Abstract

Social media platforms play a powerful role in influencing, educating, and inspiring many users in developing new skills through online communities. Still today, social media continues to receive harsh scrutiny from the public eye, nit-picking its negative impacts on society. However, social media has many positive contributing factors such as the introduction and exposure of many online communities which allows many users to gain a sense of belonging. These online platforms and communities enable and encourage many users to master new skills independently and break barriers to access without the need for premium spending through the support of online communities. This paper highlights and explores the positive attributes of social media and how it can be manipulated to be a valuable asset for both personal and professional growth. This paper showcases how social media platforms promote the development of skills through the formation and guidance of communities.

Introduction

Social media platforms such as Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and YouTube have had such a significant influence on many of its users. Whilst it is publicly known that there are negative aspects that social media can bring, it is also an interactive platform that provides educational interests to many of its users. These platforms bring inspiration and educative media from crafting to cooking, fitness to fashion, music to learning how to take care of babies. These platforms have emerged as creativity and educational platforms enabling its users to gain inspiration, self-learn new skills as part of self-development and growth, join communities, and provide accessibility to many users. The world continues to evolve and advance in technology, leading to everything surrounding social media. A large part of peoples’ lives revolves around the use of social media, utilizing it as a platform to discover the latest news on these platforms, watch creative content, or develop new skills (Appel et al., 2020).

Fostering Skill Development

Social media provides a platform that fosters creativity and skill development in conjunction to staying connected and communicating with friends and family. Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and YouTube have a strong ability to influence its users to start new hobbies and learn new things beyond being just a communication instrument. Many users utilize social media platforms to escape reality and get sucked in with the infinite scroll feature which was ultimately designed to keep users engaged. This keeps users engaged through a never-ending scroll that can go on for hours leading to addiction, being unproductive, procrastination, and can take a toll on one’s mental health (Chuck, 2024). Many users have come to realization of how damaging social media can become for them and have taken the opportunity to encourage themselves and many other users to take advantage of the technologies of social media through utilizing it with the purpose of mastering a new skill (Fuller, 2015). These platforms also offer enhanced learning opportunities that many take for granted. There are many TikTok content creators that shares their learnings regarding new hobbies whilst teaching their followers something new in each clip. Many users have taken on multiple hobbies such as knitting, crocheting, sewing, cooking, and many more hobbies and have found that TikTok has been very effective in developing self-growth. There are many different types of content creators that specializes in their talents or hobbies providing a range of things for users to learn from. Well known TikTok and Instagram content creator My Nguyen @myhealthydish is a passionate content food creator that shares her cooking journey and her passions for healthy cooking to her followers. She has a large following base where she shares her take on healthy recipes with her followers and try out viral food trends on TikTok (natfluence, 2019). My Nguyen attracted a large following on TikTok in just four months by sharing photos of her meals she made for her family through Instagram. Today, she has over 4.7 million followers on TikTok where she shares her recipes kindly to her followers. Many of her users are grateful to her for sharing her recipes online for picky eaters, allowing mums who have kids who are picky eaters, and teenagers who are picky eaters the opportunity to learn cooking recipes that are delicious and that they will actually eat. She shares cooking content that is relatable and affordable in a healthier manner through the concept of incorporating leftovers and inexpensive ingredients in her videos (Stowe, 2021). Cooking is an important life skill that for all users, and having a content creator that is passionate and kind enough to share her skills and recipes on these platforms for free are incredibly empowering for many users who lack the skill and wishes to learn. The content sharing skills becomes rewarding on both ends of the content creator and user as it fulfills the content creator in its accomplishment in sharing their passions and talent, whilst the user gains self-growth and independence taking on the new skill.

