Social media can have a variety of effects on today’s generation. The best advice I can give about social media is use it in moderation. It can be a great way of communicating as well as keeping you informed about the world around you but in a slight second it can turn into a major distraction and automatic addiction. While certain doses of social media can be informative, a vast majority is gossip or entertainment, so too much social media can cloud your mind. 

Growing up in a generation surrounded by technology, you learn to love it and hate it at times. The idea that anything you post on social media websites is for all to see can easily drive people away from social media. It’s important for students to understand that social media is a great resource when used carefully. I talk from experience since I was able to reconnect with a lot of my friends and family on Facebook. 

It’s amazing how important social media is in bringing people together. From reconnecting to family all the way to learning, social media provides a lot of resources and the amazing ability to express your thoughts on the internet. I just say use it wisely and remember that something you post now can come back to haunt you later, possibly at your dream job interview. I always say, “If you post something that you feel like you need to hide from your parents, then what makes you think jobs won’t find it.” Social media is a beautiful thing if used wisely.

To be honest, even though I have Facebook, Instagram, tumblr and many other social sites, I feel like the use of social media should be very limited. There are many negatives to using social media and many of us know that. For one, most of these social media sites that majority of the people use are to be noisy and for some, be a show off. 

Most relationships now a days ends because one girl liked her ex picture or some girl liked another guys picture who was in a relationship. Facebook is only creating more problems because now you can see who liked what and if the person read your message and just ignored it. I honestly feel that all of these new features that are being added to many sites are just to start problems. 

Even though there are more negatives than positives about social media, keeping in contact with old friends is the only real positive thing to this whole new system of social media. I don't think social media brings people together because at the end of the day no one knows who is behind that computer screen claiming to be that person you are talking to. Social media only keeps us from interacting with each other which in terms breaks up bonds and relationships.

What advice would you give to students regarding social media?

My advice in regards to social media is to be careful on what you post. Always think about what you post. If you don’t want your grandma to see it, don’t post it. Many times, your bosses will search you up and whatever is online, will come up under your name. They will see something they don’t like and they will most likely not hire you.

What are the positives? What are the negatives?

The positives on social media is that it can help you communicate with people and be able to truly meet them, and see how they are really are. The negatives is that  social media sites might not always show you the other person’s true self and it can cause some major drama in peoples lives.

Does it truly bring people together?

I do believe it can bring people together as well as separate them. You have to know how to use it correctly. For example, because of Facebook, my dad was able to find his long lost brother that he has never met before. Now they are inseparable.

 I believe social media is not for everyone, those who choose to be involved may do it for positive or negative reasons. The positive reasons for participating in social media would be, keeping in contact with friends and family, being updated with the latest fashion, television shows, sports etc. It also gives you the opportunity to meet new people and build a friendship or relationship.

What I believe is negative about social media, is what people may believe is a lie or true. There are a lot of individuals that I believe is portraying to be someone else online than who they really are in person. The show "Catfish" on MTV is a perfect example of people impersonating someone that they are not. A lie like that will definitely create hurt and trust issues to the person that was lied to.

My advice for those who are looking to join or are already have joined social media, is to only have fun with it and don't take anything serious!

Social media is such a big part of our world today. Everywhere you go you see people on the Internet on their smartphones, tablets, or laptops.  Websites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have had such a major impact on our society. Social media has shown that it can have both positive and negative affects depending on how you use it. It’s important for students to remember that anything you put on the internet can be seen by anyone, even colleges and future employers.

Posting something that puts you in a negative light can have major consequences in the future. Students should always THINK before they post.  You should never post your personal information for others to get ahold of and create a dangerous situation.

Social media is a way for people to get better connected. It makes it easy for distant family and friends to keep in touch with one another. I believe social media can truly bring people together. When a major world event or something as simple as something going on in your community occurs you can always find someone on a social media site talking about what is going on. People exchange opinions, answer each other’s questions, and get a greater perspective on how others think. Social media is a great way to see how people around the world are thinking from right where you are. 

 My advice for students when using social media is simply that not everything belongs online. Once something goes viral people all over the world have access to it. Social media is becoming a little bit too personal. People are concerning themselves too much with their persona online as opposed to in the real world. Moreover, with these new location features people can access your exact location, which is not only unnecessary  but extremely dangerous. 

However, social media isn't all bad. It can allow important information or current event to spread to a massive amount of people quickly or rally up support for a cause or protest. It also can be a median for socially inept people to express their ideas and beliefs. It even brings people together  to a small extent. Whether it brings together people with similar interests or physically brings people together who have seen each other in years and wouldn't be able to communicate otherwise. Social media can be either positive or negative all depending on how it's utilized, so post cautiously. 

Social media has become basically the only way people tell each other about how they are doing and what they plan to do. It has become one of the most important things in people lives but I think students should be careful when they use social media because it can take up so much of your time. I think when a student uses social media they need to set a limit on how much time spent on it. They need to be focusing on their school work not on what's happening in other people's lives; school always comes first and anything interfering with it isn't good. The most crucial thing that about posting on social media is not to put too much information on your account because then everyone, even people you might not know will know a lot of personal things about you. I think people don't need to post every little thing about themselves on line because some things need to stay private and not floating around on the Internet.
         
A positive about social media is that you can easily find a person that you might have lost contact with. You might have a had a really good friend who moved away and then you find them and reconnect. It's good to keep relationships even ones from a long time ago. Social media can be the bridge that people can cross to reconnect. But a negative about social media is that once you put anything on your accounts it will always be around somewhere, even if you delete it. Everyone needs to be careful about what they post because once it's out there, there's no way to get it back. I always think before I post something, 'will it come back and haunt me in the future?' It might seem like you can do anything behind a computer screen but everything you do has an effect, so you always have to be careful.

