Call 911!! The generation is being attacked by… SOCIAL MEDIA!! YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Email, Google +, Pinterest, Flickr, even Skype! You name it. Which ones do you have? Those are not even half of today`s social media websites. If social media were a country it would be largest by far. Can the human race balance all this stress of checking your phone every 5 minutes? Or will it weigh us down?

It is hard to believe how much our technical life has changed since 20 years ago. Ever since blogging began in 1997 (though none of the blogs were as good as AfriCanada Watoto Blog) it all went uphill from there. A year later Google was invented by Larry Page and Sergey Brin. The greatest search site ever! In the 21st century all the sites we know today were invented. They get updated every day. Did you now Facebook is a full 10 years old? Did you notice most people are using an apple product to go on twitter and Facebook etc.? Not an android or computer. There so many social media site I probably only heard of half of them. Of course, imagine if internet was not invented yet. Our life would be completely different in many different ways. For those addicted to your phones, imagine a day without it. Will you survive? No LOL`s for a day. What would you do?

Social media is a great tool in most cases. It keeps you updated on what is happening in the world, the weather, entertainment, and fun stuff. Also it is a great place to make new friends. Have you ever had a friend move away? FOR FREE you can chat, update, skype, and interact with them. So wipe the tears away when she moves away and convince her to join you online. If you like something people post, tweet or follow them. Of course all things have their flaws. People can lie and cheat you online. Also they can hack on your account and mess everything up. I wish there was a sensor to know who you are speaking to. If someone asks to be your friend or to follow you and you don`t know them, block them and do not reply. So many people have been victims of this. People out of their minds can hack into your friend’s account, lie about their age, and ask you to come and meet them. How to prevent this? NEVER give any one your password even your best friends. Also don`t make a dumb password like password. If someone posts something that makes you uncomfortable tell someone you trust immediately. Main message? BE CAREFUL ON A SOCIAL MEDIA SITE!!

As I said before, social media was made in the 21st century but oddly most people born in the 20th century are more used to social media than teens and kids. My opinion is that it is okay to have a few social media sites but all sites are pretty much made up of surfing things and following things. Too much of anything is bad. Just remember while on social media sites, to have fun and be careful. I liked this quote by one unknown author “THE STRENGTH OF YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA IS DETERMINED BY THE STRENGTH OF YOUR CONTENT“. What is your opinion?

Maxine Mutasingwa