Social Learning by Marisol

Social Learning by Marisol - March 2022 Scholarship Essay

To everything, there are good and bad aspects. Social media for example has helped further people’s careers but has also ruined people’s relationships with others and even themselves. Social media has also awakened a spur in sharing life’s experiences, challenges, joyous moments, and knowledge. From Tiktok videos showing me how to bake an apple pie with a perfectly crispy crust to a youtube video from “The Organic Chemistry Tutor” helping me understand Calculus concepts that in class I can’t wrap my head around, to Instagram's posts making me feel insecure but also hopeful to change my lifestyle for the better, social media has allowed me to reflect on myself - both positive and negative. From all the encounters I have experienced with social media, I have fostered a positive growth mindset that is open to experiencing the new and gaining knowledge to use to better my life and my community.

With social media, I can have fun and relax yet still learn. I watch cooking videos, history videos, and geography videos on TikTok, Instagram Reels to give me great insider tips on coupons and websites to buy sticker collections, and through different math youtube channels, I increase my knowledge on math.

Social media has also helped me increase my knowledge on business topics and know the fundamentals of taxes, investments, and budgets. Through learning about business on youtube videos, I also can’t forget the basics about business which are communication and networking. Social media has played a huge role in helping me connect with people that I meet and stay in contact with them.

So although social media helps the world share information and stay interconnected, it can also be detrimental to mental health. With all the growing competitiveness in the world, social media makes it worse by displaying dreams and ideal lives of successful people which in retrospect is most likely just a show for the camera. Social media paints unrealistic standards on body images, ideal lives, and career aspirations which can make generations feel incompetent and lead them to develop a negative mindset.

With this in mind, social media is a growing force that although can change people’s lives for the better can end up taking smiles away. Social media has given knowledge to the world that allows people to stay connected, learn a new thing each day, and contribute to the world of innovation. All in all, social media in itself is negative and positive learning lessons which is what education is all about.