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Social Media Isn’t All Bad

It is very popular right now to see social media and digital communication as something altogether bad. Almost as if they were the tools of Satan. Well, that might be slightly exaggerated – or maybe not?! There is definitely a fight going on between good and evil, but why let the evil side win? Besides, we have a number of ways of communicating. Not every person is the same.

We read about the Facebook scandal, how companies steal our personal data, Big Brother Google can read our emails etc. All that is true and a real cause for concern, but I can’t stay silent when people say social media is all bad. No, it isn’t! It depends on what pages you like and what people you follow. It depends on how you use it.

Instagram Is A Small Heaven To Me

On Instagram I follow body activists Stina Wollter and notondietanymore. These two women are loving, tolerant, funny and brave. They have changed the way I feel about my body, and by dancing around in her underwear Stina has given me permission to do the same. Floppy boobs, belly and all!

“Celebrate your body now, soon you will be dead for a long long time.”

It’s not a true quote, but Stina Wollter has said something similar, and she is right. Sadly she has to deal with haters, men who send dic pics and call her a slut, and “well-meaning” people concerned about her weight and health. She still finds the strength to go on. We need this kind of resistance, feminism and activism today. Young children write to Stina to thank her for helping them accept their bodies. She saves lives!

Instagram means beauty, wonders and laughter for me – because of the people I follow.

Facebook Helps With Loneliness

I live alone in a foreign country, far away from my family, with only my cat for company. I chose it, yes, and I enjoy being alone most of the time. But some days, and nights, I too get lonely. When loneliness gets hold of me I don’t reach out to friends. I don’t call anybody. When it’s really bad I post something on Facebook, and within minutes somebody is there.

Why don’t I call a friend? Because I don’t want to be a nuisance. I don’t want to bother others with my problems. They are almost always the same anyway. People get fed up. “Move on”, they say, “I’ve heard it before”. I have even been told it was boring listening to the same s**t over and over again. What they don’t understand is, I don’t need them to solve my problems. I just need somebody to be there for me.

On Facebook people choose to write to me of their own free will. Of course I would prefer being with somebody IRL, but online there is always somebody there when I need them.

Not Everybody Loves Making Calls

What is this thing with phone calls anyway? Just because it is part of the “not liking social media, emailing and unsafe apps trend” everybody is supposed to love phone calls? No. I find them stressful – especially in German – and this country has the crappiest mobile reception ever!

Phone calls to me is like being blind and having a hearing aid that isn’t working half the time, but phone calls are the norm. Many people mean it’s the “proper” way of communication. Yes – to them!

It’s commonly believed that writing – emails or other digital messages – is bound to end up in misunderstandings. True, it happens. But misunderstandings happen over the phone as well, and in real life. It happens all the time. The best thing is being and talking with somebody face to face, but if a person doesn’t call you – send them an email. Maybe they just don’t like talking on the phone.

If you don’t like social media, look at what pages or people you follow, what posts and articles you read. You can make social media a positive zone. If you like. It’s your choice how you use it.