Aye. Even though I've been generally not a fan of social media for a long time, especially with how I'd often seen it used, I've more recently become aware of certain benefits and advantages. Some more practical, others providing some useful incentive and encouragement for people to get out of their comfort zone and interact with the world a lot more.

Just as a small example, while I find selfies to be lame and narcissistic, seeing close friends taking photos and clips of their adventures provides me with a greater interest to go and seek out similar experiences. And it's not because I feel some sense of pressure or obligation, or because I'm trying to match up or compete. I simply feel inspired by what I see and want to enjoy some similar things.

There certainly are downsides of course, and I attribute a lot of this to how people sometimes choose to use or respond to the tools available. I think the trickiest part is the regular instant and on-hand access that smartphones provide, and how distracting and borderline habitual it can be to focus on that instead of putting it aside and enjoying your surroundings.

Aye. Even though I've been generally not a fan of social media for a long time, especially with how I'd often seen it used, I've more recently become aware of certain benefits and advantages. Some more practical, others providing some useful incentive and encouragement for people to get out of their comfort zone and interact with the world a lot more.

Just as a small example, while I find selfies to be lame and narcissistic, seeing close friends taking photos and clips of their adventures provides me with a greater interest to go and seek out similar experiences. And it's not because I feel some sense of pressure or obligation, or because I'm trying to match up or compete. I simply feel inspired by what I see and want to enjoy some similar things.