Facebook: Do you need to talk to someone?

Social media has given a voice to many who may find they cannot express theirs, under certain rules, circumstances or fear of repercussions.

These days the stigma of mental illness or suicide is slowly breaking down, where more people have begun to open up and talk about their experiences.

Specifically to open up online via, vlogs, blog or a Facebook post. Many societies  have been creating support pages on websites like Facebook to band together with those who are in the same boat and to discuss their shared experiences..
 
Connecting them to a community where one doesn’t feel so alone with what they must deal with.
Having a problem, especially when its effects ones mentality can be hard to discuss. The first step is admitting that you need help and for some, talking face to face about their problems can be challenging.

In a world where we are all connected to many resources 24/7, where a splinter of our lives is shared to the masses. where can you go when a problem occurs and you need to find right resources to get the help you may need?

In this blog I will discuss Facebook's new help feature, that offers services and support for suicide and self-harm and also prevention guidelines . Facebook is the  first website of its kind to offer a  "how to"  service that can help its users who are reaching a  crisis point in their lives.  I will also discuss what exactly this feature is and how can you use it to save yourself or someone else’s life.

In September of 2016 Facebook had launched with the Samaritans or Lifeline in the USA a feature in its help centre to help support and give advice to those who have seen any alarming posts or behaviour on Facebook in relation to self-harm or suicide , and it also offers help and support to the victims of this heart-breaking problem.

This was created with the hopes of helping lower the suicide and self-harm rates from its Facebook members, It relies on other members to help flag to Facebook's attention alarming posts from  friends family and other Facebook members that deem to be self destructive in nature , and quickly offers tips on what to do and to help support the person in need before it’s too late

Here is how it works :(The Mighty, 2016)

The Samaritans  director Deirdre Toner who teamed up with Facebook Ireland on this new feature states that :“This tool offers an opportunity for friends and Facebook to reach out to people who may be struggling and signpost them towards sources of support that they may not have otherwise considered, such as Samaritans" (Darcy, Irish Times, 2016)

Below is a video of the service available :

 It is plausible to say that social media has had a serious effect on life as we know it (cyber bullying a prime example), But when it comes to saving a life or helping a person, more social media sites should take a leaf from Facebook, step up and understand its users are still vulnerable people who also have days where they need little help and support but, may not know how find the help they need.

If you or anyone you know has been affected by the issues raised in this post, please use the information given in this blog or contact Samaritans on (Freephone) 116 123

Until Next Time Friends

Stay Mindful, Stay Caring,

Stay Social Media Minded xx

Sources:
The Mighty: Facebook and suicide prevention https://themighty.com/2016/04/facebook-creates-new-suicide-prevention-support-tool/

Video:

From Reporting to Supporting: Using Facebook to Support Someone in Suicidal Crisis:https://vimeo.com/160565004

Facebook  Suicide Prevention:  https://www.facebook.com/help/suicideprevention

 Irish Times: http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/facebook-launches-new-tools-to-help-prevent-suicide-1.2780238

The American Presidential Election: Did social media have an influence on the voting outcome?

Yes, Its is true Donald Trump has been voted in by the American people to become the next President of the United States.

Though many fear the outcome of what lies ahead for America (and the world) in the next four years, while others cheer for  a "fresh hand"  dipping into American politics, it does make you wonder how someone who spat unjustified prejudice and ludicrous ideas into the ears of a nation,well,  how he truly got to where he is today.

We all know the media has always had a strong hand in portraying the worlds biggest events, and when the digital age veered its head into the world, well the surge of news and current events entering the digital stream began to rise rapidly and hit many people, in many place all over the globe.

This is where the creation of civilian journalism was born, and also the rise of influential opinions creating and changing a mass of people’s attitudes and behaviours.

Many studies have been conducted on how influential powers & media messages can have an effect on individual power to make a decision. The results from a majority of the studies concluded that the media do not have a major strong hold on the minds of the many, and that we are not brainwashed by all messages that we receive. Well that in some cases is true.We like to think that we have a strong mind set and that we as free thinking humans are not easily manipulated by everything we are exposed to..

But what happens when you are repeatedly consciously and sub consciously exposed to the same theme of messages.  Even though you may not click into all the videos and stories you see about the election, and skim through many of the opinions and ideas from friends on this topic, you could not say that in some way, shape or form, that your opinion or idea of  a person/topic was not altered.

