Social Media- Friend or Foe?

People of all demographics ranging from race, age, social status, economic status, and gender use social media either to reach out to friends or express themselves. The level of intrusiveness of a social media profile depends on the decisions of the person who is using it. From what I have noticed Facebook is used to connect with long lost family or friends. Twitter is used to vent in a 140 character limit. And Instagram is used to post a picture of a meal, or a picture of you and your friends at a party. All of that being said, I believe social media can only be intrusive if a person is sharing too much. What I mean by this is, since social media is being used by so many people you cannot just state it is intrusive across the board. A person’s social media page is being controlled by no one but themselves. If a person decides to post that they are currently on the toilet then yes, I would consider that intrusive. If a person is posting a selfie of themselves after a new haircut then no, totally not intrusive!
 
Speaking of decisions… there should always be a responsibility to using social media. The person has to decide whether or not their post will impact them in a positive or negative way. Should you make that picture of you funneling beers at a Bills tailgate your profile picture on Facebook, which links to your LinkedIn account? Probably not. Should you make the picture of you holding an award at a ceremony your profile picture? Great idea! My feeling towards responsibility of social media has definitely changed from when I first started using social media. I never cared what I posted and who was seeing it. Now I am more aware of the audience I have on social media and how I’m portraying myself.

I have an Instagram account that is dedicated to makeup, where I post pictures of different looks on myself as well as other people. This Instagram helped me start my freelance makeup business, "Makeup by Sama," and even got me hired at a popular local salon. They found me through this account and contacted me to start working for them. Previously I used to post makeup pictures on my private personal account until I decided to make a separate page for just makeup posts. That was probably the best decision I have ever made. This page allows me to express myself in a more creative way than my personal account.

I see social media gaining even more influence in the future. Personally, I plan to use Instagram and YouTube to further a career in in the beauty industry. I would like to work in public relations for a beauty company like Sephora or Ulta Beauty. I plan to use social media as a platform to show future employers that I am passionate about makeup and am knowledgeable about all sorts of products and brands.



Screenshot of my makeup page!