I do think that social media can bring people together if everyone is respectful about other people's ideas. It can be positive if people don't bash other people because of what they post. Everyone can discuss what they find interesting and talk to others who have the same and even different view points. I also think that it can bring anyone together when people from all over the world have a chance to talk to each other without traveling long distances. It has made communication easier which everyone can appreciate, if it's used in a constructive way.

What advice would you give students regarding social media?

My advice for students regarding social media is that social media is NOT the place to be yourself, but the place to portray the person you want to be. Everyone knows that the average teenager completes a laundry list of thing they shouldn’t be doing. Those things should not go up on any social networks. Employers do background checks and things like that can be really damaging to your image, especially if you decided to run for office some day.

The most important advice I would give to students about social media is to be really careful about what you put up. No matter how private you can set your profile, it is really not that private. Government and professional people can look at your profile at any time.

Students, be also careful of how you speak and the pictures you put up on these social media sites. Do not put too much time into them because they can be time consuming. It can divert you from what is really important. But on the other hand, you can use your social media to network and connect with important business people. But keep in my mind, while you are networking that people you are connecting with are still looking at you on your social media page. So, I cannot express this too much Be careful on what you put up!

Social media does bring people together, especially by your statuses and what you post, that you all like similar things. It can be a tool for you to reach a loved one or a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while or even meet brand new people. However, it can also tear people apart. For example, cyber bullying, this person vs. this person photos, indirect statuses and other things. If you have beef with someone, do not post in on a social media site. It is better for you to work it out with the person, especially if it is something not worth being angry over.

In conclusion, please use your social media pages wisely because you never know who is watching. What you post can either build or tear down your reputation. 

 Social media has its pros and cons. Social networks are a good way to network, meet people, stay connected with family and friends, and find out about opportunities offered. If your social networks are set up properly, many good things can come from them. My advice would be to keep your social networks professional. Do not put out too much information such as personal things you wouldn’t want people such as your school teachers to know. 

The cons are that many people use them for wrong doings, cyber bullying is common on social networks and it’s a popular issue that can affect everyone negatively. Do not get involved in these online altercations, they can escalate to be more serious than you expect. If you’re going to put yourself out there for the world to see, make sure it is for a good purpose, advertise yourself positively. It can being people together if it is used correctly.

It is true that this world is all about networking. Networking with the right people will take you to places you never thought you could have gone to. These days, technology takes over and all the networkings are done by mostly social media. However, there are bad side effects to this, which can be terrible, even dangerous.

I think social media can be a great tool as long as it isn't used as a crutch. By that, I mean it can be really helpful as long as it doesn't become a replacement for real life conversations and interactions. Sites like Facebook and Twitter can be great ways to stay in contact with family and friends or to help you stay up-to-date with clubs and student organizations. However, as you have all probably experienced, they can also become time sinks and distractions. Just try to be aware of how much time you're spending on social media sites and you'll notice when things are getting out of control.

Social media can bring people together, but it can just as easily do the opposite. Actions like making statuses that could offend people might lead to others having a negative opinion of you. Of course, Facebook statuses exist to allow people to speak their mind but they should be used respectfully- the golden rule being, if you wouldn't say it in person, don't say it on the Internet.

Hello World! I will always have mixed views about social media.
On a personal level, I think that social media is a huge negative. It can promote unsocial behavior. With new features and games coming out that accompany social networking sites, there is little to no reason to go outside to chat and do things with friends when they can be done online. Furthermore, it can distract the user from doing something productive, like doing assignments. Also, employers tend to use social network profiles of job applicants to judge how he/she would act in a professional setting. 

On a societal level, social media has only one impact, and it is a very amazing one. Social media makes spreading very vital information, such as information about a crime, simple. I recall seeing a news station covering the numerous amount of twitter posts about some crime in NYC. 

Do I use social media? Yes, I have a Facebook account and I check it daily, but no more than twice a day. Any more than that feels like a waste of time to me. It's also important to refrain from posting anything immature on networking sites. Social media is a tool to promote yourself and connect with your friends and nothing more. 

Social media is a fun way to stay in contact with others even when you aren’t around the other people. In my opinion, social media is great. It can always make you laugh and keeps you in contact and updates others on what it is you may be doing. It’s a way to get your ideas out into the world at a small scale. If we didn’t have social media, we couldn’t even be writing this blog. The only problem with social media is when people begin to abuse it, abusing it by posting things that the world should not see. When you abuse social media it begins to take a toll on you. People may begin to laugh at you and know too much about your life which gives people a reason to talk about and your life.

Some ideas and pictures don’t belong on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Many people do not understand the thin line of private and acceptable. My only advice regarding social media is to keep it as classy as possible, no one wants to see nor hear about your wild night or your relationship problems. Also having privacy isn’t a bad thing, it makes you  more mysterious, it makes people wonder may be you’re busy with something else and don’t have time to talk to others, even if you’re just taking a break from the outside world and sitting on your couch. And the less information you put on the internet, the better, for a random employer in the future can’t pull up your teenage past.

Social media can easily bring people together, on the internet you can find people who have the same things in common with you that you thought no one else would. You can have the same sense of humor, same sense of style, or you can stay in contact with people in your school. Social media is a good way to have a fun time but also can escalate very quickly to a bad way to have a bad time.