There is a lot of stigma on social media being unhealthy platforms to spend time on, however, social media has come a long way and it is safe to say that the many platforms have become somewhat of a safe space for most of our society, especially the younger generation. Before this, you were only expected to post about the highlights of your life, the good times and times that were just “pleasant” to look at. Posting about sensitive content would often receive backlash in return. You had to fit beauty standards or social constructs, if you didn’t, it’s as if you committed a crime. These were the times where people who were deemed perfect by society were praised and people who weren’t perfect were trying everything in their power to be perfect, as per society deemed. However, times have changed.
There are lots of advantages to mobile applications. Social media platforms provide a wide array of things to explore or experience too. On Youtube, you could stream an endless list of videos you like or create your own content. A little bit similar to TikTok however, videos on TikTok are limited to only in the span of one minute. On platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, you can communicate with people, post daily photos or videos, or simply talk about your day in a post.
Speaking of talking about your day, nowadays, it’s a common thing to talk about your day and release any pent up emotions throughout your day, be it things that happened from work or school or during online classes. Either for a following that you’ve gathered or just for your own satisfaction. The plus side is that society isn’t finding it pointless anymore. It’s like sharing a story with a best friend, it’s sort of calming in a sort of way. People are more open with talking about sensitive or taboo topics now which is really helpful for a lot of people. People are also starting to be comfortable with opening up about their insecurities and supporting each other even more than before instead of keeping in check with what society deemed perfect.
Another way how social media platforms are breaking the stigmas related to mental health is by providing platforms for people who have been silenced for whatever reason. Be the reason being they were scared or they were embarrassed, they are completely entitled to feel how they feel. But nowadays, people have been coming out with their traumatic experiences, sharing either to help educate people or to find people who have experienced something similar. This is usually done to either seek comfort, advice or to simply be heard. And because one person had the courage and decided to post about it, a lot of other people follow in their footsteps and come out with their experiences as well. These traumatic experiences like being a victim of rape or sexual assault are very hard to share with people since it’s very personal and there’s a possibility that people will try to twist your story and pin it on you, commonly called victim-blaming. However, it’s beautiful to see that people are starting to have the courage to do so.
Social media platforms have come a long way to finally become a safe space for people to voice out different opinions, share experiences and post content. Content creators can even get a Best Social Media Awards Malaysia. In the end, social media platforms have helped a lot of people.