6 Benefits of Social Media and How to Harness its Value.

Thanks to the internet the world is now a global village and the need for us to stay connected is greater than ever. The use of social media becomes very instrumental in us becoming productive global citizens. Indeed social media is a powerful tool when used judiciously.

For some people,  using social media has been more of a bad than good and there is some degree of negativity attached to its use. We hear expressions like social media is toxic, it’s time-consuming and fool of fake people.

Yes, most of these concerns are true and valid nevertheless, if used optimally social media being it Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Tiktok, Pinterest, and the others can deliver enormous value to its users. The truth of it is that “social media is a gold mine of opportunities and it is our responsibility to harness its value”.

There are countless examples of people who testify of how they landed major clients,  got their dream jobs, and made meaningful networks through social media. For example, Ara Effect a creative (graphic) designer who landed a client from another country through Facebook for whom he designed a logo.

  Additionally, in this era of influencer marketing, a significant number of people are becoming influencers and building up careers from it.

Thus, there are still positives to the use of social media, it just depends on the individual using it.

  For most of us, we use social media because of the fun part. I am no exception, it was until recently when I discovered that there are other benefits that I can get from the use of social media.

This article, therefore, aims at sharing with you some of the benefits from the use of social media other than for the adrenaline surge that we may be overlooking.

And to also challenge you to start exploring some of these beneficial dimensions of social media as an individual and a business entity. I want to challenge your mindset about social media and encourage you to be positive about its use and harness its value if you’re not already doing that.

Below are 6 benefits of using social media and how to harness its value.

1. Social Media Exposes Us to Opportunities: Social media helps in leveling the playing field between the haves and the have nots. It exposes us to myriads of opportunities that transcend our ethnicities, countries, and even continents. For example, you get to see job openings, scholarship opportunities, conferences, and workshops in your area of expertise, LinkedIn was particularly created for this.  I’m sure most of us are already aware of people who got sponsors and some form of exposure to financial assistance because their videos went viral. So the next time you are searching for an opportunity don’t hesitate to join groups and pages that specialize in what you are looking for or direct message (DM) people you think can be of help, because you never know where your helper will come from.

2. Educates Yourself: Social media platforms can be educative if we allow them to instead of focusing on only the entertainment, the glitz, and glamor part of it. You can follow thought leaders in your field and get to learn from them. You get to learn about current trends and how best you equip yourself to be relevant to humanity and in your area of expertise. You get to also know the different perspectives people have on topical issues.

3. We have Access to Renowned Personalities that otherwise would not be Possible: Through social media, we get to connect with our mentors and idols. The people we look up to, the ones that inspire us to take action, and the ones we model our lives after. As Issac Newton said we rise by standing on the shoulders of giants. Social media platforms provide us with a large pool of giants that we can learn from. Is it politics, academia, entertainment, sports, science, and technology you name it you can connect with thought leaders just with a click. As at now, you don’t have to search too much because the algorithms of, for example, Facebook make suggestions of experts and celebrities you would like to follow.

4. Connects you with Like-Minded People: Social media afford its users the opportunity to connect with like-minded people and form a formidable support system. One beautiful thing about these platforms is that you get varied perspectives on a particular topic, which shapes your thinking. You get to proof check your ideas and any time you have doubts you get a pool of “expert” advice at no cost. From this tribe of friends, we can form strategic partnerships and even start up a business or a revolution or a worthy cause. Personally with a degree in economics and having an interest in the issues of economics I have followed authorities in my field like Jeffery Sachs, Joseph Stiglitz,  Dambisa Moyo among others, I have also joined groups, and followed economics pages where I get to refine my thoughts.

5. Helps to Amplify your Voice: Social media is a platform where you can share your thoughts, what you know and what you want to be known for. It’s the place where the world gets to hear your voice. Hence it is expedient we put in some effort in creating the contents we post on social media. We not only receive and we also get to give to others through our posts and other avenues like your youtube videos and blog post. Social media affords us the opportunity to engage thousands of people at the same time. And the live feature makes things even more interesting, you get to actually get your ideas and messages across with much clarity and engage with your audience at an individual level.  You can also explore the option of becoming a  social media influencer and a number of influencers seem to be making a living from it.

6. Helps you to Stay Connected: The bonus benefit we all get to enjoy from social media is that it helps us to stay connected with our family and friends regardless of the distance. Humans will always remain as social animals irrespective of how independent we become. Through social media platforms, we can remain connected with friends as far back as friends from grade school days. So take out time and decide to make the most out of your social media accounts.

Conclusion

Social media can deliver these and many other benefits provided you use it well. So if you are not deriving all of the above benefits mentioned from its use, this is the time to start to squeeze out some of these juicy benefits. Start by uploading a nice and presentable profile picture.

Write an authentic and appealing bio of yourself, that’s what you do and who you are. Thirdly, put an effort into writing good posts; before you write a post think through it thoroughly before uploading.

Lastly,  start and participate in discussions in the groups you join, because that is the only way you get your presence recognized.   You can also check my Facebook profile Barbara Zelu (profile picture, bio, and posts) to get an idea of what I am talking about.

Below are some social media pages and groups you should consider joining or checking out.

• Opportunity Desk – For Scholarship, jobs, grants, conferences and other opportunities,
• INOMICS – For young economists, particularly in search Masters or Ph.D. in Economics Scholarships, research grants, conferences, and many more economics-related opportunities.
• Success is Deliberate – Its a group for youngsters passionate about success and financial independence.
• Tell it Moms – For mothers and potential mothers to support each other to gain insight on parenting, relationship, and life in general by sharing real-life experiences.
• Tell it All – Relationship Related Issues for both men and women.
• Netflix Recommendations – For movie recommendations and other entertainment suggestions.

 I hope you found this article helpful. Kindly, like, comment and share.

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