Category: Blog Organizations: Linking Through Lenses , New Social Initiative Tags: #MEDIA #YOUTH
Forty-two percent of the world's population, or 3.2 billion people, use social networks, according to the latest data for 2021, available on the Internet. At the top of the list of the most popular are Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. In recent years, TikTok has joined the „sovereign trio“. Pinterest, Snapchat, Youtube, as well as correspondence applications such as WhatsApp and Viber are not lagging behind. Can we, today, imagine life without social networks and the Internet? Are we overdoing it? What do experts say? How do social networks affect our personality? What do influencers say?
The role of social networks
We talked about these several topics with influencers - Marija Orović, Granit Temaj, Erna Salihu, and Ivana Pavlović.
Social networks are an important part of our lives and should not be underestimated, Marija Orović believes:
"They have greatly facilitated communication, but also set new rules in marketing and business”.
"Access to social networks that are unlimited and comprehensive provides opportunities for people who have common interests to find each other, whether in business or social relations. Therefore, social networks have deeply rooted the human need to belong," Erna Salihu believes.
"If you're not on social media, you don't exist," Granit Temaj said.
"Effective tool of nowadays", that’s how Ivana Pavlović sees social networks:
"Just as it used to be print or digital media such as radio and television. Everyone greeted them with fear, every of them brought some change and everyone finally understood them as an inevitability in the overall development of society. "
Our interlocutors use social networks for identical purposes. Promotion of what they do, their hobbies,interests..
Travel
Ivana Pavlović (@ratomirovna) is most active on Instagram.
"I created a profile because I wanted to share the photos I took traveling. I imagined it as a little travel diary. As all the networks developed, I began to realize that the point was no longer just in sharing, but in some kind of sales - talent, products, stories, and even ‘fog’. At the moment, I use my social profiles as a kind of blog about traveling or living in different places,” she explains.
Dance
"I try to use social media to promote what I can help with, keep up to date with current business developments and stay in touch with my friends and relevant individuals who provide personal and professional development," adds Erna Salihu - founder, and CEO of JOY Dance and Sports Association.
Mountains
"The main purpose why I use social networks is to share my life story, what I do and how I spent weekends in the mountains. My goal is to share the beautiful places of Kosovo, hiking trails, and local companies that are in the mountains," says Granit Temaj (@granit.temaj on Instagram).
Marija Orović runs a travel and lifestyle blog as well as an Instagram blog under the name @maxytravelette.
"I use social networks to promote the brand that I developed. I am also very active in creating video content on the Youtube platform. I make travel videos and share my impressions of a place, prices, and similar things. Then there is the lifestyle aspect - everything from advising on beauty and cosmetics to decorating the home and everyday life. Although I still consider it all a hobby, it is indisputable that I am slowly but surely developing my brand on the Internet," explains Orović.
Advantages from the angle of the influencer
One of the main topics in discussion about social networks is certainly their influence. There are many benefits.
With the help of social media, marketing companies can pinpoint target groups, small businesses that have social networks and know how to use them to gain customers have the same direction - they can develop their brand, reach more people, expand their influence.
Social networks "connect" people, allow us to share our stories, expertise, talk about what we know and what we want to be known for while attracting potential professional and personal connections - our interlocutors agree.
"It has never been so easy to create an active and functional project from a simple idea. Start your own business, brand, share your idea, inform people about the most ordinary or unusual things and gather a group around your story. At the same time, as more and more people join social networks, selling or presenting something of their own, the competition is greater, so that availability is already narrowing. But it still exists. Social media have enabled the survival and development of even the smallest and most distant man on the planet, and I consider that to be their great advantage," adds Ivana Pavlović.
The role of social networks in creating positive changes in society
What is certain is that the influence of social networks is strong and can be the key driver for social change. We are witnesses that we came across a lot of information, especially during the pandemic - when we moved to virtual reality. Virtual exhibitions, events, meetings - suddenly what we needed for several hours of travel, money was available in one place – online.
Social networks and their potential impact on positive changes in society were also the topics of the “My turn to influence” panel recently organized by the New Social Initiative (NSI) as part of the Linking Through Lenses project.
Television presenter Ana Rustemi, social media expert Mateja Simić, and Halakatte.com founder Valon Canhasi took part.
Ana Rustemi is followed on Instagram by more than 40,000 followers. She believes that her influence is caused by people who follow her.
You have to be active, do different things, share experiences. You have to be you – she pointed out to young people who would like to follow in her footsteps, referring to the fact that she started her career as a blogger.
Social networks have contributed to the democratization of society, said Canhasi:
"Everyone can say what they think about a certain topic."
