What do you wish you knew about social media?
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I often hear adults sharing their worries for the generations of kids growing up in the age of social media—but I rarely get the chance to hear how these young people themselves are dealing with it. So when I saw this article, featuring college students sharing what they wish they had known when they first went online, it really got me thinking.
Here’s their top advice for healthy social media use:
- Don’t take it too seriously!
- Remember, you don’t have to share everything. Most people’s social media is just a highlight reel of their life, not a true picture of how they live.
- Beware of addictive or unhealthy social media habits. Set up time limits and take “detox” time away from your phone. Here’s a quick how-to for Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
- Discover your passions outside of social media. Use it as a tool to learn from, but keep in mind that a lot of it isn’t real.
- Set boundaries to avoid harmful content (or users!).
It’s so cool to hear what a generation that has grown up with smartphones and a constant stream of notifications has learned about managing a healthy social media presence.
Share in the comments: What do you wish you knew about social media when you first went online?
I wish there were more on social media as far as housing for the homeless.People share alot of the wrong info and the search becomes so tiresome when you funds are tapped out and your low income.I feel over half of those dead end sources need be done away with.
How easy it was for people to steal your identity and information. Also how easy it is for someone to scam and pretend to be someone they are not.
I wish I would have been more private , one doesn’t have to share as much as I did when Facebook first came out, lesson learned
I wished that I new how dangerous some of this platform would turn into
I wish I had figured out a way to make money off of it.
To be careful what you say
I wish I knew how much we rely in the internet along time ago. For recipes. Or diys we don’t use our imaginations enough anymore.
I wish I knew how it would affect one’s marriages. My ex husband found his first three girlfriends in chat rooms.
Also wish I knew how it was going to take off and would have gotten in on the ground floor.
Wish I knew that everybody was going to be obsessed, I lived in the old days We didn’t have cell phones we didn’t have computers, I don’t know much about the internet but what I’ve heard I did have a granddaughter on there at a young age where older men were acting like children and she was talking to them, I wish I knew more about predators that could get on the internet and talk to children and get them to do things they wouldn’t ever do, That’s that’s about all I worry about it’s young children getting on there and predators trying to get at them, please parents watch your children’s internet media thank you
I wish I knew before using social media how unknowingly addicted you can become to scrolling wasting your time. I wish I knew to be intentional with what I was doing and not just wasting hours out of my day scrolling through Facebook, instagram, twitter, etc. Everything that we look at will influence you in some way. It’s important that to have discipline when it comes to using social media because if you don’t you’ll spend your whole day and night on there without realizing how much of that time could have been spent doing something more productive. Social media is draining for me and it is imperative that you are able to get off for I would say months at a time. It’s okay to not know what’s going on. You have to take the good with the bad and social media posts would often leave me with so many emotions of the things that I’d consumed because I’m an empath and it would just have me feeling many emotions when I would be on there. I would definitely say I wish I’d known to set time limits on how long I would use social media. I also wish I was more aware about just adding people to have a lot of friends instead of having people or pages that posts things that are actually useful, impactful, relevant and helpful in life. It’s not okay to just scroll on Facebook all day with no intention on what you’re looking for. If you’re not trying to make money on the platform the platform is making money off you. Prince said “don’t be fooled by the internet, it’s cool to use the internet but don’t let the internet use you. It’s cool to get on the computer but don’t let the computer get on you”. It’s all about the mind, there are things in place to influence and control narratives and it’s important to know what you are seeing and hearing.
My first experience with social media was going on AOL and Facebook and it was a good experience at first, but I wish I knew that now more people can get in and view your profile without your knowledge and get more into your private life. I don’t think I would’ve gone on social media if I had known that before trying it.
I wish I knew how controlling social media can be. It controls our everyday happenings. Ppl do need to take time to detox from social media,it is dangerous!!
Wow! That was dial up days, chat rooms and instant messaging. I am not sure that there is anything that I wish I would have known then. Back then, the internet was just for fun. Personally, I was about 20, I didn’t do anything online other than chat. I didn’t share any personal information or put any banking information in the computer. I feel like the internet was much safer then.
I wish I knew how much brainwashing and addictive it was also. I also wish I knew how it what destroy relationships.
I wish I knew you could get paid a long time ago and to watch what you post!
I have to agree with Angel about how addictive the social media is to our children. But I also have an issue that has arise my daughter’s friend has been bully through socially media, due her social Association with my daughter The girl that is doing this is a known troublemaker. The different social platforms such as tiktok, such as Facebook, and Snapchat are dangerous for teenagers, so I would I wish I knew is how disruptive it would become and it seems like no measures are being taken to change the negative effects of social media it really is a stinking idea.
Hi Grace I had so many questions about life back then, religion, finances it would have been great growing up with the knowledge that we have now
Social media turned unhealthy when it was put in an app on smartphones. It’s taken over everything.
It’s come along ways from texting to talking to people in a chat room. Most kids don’t know and will never enjoy clicking on a room and there’s people in there to talk to. Lol
While Social media can be very addictive and time consuming.people should keep in mind that family and friends are a good way to socialize with in person versus social media platforms.