In this blog post I will research and discuss if social media could have had an influence in the voting outcome of the presidential election.

During the presidential campaign, American media was drowning in all things Trump and Hillary. This topic was so hot it began to seep over into international media. For a task in Public Relation we had to conduct a one month media monitoring log about a specific person or company, a fellow student had monitored Donald Trump and was swamped by Irish media covering Donald Trump.

It’s safe to say she did not want to hear his name again after the project.But with the enormous amount of media being published on trump , and our so called "trust" in  honest media, it’s not hard to believe that the media  can influence our opinions on person/topic to some extent.

In 2015 Scholars at the University of Hawaii conducted a study to see "How Millennials use social media to educate themselves about political issues and political candidates."(Kelsh,2015)

This students who conducted the study compared all opinions given from students who part took in the study who were told about two opposing political candidates. Some through social media websites like Facebook and some through other "traditional forms " of  informational sources.(Kelsh,2015).

The students in the study where aged 18-20 years old.

 The study found that :

• Millennials tend to accidentally encounter information on politics on and off line.

• "Millennials’ political opinions are influenced by online interactions and interactions that do not involve the Internet. Many of the college students in this study said their parents were their strongest influences".
• "College students who saw the political candidates’ Facebook pages were much more likely to base their opinions on Facebook community-based cues. These students read comments left on Facebook pages to gauge other people’s opinions of the candidates and also to see how candidates responded to and interacted with citizens". ( Results taken directly from Kelsh,2015)

The main findings in this study suggested that students based their own political opinions and the reputation of those political candidates on "user generated comments"(Kelsh,2015) found on the social media pages of those political candidates.it also suggest that " user-generated comments on social media can influence the reputations of political candidates in the eyes of potential Millennial voters. As political conversations often emerge spontaneously in non-political spaces … audiences will be affected by candidates"(kelsch,2015)

Taking the result from the study and general information gathered on the influences of social media in general, it can be possible to say that social media and the opinions of people who we hold a respect for, or who we hold as responsible adults tend to influence the opinions on who we believe we should vote for, it can also be said that we as millennial's are "stumbling" upon political information instead of purposely seeking it out, and this  sends out a worrying alarm. It could be a sign that more work should be done in helping millennial's gain interest in their future leaders and having a voice in the future of their country.

In summary it is in fact correct to say that social media does have a slight hand in forming opinions on political leaders, and voting. It could be fair to say that social media may have had a slight in hand in the presidential election outcome, this year, but further study maybe be required to fully prove this theory.

But don’t not worry friends, yes we love our social media, but we will not become zombies to our Facebook pages. The next time you feel your opinion forming on a topic or person that  social media whips up, stop for a second, and ask yourself why you feel this way. Rest assured i'm sure your answer is all your "own".

Until Next Time 

Stay Open Minded

Stay Social Media Minded

Sources:

Social Study : http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/social-media/facebook-millennial-politics-election

Brace Yourself  https://www.google.ie/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi6sunXut_QAhXDnRoKHeFtCY0QjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fimgflip.com%2Fi%2Fqjobc&psig=AFQjCNFCeUx2z1p1whSlN2xG0-pSBzvqwA&ust=1481109812167882

 Turns 18  https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQFR6Uzgp7DnzPK-j2Ep6K96BWmARZOCnCJXwtEGSTmpCo6zrFTNg

Relationships Online : Dating Dynamics and Catfishing problems

The modern day dating scene has changed a lot since the days when our parents were dating.
Back then if a man or woman spotted their potential partner, they would try and woo them with flirting, buying their interest a drink, or some cheesy some chat up line to make them laugh. You could say that behavior still exists today, It can also be said that the millennial generation and some of our predecessors are now finding their potential partners online.

Yes, internet dating has now surged in popularity since its birth many moons ago. According to the Irish Mirror “1 in every 10 people Irish people in Ireland have a tinder account".

 The stigma of online dating is changing, it used to be something that you would quietly tell your friends about fearing  that others  may judge or shame you for  having  met your partner online and not in a boozy bar. But low and behold this digital age it  has now become acceptable to date online, because of our hectic lifestyles and 24/7 work  schedules, it is now harder to find a partner than it was a mere 10 years ago,

But with every good idea created, there’s always a select few that will gladly rain on your parade.

With online dating,we are always led to believe that the person we are talking to are themselves, and that they are truthful and honest with us, But in reality, this is not always the case.

I mean, you can't love your six pack that much, that it's the only image on your profile.  *alarm bells anyone*.