What has an impact is the evidence of examples of coexistence and cooperation on social networks - he believes, citing as an example the training he held in North Mitrovica in Serbian and posted pictures of it on social networks.
We need to find a common ground and common interests - advises Valon, adding:
"The Internet has allowed us to see the world and understand that the added value is to work with each other, sell a product and start a business or activity."
Matija Simić believes that as a society we are moving in the right direction when it comes to cooperation.
Naturally, there is an interaction between the Serbian and Albanian communities. When you remove national barriers when it is not taboo to sit with someone from another ethnic community, it is a natural process to create common, not only interests but friendships, he concludes.
You can see the whole panel
Defects from the angle of the influencer
That, however, is one side of the coin. The other is less visible but influential. The virtual world is becoming more important to people than the real one. Hate speech, spreading misinformation, polarization, invasion of privacy, Internet violence ...
"We should not forget the trolls, who with their derogatory comments can destroy someone's self-confidence, and even lead to depression or something worse. For me, as a parent, the negative aspect of social media is one of the main concerns in raising a child. I think that the laws lag behind the development of social networks and that we should work on that," adds Marija Orović.
"It is very clear and practical to work on the popularity of your profile if your goal is to earn money by selling your services, whatever they are, but burdening yourself with the number of followers, just for the sake of satisfaction with that number is detrimental to one person's health and energy. Unfortunately, this is a common cause, which leads us to the relativization of values, because in the battle for a large number of followers, people resort to immoral means and I am afraid that in a few generations they can create a standard, which I do not like at all," adds Ivana Pavlović.
From the psychologist's point of view: The imposed system of values and the feeling of shame and frustration
Another part of the negative impact is certainly the dependence on social networks, but also the impact of social networks on our mental health.
Psychologist Marina Jakovljević points out that the negative impact of social networks depends on several factors - age of users, mental maturity, stability, temperament, life circumstances, as well as which social networks we use and in what way, which content we choose to follow and how much importance we attach to them.
"Social networks will certainly have a greater impact on the younger population than on the older ones, given that this is a period when young people are still fighting for their place under the sun and their identity, and often base their value on acceptance by peer groups both real and imaginary. In the developmental period of adolescence, the opinion and judgment of peers have a much greater impact on the person than the family itself," explains Jakovljević.
The problem arises when a person's value is "directly connected" with the number of likes, positive comments, or the number of virtual friends, according to the principle "the more likes - the more we are worth and vice versa", she adds.
Moments of happiness, pleasure, success is the most common content that is shared on social networks, as well as images with filters that actually represent an unreal image.
"When we experience this kind of content as something that is every day and normal, where everything that deviates from perfection is not acceptable, all this can further cause frustration and a feeling of personal dissatisfaction and inadequacy, but also pressure to be more beautiful, successful, happier, richer,” she states, adding:
"The imposed value system gives a person a sense of shame and frustration if some aspect of life is not as great and perfect as 'friends' on social media."
Jakovljevic also states that social networks have influenced the increased isolation of people, although, paradoxically, they were formed to improve social networks among people.
Proper use of social networks and a realistic view of the bigger picture are the solutions to the potential dangers posed by social networks - she believes:
"What is certain is that we must certainly not allow this type of communication with people to be dominant and to neglect personal contacts through which we will develop all healthy, deep, and quality emotions such as empathy, love, happiness. A quality and rich social network is a huge strength of an individual that affects psychological well-being and quality of life. It is a force that will provide us with quality support and a base in the most difficult moments of life to get out of it and to overcome it”.
From personal example
Let's go back to the influencers. At least those with whom we spoke point out the dangers of social networks. They point out that social networks are everywhere, and the telephone is an indispensable part of us. It is up to us to limit their use so that they are not more important to us than those essential things – they highlight.
Balance is the key to everything - adds Marija Orović:
"If we don't allow social networks to manage our lives and we leave time for important things in life, then I think that's fine. Social networks are there, whether we like them or not, and it is up to us whether we will positively use them to our advantage. Although I consider myself an ‘addict’, I do not neglect socializing, time with family, work".
Whether social media is a window to the world or an escape from boredom. We choose how we use them, as well as everything else in life - adds Ivana Pavlović:
"One should be careful and be aware of the purpose of their use, as soon as it is not there, then it is of no use to us. My favorite saying is ‘do something, don't let the devil do it for you’, believing that if you're just wasting your time on social media, you'll lose it, and you'll find a way to waste it along the way, and there are certainly more useful things to do. Laziness is the best friend of social media, and their content is inexhaustible and suitable to keep us nailed to the screen“.
