Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Twitter, Facebook are bad for your self-esteem, survey finds


Anxiety UK, a British charity that is dedicated to relieving anxiety of people, surveyed 298 Britons regarding how social media affects peoples’ behaviors. 53% of the respondents believed that social networks and media somehow affect their moods. Moreover, 51% said that they felt bad after spending time in social media. Specifically, the negative moods of the 51% were due to “a need to compare themselves to others, and a sense of feeling addicted to the constant updates provided by social media.”


The survey result from Anxiety UK could be biased due to small sample size and the charity’s characteristic, which focuses on relieving anxiety of people. Yet, I agree that social media makes online-users to compare themselves with others in their social networks. Also, social media provides prompt updates of news, even in real time! Conversely, the negative effects of the social media could be turned into unlimited opportunities for digital marketers. If your product or service is competitive, social media is the perfect place. By appropriately utilizing the power of social media - speed and visibility – the marketers can maximize sales. This is why many global companies, such as Samsung or Apple, are into social media. Therefore, I believe that social media is not bad at all, at least in marketing perspective.

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