As all of us must know: the advent of internet has brought us many wonderful things, and one of those happens to be the social networks. Those virtual communities allow us to connect to people from everywhere, in lots of ways. A tool to learn new things, new cultures, new people; to create discussions about the most diverse topics.  Those first memories we have, are from those chat ‘programs’, not yet called apps back there, those were most used in computers, as the old MSN pal. Also, a small number of forums, but they felt a bit more exclusive.

 

Then technology evolved and the world has changed, new social networks began to pop up. It is not only about chatting anymore. We entered the posting era, in which you can leave your thoughts, e.g., for anyone to see it in the whole world.  Or you could join more restricted communities e.g., Orkut communities where you could share your dislike about waking up early or about never, and I mean never, letting your slippers upside down or even about that band you are nowadays ashamed of listening to. There are Facebook groups now; They are a 2.0 version of Orkut communities.

 

All that said, the social Networks main function is that of connecting people, letting them interchange experiences, impressions, world visions, works, artwork, etc. We have the most diverse social Networks at present; it goes from music streaming to a platform where we can only use a small number of characters. We got Linked.in, that allow people to apply for jobs. We also have Instagram, a place where we can post pictures and small texts, besides small “stories”. Moreover, we probably have much more to come.

 

Anyway, it is not all roses. This connectivity turns everyone in a potential trendsetter and there are a lot of unprepared people being opinion makers on the more diverse subjects. We have Quantum coaches and scientific theories that have been ruled out by an unprepared president discourse that was spread all over those networks through those opinion makers, and much, unfortunately, much more. Also, it is quite hard nowadays to filtrate useful information in this flood of news which we have in lots of platforms. And the major role that social Medias have been playing as a fountain of knowledge, well… Dubious knowledge, to say the least.

 

Social networks have given place to all kinds of people, the bad ones, the crazy ones, as we all know. So, we need to be aware of it when we decide to be part of one of those social networks. They also can be not a truly kind place even when showing how great life is:

 

“Most of us had the chance to know and to use Instagram. This social Network specifically can be a problem to a lot of people, because it shows only the best part of people lives. Then, there is you lying in your bed, all work accumulated, with bills to pay, dirty hair and there's that 20-year-old girl, showing up how perfect her skins look, how amazing her trip to Maldives is going... We can get a little depressed. But I’ve learned not to be so depressed about it as the time goes by. So, I use Instagram to look up to those amazing trips, to those amazing looks that the fashion girls put into this social network (that I'll never have the money to buy). And I take advantage of it, because I'm getting to know those places a little bit too. Oh, and they have a lot of talented people that show their art. So many beautiful photographs, so many cool videos, artistic expressions in general... So, I use Instagram to get inspired too”, said Luana about her experience with it.

 

It may sound a bit cliché, but, as many things in life, we should keep a good balance. Social Networks are a wonderful feature, and it is not going anywhere soon. It is a big part of most people lives and play undeniable role in the present culture development. We must be aware of its risks, but we cannot avoid it.