google; it is like Google was reading your mind right? This is because you are not the only person looking for answers to these questions or topics you are searching. There are now more than 3 Billion people using the internet (Davidson, 2013). The internet is a world wide web of over 3 billion people connected through media. 3 billion people. It was found that 75% of American adults use social media sites (Pew research, 2013).
The good thing about this high number of people using social media is that you always have people to connect with, no matter what might be going on in your life there are others to talk to. There are other people going through the same or similar things you are at any given moment. For example, grieving the death of a loved one? How about a death due to suicide? There are groups and pages and people dedicated to help with the grieving process of this. There are others to talk to, there are inspirational sayings written across calming pictures, just to help you feel better and know that you are not alone. Survivor of domestic violence? Check out Facebook, there are groups and pages for that as well.
In a world full of negative and pessimistic outlooks on life, there are groups and pages to help through anything. My daughter has a rare illness, up until a few weeks ago I felt like I was in the dark. I didn’t know where to go or what to do for her. I found groups and people on Facebook that have made me feel so much better. I have a better understanding of her illness and a better understanding of what we need to do. I also have connected with people I have formed friendships with through these groups. I no longer feel alone.
There is a stigma attached to social media sites for teens and young adults. There is plenty we hear about cyber-bullying and people meeting up with the wrong people. We here about all the self esteem issues that young people have after viewing these super models. However, social media can be used for good too. Think about the friendships and relationships that have formed or were reunited due to social media. Think about the people that went into social media on a day where they may have thought they had no where else to turn or anyone to listen to them and they got help there.
Social media is compromised of people from all over the world connected in one place to share and help people just like them through the good and bad.
References:
Davidson, Jacob (2015). Here’s How Many Internet Users There Are. Retrieved March 18, 2016, from http://time.com/money/3896219/internet-users-worldwide/
Social Networking Fact Sheet. (2013). Retrieved March 18, 2016, from http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/social-networking-fact-sheet/
I find the good in everything. I suffer from PTSD and also found support and a sense of belonging in groups through Facebook.
I actually had Abraham Maslow in mind when I was writing my post. People NEED to belong. They need this sense of belonging to thrive. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs says that people need to achieve and maintain deep and personal relationships. Social media, ie. Twitter and Facebook, has made this so much easier to do. Like you said, you log on and search pretty much anything and there are other people to connect with over this topic. The stigma that goes along with Facebook, like all the drama, for sure, exists, but if Facebook is used correctly it is a really great technological advance.
I am so sorry to hear about your mother. I never really believed that you could find true friends online. I had friends who did the whole online dating thing and met people in chat rooms. I never really understood it. However, I am a domestic violence survivor and at the time of the turning point in my life, actually leaving the relationship, I found that the groups I joined on Facebook helped me more than the counseling I was in. Shortly after I left my relationship and was just starting to start my life over, my brother committed suicide. Again, I found that the groups on Facebook helped me through this time in my life. I still belong to a couple of the groups but more importantly, I made true friends with some of these people in the groups. I am in contact with them until this day. I am glad your mother has found help and support in the groups and friends she has made going through the same thing as her. I am sure you could probably seek support for yourself on Facebook as well, going through this tough time in your life.
I like how you found some good in Social Media. There is a lot of stigma against social media regardless of the amazing amount of use people find in it during their daily lives. When I was a teenager, I suffered from depression and anxiety. It was through a chat room that I met someone who managed to uplift my spirits, even when I sat there contemplating suicidal options. I found help and reassurance through that person and worked through some of my own thoughts and fears. It can be amazing what even the illusion of a connection can create for people through social media.
I never truly believed that social media could act as a “support group”. How can people I have never met be able to support me through a tough time? My mother was recently diagnosed with a rare type of cancer. She is not very open about what she is feeling and she would never express to her family and/or friends that she needs support or help. I just found out that she has joined social media support groups for cancer sufferers in general and a group for the specific type of cancer she is diagnosed with. I see that she is getting stronger in both body and mind and she recently told me that she has become a sponsor for someone who just joined the group. I am so proud of her and truly blessed to know that she has found support in the type of medium that she is comfortable with.
The above post does a wonderful job introducing the social benefits from constant access to social media support. As noted, individuals who engage in social media have the option to belong to a plethora of social groups for almost any cause or issue that may be of significance to that person. This response will further explain why social media support is an attractive option for people in the modern world.
It is no surprise that online support groups of all sorts play an integral role in today’s technological sector. When exploring this behavior in social psychology, it is clear that most humans express attitudes that coincide with belongingness. Belongingness is an intrinsic motivator as it represents the one’s emotional need to belong to a group and affiliate with peers (Cherry, 2016). Belongingness is part of Abraham Maslow’s “hierarchy of needs” and explains that fulfillment of this need leads to satisfaction in companionship and familial/friendship connectedness and acceptance. Belongingness relates back to social media support use because it explains why these social groups online are an attractive option for users. In other words, Facebook, Twitter, etc. users utilize these outlets as a way to satisfy that component of their emotional needs.
A specific example of social media support is as fallows: The Pew Research Center researchers Duggan, Lenhart, Lampe and Ellison study in 2015 found that “Three in every four parents with children under 18 use social media to interact with other parents, most often by responding to good news.” The study goes on to explain that half of these users have indeed sought out and received emotional and social support regarding parenting issues. This example demonstrates the wide use of media for social support. Many parents seek out support on social media when the going gets rough, and this connectedness represents an online social community.
References
Cherry, K. (2016, February 21). How Does the Need to Belong
Influence Behavior and Motivation. Retrieved March 19, 2016, from
http://psychology.about.com/od/nindex/g/needtobelong.htm
Duggan, M., Lenhart, A., Lampe, C., & Ellison, N. (2015, July
16). Parents and Social Media. Retrieved March 19, 2016, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/07/16/parents-and-social-media/