The Darker Side of Social Media

You know how we always talk about how great social media is for personal and professional relationship. But then again, people tend to forget that there are always two sides to a coin.

In as much as I love using social media to connect with distant friends or share information with online buddies and co-workers, the fact remains that behind the heaven-sent angel that is social media, there’s also a twin devil accompanying it.

Connect to disconnect

So, we use social media to reconnect with estranged friends, meet new people, and keep in touch with loved-ones who live far away. That’s quite alright. It’s normal to want to stay in contact or socialize with other people. We’re human that way.

The problem is, some people substitute the social web for real life. Although they connect with people online, they tend to be disconnected with the ones they’re physically with. It’s never a good thing to be an Internet shut-in.

A welcome distraction?

You know how some people like to take tiny breaks every so often to refresh their minds a bit. Social media presents itself as quite a useful break from a monotonous day of working. You’ve got tons of interesting stuff and relaxing games to do online, while you’re resting your mind a bit.

However, some people tend to become too distracted that they forget their main responsibilities at work. With many interesting bookmarks being shared in social bookmarking sites and online games to play in social networking sites, it’s easy to lose track of time and lose sight of work that needs to be attended to. This isn’t really holding good for appropriate professional etiquette.

Control is key

Understanding the concept of control and balance is a great way to avoid having social media consume you whole. Keep in mind that in as much as you have work to do online and people to chat up with to build relationships on the web, you still have your real-life relationships to maintain.

When it comes to work, it’s not bad to want to relax a little every so often, but to let it get in the way of your duties as an employee is unacceptable. Learn to curb your social media usage to ensure that you don’t lose your job because of it.

Remember that you need to balance work and play, as well as cyber life and real life at the same time. Personally, it’s no fun just choosing one over the other.

How about you, though, what are your thoughts on this matter?