I wish there was a 101 course, for instance, Social Media 101 that would explain to children and adults everything good and wholesome about the internet and social media.
I have to agree and piggy back on a previous response. I wish had known how addictive it is, how negative it would be on society especially kids and how it would change the trajectory on how people communicate with each other in a negative way.
Wish I knew how toxic it would become.
I didn’t get involved with social media until I was grown and I don’t put my whole life on there it’s lots of things I keep to myself
I wish I knew that you would’ve been able to make millions off YouTube. My friend and I wanted to start a YouTube series, but we never got started. Boy we would be millionaires by now lol
I would have only gotten a phone for calls. Don’t like this new day an age
I wish I knew to be careful what I click on because sometimes ads and posts are scams.
I wish I had known how easy it would be to steal people’s personal and financial information.
I wish I knew how to access free AI tools, permanently w/o my credit card.
How to regain my MySpace account back on because all my pictures are on there.
What I wish I knew about social media at first is that anyone, anywhere can look up your information with the strock of a few keys..smh..its to easy to take someone’s identity.
I wish I knew how much money could have been made just by having followers. I could have done so much good. The negativity is just overwhelming. Everyone are keyboard bullies and it’s sad.
The internet is like having your Miranda Rights read to you. “Anything you say can and will be used against you…”. There is so much that could go wrong because everything loops back, but it can also be extremely useful, yet, highly addictive to all ages!
I wish I had never gotten a Cell phone period, or started ANY social media accounts. The internet is just TOXIC for social use. I believe it is good for research, but even then, you get misinformation. It’s hard to determine what is truth or not. I’m older, so I miss the days when I could leave my house and not worry about breaking down without having my phone. And using a Paper map was just as helpful, if NOT BETTER than GPS. I find GPS to be pretty annoying when I want to take a beautiful scenic backroad way, it keeps reverting you back to the route you have entered or talking to you to reroute… Sorry for the rant… 😎😁
I wish i didn’t because you always want to know what’s going on .cause you lose so much family time cause you focus on your phone
I wish that I had known the pull that sucks you in, sometimes it even chews you up and spits you out. I wish I had known that some people aren’t genuine and some are down right fake. The scams, oh the scams. Those are everywhere, no matter what sight you are on. These are the things I wish I had known. I warn my teens about these things, but I can’t watch them 24/7. I trust and believe my daughters have good level heads and know right from wrong, BUT it doesn’t hurt to have reminders from Mama.
My first experience was AOL in the 90s. I remember being amazed that we could reach so many people from around the world.
I wish I knew how dangerous it was to give certain information and sad it is that people make a living off of stealing from other people.
On a positive note the wealth of knowledge that is at your fingertips still amazes me and yes this world has become a sad place but it’s still filled with beautiful souls.
I can remember MySpace from way back, now that I look back, not to believe everything you hear. I believe honestly if I knew then what I knew now things would be different. I know the majority of people on their phones is different now than what it was then. It’s very scary especially for this generation. Don’t share everything because you don’t know who’s really on the other end of the keyboard.
I wish I knew how influential it would become and I would have definitely promoted myself and my interests more publicly on the platforms from the beginning.
I wish I had stock in the earlier social media, but I never was into the earlier social media websites.
I wish social media would have stayed the way it was when we first discovered it. S.M. has caused so much emotional anxiety in ways it was never intended. Life was easier when all we had to deal with was word of mouth insults. Now if someone does anything wrong unintentionally, it gets blasted out to the universe for anyone to see forever.
It’s done more damage than good!
When I was growing up their was no social media. When I found out about the different apps such as Myspace, Facebook and Instagram it has changed the platform all over the world. Family are not same because their no time spent because of social media which where time is spent a lot. If a lot of people, including kids can be less active on these sites it would lot better for family coming together and it also changes because you can make money as well. I love it just too much time spent, and you learn from different creators too.
I wish I knew people wouldn’t be honest.
I wish I would of realized how big it was going to be. I would of gotten into it and been making so much more than I am now
I guess I would’ve been AOL chat rooms but I was a kid no big deal. I really didn’t need to know nothing we were just having fun but after that would be my space I wish I had saved my pictures before they took them away. I did it for a wrestling company to promote the business, other than that I wish I never got on social media. I wish I realized how much it was going to take over because it wasn’t worth it but now our lives are wrapped up in it and all my photos are saved there.
I wish I knew how to invest in it
I feel it’s not any different than the media outlets themselves. Other than the fact that there are more people’s opinions to view. It’s still the same just different opinions
I wish I knew how disconnected we would all become as a community…in the direct communities in which we live and work. Nobody takes the time to talk to anyone anymore. It’s heartbreaking. Especially if you’re a person that likes to build connection with others.
I wish I knew to watch out for trolls and to be wary of with whom I’m sharing information.
I wish I knew how addictive it was going to be for children and the way social media used platforms to demand and tell women and men how they should look dress or they aren’t worthy of anything. It’s a sad world we live in.