Building Communities

There are many different reasons for the use of social media platforms these days. Many use it as a communication tool for connecting with family and friends, while others use it to gain inspiration, brain rot, watch memes, do research, learn new skills, hobbies, and be part of a community. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube share the qualities of inspiring users to take part in or join a community based on hobbies and being part of a safe platform. Social media platforms can become fairly toxic when used for long hours, leading to unproductivity and ‘brain rot’ what many Gen Z teenagers refer to as the act of dissociating from society, lost in the virtual space, and ultimately disconnecting from reality. Many users on platforms like TikTok and YouTube have re-shaped the ways the application is used such as treating these platforms as their ‘safari’ or a learning tool. Content creator ‘Move With Nicole’ is a certified Australian Pilates and Yoga instructor that utilizes her platform to share valuable content for her followers predominantly through YouTube. She ultimately began sharing her passion and journey on her YouTube channel in March 2019 during the pandemic when COVID resulted in lockdowns and the closure of many fitness studios (YouTube, Move With Nicole, n.d.). Nicole humbly shares that she started off with the hope to encourage movement, help people feel good and share her strong passion with the world (YouTube, Move With Nicole, n.d.). She shares her content with the intention to help many of her users to stay fit and be mindful during the difficult time. Not only does she do this to help her users stay fit, but it allows her users who are keen to try or learn either Pilates or Yoga have the opportunity to participate and experiment using her platforms. This enables users to test out whether they wish to begin professional in-person classes, enjoy her courses. The content she shares also provides her followers with a safe space building a fitness, yoga, and Pilates community. Not only does she empower her followers, but her followers continue to empower each other through her main YouTube platform. The community empowerment displayed on her YouTube platform began shifting towards empowering larger communities on other platforms like TikTok. Communities on social media form when a group of people with similar interests, hobbies, and experience come together (Ilieva, 2024). When users come together, it strengthens bonds providing them with support and a sense of belonging. Nicole shares her strong passion with her followers and uses her platform to create a strong community with other girls sharing their experience and tips, and ultimately it is part of girlhood. However, even positive creators can face body shaming, harsh criticism, and negative comments on their content and appearance. These harmful comments and statements shared with the public can cause discouragement, self-harm, social isolation, and the loss of self-esteem (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2023). Cyberbullying has the detrimental effect of weakening bonds of a community and is sadly a reality that is often demonstrated on multiple social media platforms. The act of cyberbullying can affect a community by discouraging other followers from engaging in a positive manner and feel uncomfortable to participate in the community. Social media platforms can appear to be harmful towards teenagers who use it to disempower others however if we use it correctly and continue to encourage positive activity in the community, it can reinforce relationships and bonds within the community. Nevertheless, the introduction of social media platforms and the emergence of content creators like Move With Nicole has made the use of technology much easier for daily lives allowing users to get moving and learn how to do Pilates and yoga. Despite the obstacles of negative comments, her followers continue to encourage each other and defend each other. Her platform not only strengthens the growth of an individual but strengthens and motivates the community, through the social aspect to attain friendships, and tips from one another. The impact of her YouTube channel has become significantly valuable for many users who had felt isolated and alone during the troubling times of the pandemic, and today still continues to empower and retain the connection with her users in her community. The importance of community provides a sense belonging, fosters, and promotes engagement, building trust and loyalty (Dux Digital, 2023). It is often users forget about the importance of building a community, as the sharing of communicating and common interests can help bring people closer together and raise awareness about important issues.

Breaking Barriers to Access

There are many users on social media that keep their lives private in terms of family, friends, and finance. With the use of social media platforms, it allows many users to gain access to lots of content. During the rise of the global pandemic, COVID had led to the closure of many businesses, putting many businesses out of business and the restriction in leaving the house. This put a halt to many activities users had been participating in, those who were learning a new skill were delayed and was unable to continue with their daily lives. Platforms like YouTube and TikTok offer content from various content creators that share their experience, tips, hacks, or their skills for free to many of their users. The use of social media platforms has had a helped break barriers to access for those underprivileged. This translates to the concept that the integration of social media platforms enables the public free education and learning of new skills on content. Racial discrimination is still present in society resulting in discriminatory behaviour regarding the right to education. Social media content provides users the rights access to limitations as it not only makes it accessible for many users, but these platforms are incredibly useful for many users who do not have the financial ability. It enables users to learn skills virtually without the need to seek or pay to learn these skills which can be used to enrich their personal lives. However, with self-learning on social media platforms, it does portray a negative flaw regarding the guidance and assistance of not having a master present if any challenges arise. It also takes away the social aspect of meeting new people in real life getting together to learn new skills together. With being self-taught through social media platforms, it takes away the personal and connection aspect of building a physically interactive community. Nevertheless, the introduction of content creators sharing their knowledge on the platforms for their users are a blessing for many users struggling financially but still wish to gain knowledge as part of self-development. Social media enables the ability to democratize learning through the power of providing free and accessible content to users from diverse backgrounds (Dux Digital, 2023). Furthermore, this enables many users the potential to acquire new skills and hobbies regardless of geographic location or socioeconomic status. Furthermore, platforms like social media enable users to engage and build a community with one another creating a supportive and encouraging community. Social media platforms providing free and accessible content enables the ability for users to gain access regardless of racial background, financial ability, or disabilities without the need to feel ashamed or disempowered (Dux Digital, 2023). It is refreshing to see that social media has helped aid the ability to access.

Conclusion

There are many advantages and disadvantages surrounding the social media platforms. Most are portrayed as negative aspects; however, many users fail to see the positive contributions that social media can bring. Not only does it allow users to learn new skills and hobbies, but it also helps users be part of a community and make content accessible for all. There are many underlying factors that go unnoticed due to the ramifications of many factors such as cyberbullying, disempowering others, and scrolling for hours. However, content shared on social media regarding education and the learning of new skills has strongly demonstrated the use of breaking the barriers to access for those underprivileged and disadvantaged. Ultimately, social media has proved to be an advantageous tool in society today and users should continue to embrace the benefits and power that comes with it.

Reference

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