 What is catfishing or a catfish?

Let me introduce you to the concept of Catfishing. A Catfish is defined by urban dictionary as “someone who pretends to be someone they're not using Facebook or other social media to create false identities, particularly to pursue deceptive online romances".

So when you meet that special someone online who becomes your  romantic interest, and you willfully enter into a relationship with them,your officially an item right ? Technically yes, but only online.

The warning sign that many of us ignore is that fact that you never actually have met this person, and when the time finally comes to meet (after plenty of hesitation on their part), they turn out to be someone completely different.(que the sound of shattered dreams)  This outrageous phenomenon  is catfishing and unfortunately since the creation of Facebook and dating websites  this trend  is on the rise.

99.9 % of  our current millennial's  were raised on online safety lectures, yet we still fall so easily to becoming victim of this deception. Especially when one becomes serious about their catfish.Why is this done I hear you ask, well some do it for attention and others catfish for fun, a twisted sense of humour you could say.


It’s important to note, that nowadays anyone can set up a Facebook page and copy images from another users profile and then create their own . It has become so easy to become a catfish that many people do it, some with low self-esteems use this catfishing as way to be themselves behind the mask of another person’s face. To the catfisher this maybe a  genuine reason why-they do it, but its still deception and just plain wrong

Social media has become a hot bed for this deception, while others genuinely use this service to find love, others may choose to use an official dating website, this can help reduce your  chances of becoming a catfish target.Although  there are many dating services out there, not many are free like Facebook, so for the low income singleton, Facebook would be the place to start their search for a partner.

How do we overcome this Catfish Phenomenon?

It can be said that our generation, hide behind our social media accounts, only showing the best of who were are to everyone else, (You can say this is also how we act in the early stages of a relationship)  but adopting the methods of the generation before us,of using face to face contact is still an effective way of scoping out the real from the fake and finding someone compatible for ourselves.
 You could also use both approaches, by meeting someone face to face then getting to know them through Facebook, a guaranteed way to know that your romantic interest is in fact who they say they are.

The world is changing daily, our relationship and lifestyle dynamic is changing rapidly. The only thing you can do to keep ahead of the game is to think savvy, live your life on and off the social media train, enjoy the fruits of technology but also level your life with the real world outside the 20 inch monitor staring back at you.

So friends I will leave you with a simple quote to which I hope will help in your future romantic and social media endeavor's “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is”



Until Next Time Friends,
Stay Savvy, Stay Ahead,
Stay Social Media Minded.


 Sources:

Online dating sstatistics from The Irish Mirror posted 21 May  2015  http://www.irishmirror.ie/lifestyle/sex-relationships/new-stats-reveal-one-10-5737754

Catfish definition :  http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=catfish

Catfish Image https://www.google.ie/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.mtvnn.com%2F277ac21e23516408b4902758f49c60b9%2F630x354_%3Ffallback_id%3D2edca9f206f1010355e380e7793b93d4&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mtv.be%2Fshows%2F1530-catfish-the-tv-show&docid=6sjYrJPVCyqrmM&tbnid=wd2KMAf_5g-rHM%3A&vet=1&w=630&h=354&client=firefox-b-ab&bih=733&biw=1440&ved=0ahUKEwjgg5SAo7zQAhXrD8AKHZHWARQQMwgtKAEwAQ&iact=mrc&uact=8

I don’t always Image  https://www.google.ie/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fbirdiesboys.files.wordpress.com%2F2014%2F03%2Fresized_the-most-interesting-man-in-the-world-meme-generator-i-don-t-always-do-online-dating-but-when-i-do-i-make-sure-that-they-are-real-ee8c9d.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fbirdiesboys.wordpress.com%2Ftag%2Fdating-meme%2F&docid=y2QbvIG7qnD6EM&tbnid=KPkBMm3a5omjmM%3A&vet=1&w=638&h=800&client=firefox-b-ab&bih=733&biw=1440&ved=0ahUKEwiUweSwo7zQAhVsJcAKHdjxA4UQMwglKAkwCQ&iact=mrc&uact=8

 Relationship Online Image https://www.google.ie/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj_o5DT47zQAhULLcAKHTPdBLcQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fla-tanya-williams%2Ffall-in-love-with-hootsui_b_6654610.html&psig=AFQjCNGWDaS3Ychd2JI2FYuUSywe00zmmg&ust=1479918352849839