Communication has become much more prevalent for people all over the world. People’s lives, information, and connections are easily laid out on an accessible page on the internet. According to the January 2019 We Are Social report, 3.484 billion people actively use social media. How might this affect the way you act around others? How might this affect the way you act around yourself?
Social media is filled with “influencers”. Rising platforms such as TikTok make up 800 million people all around the world, and many of them are grouped between the ages 16–24 (Oberlo, 2020). Many aspects of our lives such as style, preference, and hobbies stem from the content that is produced on those platforms. Although psychologically, it may seem that we have a firm grasp over our actions and identities, many fail to realize that many characteristics of our identities are influenced strongly by those around us.
Using the lesson titled: “Types of Influencers” by Mindsage allows students of differing ages to understand the impact their surroundings may have on them. Knowing the different influencer types allows us to become more aware of how we let others affect us. When approaching social media, it’s important to utilize a filter. There are certain facets that may negatively affect your identity, but that doesn’t exclude the content that is positive. Social media often makes its users become followers, but it’s encouraged to take the form of a neutralizer in order to ensure that the content doesn’t change how you act in a negative way.
-Emmari Pureza, MindSage Intern
