Steemit Engagement Challenge Season 8 (Week 1) || "The Power of Social Media"

Greetings my lovely friends!

I'm going to start Season 08 with a topic that I can share my personal experience with. As a young entrepreneur, I use social media daily to promote my salon business for the past few years. From that perspective social media has been a powerful tool for me, However, I have seen how it can make or break a business or even a person.

^{How many are you trapped into?}

How old are you when you start engaging in social media and how was your experience so far?

I started my social media journey when I was 22 years old and Facebook was my first platform. Initially, it was just a platform to keep in touch with my friends or to find out about gossip! 😅 It was created using a fake name and I haven’t uploaded a single picture of me because my parents were too strict about it. Back then there was nothing good about Facebook in society. I wasn’t a frequent user until I began my business.

About four years ago I started a profile with my own identity and started a business page for my salon. Then only I realized how powerful this is to connect with my customers and promote my business.

With getting more and more inquiries through Facebook I recently created a profile on Instagram and Tiktok as well. They are the platform that most teenagers are on these days.

In your opinion, what is the right age for people to have access to social media?

Depending on cultural background and understanding of technology this age could change. However, in my opinion, the right age for anyone to have access to social media should be 16 years old.

But if someone thinks otherwise and children should also get into social media at a younger age, it is important to make sure that parents supervise their children's social media usage until them getting to at least 18 years to prevent them from accessing inappropriate content. There are many misleading contents and if not guided properly social media can be an impact on a child’s mind. Also, there is so much cyberbullying and online harassment in place. So anyone using social media should have a proper understanding of its content.

What can you say to people who are no longer responsible for managing their social media accounts?

Social media is just a mirror of the society we are living in. So it is natural to get both sides of the coin. But to those who are no longer responsible for managing their social media accounts, my advice is to be mindful of what you share on social media might affect many others. Your online presence can have a big impact on you, your friends, your relations, and also anyone who follows you. They all can see what type of person you are and it may lead to judging your character based on your activities.

Share your ideas on how to properly manage a social media account.

Properly managing a social media account is a reflection of who you are. Creating meaningful and informative content can lead you to become an influencer. However, engagement and consistency are key components to becoming a such influencer.

Also, having an interactive business page is essential for every business. Because we all know that it can reach a wider audience and give you free marketing. I think 10 or 15 years back reaching this many people at once can cost you a fortune. But now with Social media, we can reach the audience we want just for free. As to my experience, these are the top tips for managing a social media account are:

• Create engaging and informative content
• Consistently post on social media platforms
• Interact with your followers and reply to their comments
• Use relevant hashtags to reach a wider audience
• Analyze your social media data to understand your audience and improve your content

^{My business profile on FB: https://www.facebook.com/HasiniBeautyZone}

What do you think our future will be with this social media power?

The power of social media is constantly evolving. As for google Facebook was invented in 2004. It is by far the most popular social media in the world. So, we are just about 20 years old on this topic and it's difficult to predict the future. However, I believe that social media will continue to play an important role in our lives.

For example, Sri Lanka had two elections that were totally manipulated by social media, and then our president was kicked out from the country by a crowd that was purely organized and influenced by social media. In the news, it appears that even intelligence forces were not aware that such a thing would happen so quickly. Social media has become a very powerful weapon that anyone can use and that was not possible before.

With such effects, there are countries that social media is banned. New AI technologies booming. So, I really have no idea what the future might bring to us but one thing I can be sure of is that It has the power to connect people and help businesses grow.

Give the advantages and disadvantages of social media in your life.

As for me, I can only see the advantages of social media in my life. As I explained earlier It has helped me connect with customers and promote my business to potential customers. Because of social media, I can instantly market my services with hundreds of friends. Their positive comments and feedback can be a motivation and negative remarks can be a lesson to learn.

^{My personal profile: https://www.facebook.com/hasini.wijesuriya.1}

One can argue that it may take away my privacy. But as an adult, if I know responsible social media usage, I don’t think I should be worried about disadvantages.

What are the commonly used social media in your country? And categorize it.

In my country, Sri Lanka, the most commonly used social media platforms are Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, Linked In, and WhatsApp. Facebook is common and used for personal and business purposes. Instagram and Tick tock is mainly used by the younger generation for entertainment while professionals use linked in to find jobs and skill-related topics. WhatsApp is the most used chatting platform.

In conclusion, the power of social media can be both positive and negative. It's up to us to use it wisely and responsibly. Remember, social media is a tool, and we are in control of how we use it.

I would like to invite my friends @dove11 , @mini80 and @cruzamilcar63 to join the contest.