Of all of the wonders that the Internet has brought us, social media has no rival. Platforms that provided a means for connecting with friends and other users went hand-in-hand with the rapid growth in popularity of the Internet in the mid-to-late 1990s, as more and more people began to use it for communication, research, and entertainment.
However, it was in the early 2000s that social media really took off with the launch of sites like MySpace (2003), LinkedIn (2003), and Facebook (2004). These sites offered features and tools that allowed users to not only connect with others but to also share content and build communities online. Dozens of platforms are in existence today and despite the benefits they offer, social media is not without its critics. Controversies over misinformation, privacy, cyberbullying, and the like, have led to increased scrutiny and regulation of social media platforms by governments and policymakers, as well as a growing public awareness of the risks and benefits of social media use.
And this leads us to this month’s survey. Last August, I introduced a new-to-me post format which you can read about in Tell Me About Yourself. TL;DR? In a nutshell, once a month I’m seeking out my readers’ opinions on a variety of topics via a short survey. And when I say short, I mean just that. These surveys have at the most 10 questions and shouldn’t take you more than 2 minutes to complete. The results of these surveys will be included in a post on a related subject in the following month.
The sole purpose of these surveys is to satisfy my personal curiosity (and perhaps yours). Responses are provided anonymously and I won’t be sharing/selling the answers to anyone else. They will only be used as summary data in a follow-up post. I have no intentions of developing any type of marketing tool or online course or selling you anything based on your answers. As a mostly left-brained stats-nerd kind of person, I thought it would be cool to be able to include my own researched information in some of the blog posts that I write.
You don’t know how thrilled I am to see the submission counts increase as I monitored them over time. I do hope that you’ll spend a few moments completing this month’s survey.
In my look today, I’m showcasing another styling option for the jacket that I chose for my Keep Calm And April On remix collection. In that post, I confessed to retrieving this jacket from my donate/sell pile as I realized how great it will be for Spring this year. For this go-around, I’ve paired it with a pair of striped high-rise boyfriend-style jeans that was a recent purchase, a graphic t-shirt I bought about 3 years ago (see Let’s Go Bananas – A Journey To Going Natural), and cork wedges first seen in What’s The Story? that I bought last Spring.
Let’s Wrap This Up
Now, onto the Fine-Whatever link-up. Today’s featured post from the last link-up, 5 Styling Tips For Wearing A Maxi Skirt, was submitted by Claire over at her eponymous blog Claire Justine. The longer, the better is my philosophy when it comes to the hemline of my skirts so I’m keen to follow Claire’s styling tips for maxi skirts.
When you consider how easily it allows people to connect with others from all over the world, regardless of physical distance, the benefits of social media far outweigh the negatives. Whether it’s online communities based on shared interests, hobbies, or experiences, or accessing online courses, or providing opportunities for sharing creative work, social media now plays a central role in our daily lives. And as with most good things, it’s also important to use social media responsibly and be aware of its potential risks. What are your thoughts about social media?
Stay well and let’s keep in touch! Subscribe, tweet, follow, friend, pin … all options are available. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
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Note: This is an unsponsored post; however, some or all of the links to clothing items are associated with an affiliate program where I earned a few cents for each click.
Photo credit: MMPerez
17 Comments
Oh, this is a good one, Rena! I started on social media over a decade ago on Facebook. Within a year or so, I became part of a “secret group” of women who shopped at Talbots (back when Talbots had an artistic flair). We became close friends…truly close, sharing things like deaths, job loss, and political opinions. So, I think Facebook is really good for those kinds of relationships. I joined Instagram in order to enter a contest and basically left it alone until I began blogging. I don’t really enjoy it even though it seems to be the one most retailers like the most (or do they?). There are times I feel like I can’t be my true self on social media, including my blog, because I don’t want to offend anyone. That bothers me, but it’s my problem rather than a result of anything else. Thanks for the link party!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
Such a thought provoking post Rena. I think there are social media is not without its merits like you said, it needs to be used responsibly. I feel like many of the women in our demographic are lovely and supportive and I have definitely been blessed by so many wonderful friendships!
xo,
Kellyann
Love your casual look Rena! I can’t wait to hear about the responses you receive. I have a love/hate relationship with social media. Trying to balance my life with it is hard.
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
This is such a great quiz topic. I use social media for my full-time job so some of my answers could have gone either way. I use LinkedIn everyday for work but for my blog I’m mostly on Instagram. But, with that said, I see Instagram as a necessary evil. And, I’ve always thought Facebook was a great way to stay in touch with family and friends. But, there are so many privacy issues. Anyway, can’t wait to see the results!
Jill – Doused in Pink
Ha! Cute tee shirt. Glad you retrieved the jacket. It looks really nice. Fun poll.
Michelle
https://funkyfashionstyle.com
Always satisfying to rescue something from the thrift pile! I’ve taken the survey. Interesting to think of the big sites which disappeared- MySpace, Bebo, FriendsReunited, SecondLife. I wonder if any of the biggest platforms now will be rejected. FB and IG both have older audiences now so I do think they’re in danger, and that’s why I keep a blog going.
The tee is cute and the outfit is casual and looks comfy.
Thanks for the link up.
https://www.melodyjacob.com/2023/04/you-want-to-write-better-go-out-more.html
that is such a fun top! 🙂 Your survey was really interesting as I never though of WhatsApp as a social media tool before – I use it to have group chats with friends and family only. I also use it to send photos to the Grandparents, as I don’t post photos of the kids faces on facebook or anywhere else online, but with Whatsapp I know who I’m sending to and no-one else can see, so that’s how we keep the grandparents in the loop. My Grandad has an Iphone and so I can’t video call, and I don’t have facbeook on my phone, so having Whatsapp lets us both keep in touch and video call really easily 🙂 It’s definitely the one I use the most!
Thanks for the link up!
What an interesting survey! I think as we get older, we use social media more and more for connection. It seems like younger generations use it for popularity. But it can all be fun if you use it with the right mindset.
I love that tee! I really would like to take a social media break as I tend to spend too much time scrolling on it but I haven’t done one yet!
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
I actually hate social media, but keep coming back to it.
Love this jacket – what a satisfying save from the purge pile – and it’s super-cute with that banana T!
I love your fun T-shirt! Social media certainly has its pros and cons. I use FB mainly for keeping in touch with friends and family, Instagram for blog related content, TikTok for entertainment and Twitter as a news feed. Twitter is actually my least favourite because it gets so toxic, and it has definitely got a lot worse since Brexit and the so-called “culture war”. I do need to be more disciplined with my time on social media because often I think I’ll go to bed and then an hour later I’m watching a farting horse or a gorilla eating bananas!
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
True confession I love social media, not the pressure I use to feel about it but the actual medium I adore. trying to get back to sharing naturally and not worrying about curation and finding the love again
I have a love hate relationship with social media, like most people I think! Interestingly, I just posted a video about how its affecting women’s health on my youtube channel, Think Like Queenie. I’ll add it to the link-up!
Hugs
Suzy xx
Very nice survey. I learned something about myself there. Thanks for hosting.
Casuals look great Rena, love the T shirt. I don’t wear enough graphic t’s but I do wear my jeans lots of the time. Thanks for sharing on chic and Stylish. Jacqui x