Introduction

In this preceding article I’d spoke of some reasons why Social Media acts as a detriment to social capital. However, there are several advantages social media offers over traditional media to the engaged citizen.

Two major hypotheses have been postulated in regards to social media vs. social capital:

• As social media proliferation increases, the balance of social capital decreases.
• As social media proliferation increases, the balance of social capital increases.

 

As an alternative to these diametrically opposed viewpoints, I would like to propose a third hypothesis:

As social media proliferation increases, the balance of social capital remains constant.

In support, I have already offered points toward social media decreasing social capital. Let us now discuss some of the means by which social media can counteract its own negative effect.

Discussion

Financial Access

An obvious advantage social media offers is potential cost effectiveness. Most social media applications are free to use, offering a powerful tool with cost measured only in time vested.

Furthermore, social media also offers a point of income. Via specific fundraising apps like Kickstarter or gofundme.com or direct fundraising campaigns, citizens and organizations have access to potential fund sources that simply did not exist less than a decade prior.

Global Society

Social media has yet to break down cultural, linguistic, and accessibility barriers, but it’s fair to say physical borders are approaching irrelevance. With a few clicks, one can can communicate with peers and strangers alike from around the world. The simple logistics of organizing a real world meeting is now no more difficult than clicking on a calendar drop-down. And though my previous article made a point of only 40% of the world being online at all, that’s still billions individuals that were just not accessible at all to the average citizen of ten years ago.

Edutainment

Wasn’t this cited as a detriment? Indeed it can be and thanks to Sturgeons Law usually is. That said, one cannot blame the hammer for poor construction. Making informational topics fun and is not a new idea – but social media gives us the power to do so quickly and easily.

Describing how a benefit project to relief victims can be fun and beneficial to society is one thing. Posting a video showing people working together, becoming potential lifelong friends, and the resulting work they’ve done is quite another thing. Only social media gives this kind of power to the average citizen.

Conclusion

It’s not fair to say that I have proven my hypothesis, because I haven’t. There are dozens of points still to discuss, and a lack of hard data for analysis. Even so, on a personal level I believe there is currently a balance. We are no better or worse off in totality – the methodology is just different.

If we want to tip the balance positively, it may help to think of social media for what it is. A tool. Social media for its own sake is worse than useless – used wrong it can quickly escalate to being one of society’s major challenges. But when taken for what it is, a vector, a tool, then it is can be the ultimate trump card toward bringing the world together as never before.