Social Media, I forget the world wasn't always like this 

Social Media is utterly complex and dynamic. Here's one phenomenon that tears lives apart at the time brings people together, that both disgusts and intrigues us, informational yet arbitrary and stupid. Social media is such a conflicting presence. It's absolutely evil but ingenious and all too transformative / powerful to abandon it now. It is truly remarkable. However, it's the people and corporations -- our societal and cultural values as a whole-- that harnesses these contradictory capabilities, creating the dichotomy we see within the realm of social media today. Users and makers, consumers and corporations, are the controllers; we the consumers, and them the corporations, rely on supply and demand. If we demand, markets listen, society shifts. So while we may be technically in control, we still lack all self-control in this situation. We indulge in platforms and propaganda, adhering to the rules set before us… look like this, buy that, be this, do that… it's all so demanding and pressuring. Some say to have a big online presence, some say don’t, some say that business like that stuff, some say business hate it, no one's to trust and everything is uncertain. Social media certainly doesn't help to clear things up for us. Yet, we are ever so reliant on it. In fact, we've capitalized and utilized it for transformation, revolution, opportunity, entrepreneurship, anything imaginable between stupid and spectacular. So despite its evils, and there are many (privacy, censorship, false news, misinformation, dangerous online groups, etc.) we can't turn our backs on social media, we can only reinvent and push it through phases of transformation and adaptation. 

Personally, I maintain an active online presence. I was born in the era of cell phones and Instagram, it's second nature to me. I use social media primarily to easily access / connect to various resources and information pertaining to my interests (mainly career and academic wise) as to stay up to date with all things revolving in my world. I'll never be the last to know. These accounts are always kept private. I try to keep my personal content at surface level. I don’t post anything private or personal. I'll repost a lot of material (things I think are neat and unique) but I'll never divulge anything past that (except for the occasional advocating rant… just in case anyone is actually reading). I'm aware of outward perception and I never want quick glances and judgements to be anything other than typical and ~wholesome~ in other words. It took me a while to fully develop my online presence and know how I want to act and be perceived as. It took a good amount of trial and error to figure out not only my online identity, but my content curation and activeness in general. Now, I'm satisfied with how I use and consume social media, never finding it hard to go on content binges or unplugging for a few months depending. Needless to say, I can put down the phone if need be. Before this however, as a younger person growing up in such a social media heavy era, I messed up and made stupid mistakes (thankfully none that were life-altering). But more importantly, I saw others make even worse mistakes, which in turn, prompted me to be aware of all the dangers + powers associated with such an all encompassing phenomenon. I started conscious practice on my awareness of social media use and its impact. It must have been interesting enough to make me want to pursue a career in media and popular culture, so I can thank it in part for that.   

The bottom line is, teaching kids and adults, literally anyone in general, any semblance of media literacy and precautions, is truly beneficial. There's a need for more open discussion on the impact of social media and how polarizing it can be; this starts with the individual responsibility of consumers / users and accountability, then amendment, from corporations who exploit these consumers. All said and done, social media is useful if you want it to be and damaging when you allow it to be. We all need to think of our impact to society and our relationship with companies, conducting our lives from there. And remember, don't ever advertise if you have something to lose; the less anyone knows about you, the better, because only a few people actually deserve to know you… and that goes for everyone really (in my opinion at least).