I’d like everyone to take a second to imagine their lives without social media.  What would you do if you couldn’t ask a homework question on Facebook?  What if there was no YouTube to entertain you? Social media has become a global phenomenon and continues to be the topic of many debates.  It provides people with the tools to communicate and share their lives with one another, in addition to playing a key role in improving the economic, political, and charitable world.

One perk of social media, is that it allows me and many of my peers, high school students, to post pictures to networks like Instagram or Facebook or share a status on Twitter.  Although it may seem trivial, it helps us to keep our families and friends updated in our lives. Many argue that we need to communicate face to face and say that we are quickly losing necessary skills to be successful in the workforce.  But there are many people I can’t see often, such as extended family and friends that live far away.  It would take hours every day to contact each of those people via phone or email.  In addition to it’s instant satisfaction appeal, social media also allows people to reconnect with those they have lost touch with.  My dad, a 45 year old man, recently reconnected with his step-brother through the use of Facebook.  Now you don’t need to hire a private investigator to find old friends, you just have to download an app!

Now, I’d like to address the people who claim that those of us who use social media are wasting our lives away in front of a screen because when they were younger, they “played outside and used their imaginations.” First of all, I’m sorry their childhood was lacking.  But since when did spending time on the internet become the equivalent of not using your imagination? It seems an unfair accusation to assume people who spend their time on the internet are uninspired. Plenty of people use social media as a creative and intellectual outlet, such as designing a Tumblr blog or writing online articles. Maybe they’re not becoming this generation’s Shakespeare, but they’re still reading and writing.   Critics of those who spend “too much time” online fail to acknowledge that most 21st century businesses require their employees to comfortably use social media as a way of broadcasting their work. That’s the world we live in.

You may argue that, while I make pretty convincing points, I’m a sixteen year old girl and, like most teenagers, I support social media.  That is entirely true.  But if you don’t want to listen to me, listen to the statistics.  According to Social Media Examiner, 97% of marketers around the world are currently participating in social media, and Hubspot reported that 92% of marketers claimed that social media marketing was important for their business. Not only does social media impact the economic world, it also has a huge influence on politics. 
Six years ago, in the Middle East, many activists who played crucial roles in the Arab Spring used social networking as a key tool in expressing their thoughts concerning unjust acts committed by the government. They were able to share uncensored and accurate information through social networking sites to gain support for their cause and eventually overthrow powerful dictatorships.  “We use Facebook to schedule the protests” an activist from Egypt announced “and Twitter to coordinate, and YouTube to tell the world.”  In other words, the use of social media had an impact on thousands of lives. And that leads me to my final argument.

Not only does social media play a key role in helping us personally, professionally, and politically, it also immensely impacts charitable work.  While some people may not be avid users of social networking sites, if you haven’t heard of the “ALS Ice Bucket Challenge” I think you’re living under a rock.  But just in case you have no clue what I’m talking about, the “ALS Ice Bucket Challenge” refers to the challenge where people nominate each other to pour a bucket of water on their head via social media to raise awareness and money for the cause. If those challenged don’t accept, or fail to post their video within 24-hours, they must donate to ALS research.  People have shared more than 1.2 million videos on Facebook and mentioned the phenomenon more than 2.2 million times on Twitter. Celebrities such as George Bush, Oprah, and Taylor Swift participated and helped to spread the word through social networking sites.

To sum it all up, social media has made far-reaching effects around the world and benefits people in countless and invaluable ways.  You can make the choice not to use social media, but don’t cry when the rest of us leave you in the dark ages.  It is certain that choosing to integrate yourself into the technological culture of today is the best way to become and remain successful in society. Social media is not something to be feared, it’s something to be celebrated.