Millennials are known for their somewhat unhealthy obsession with themselves and their internet egos. However, this generation gets a bad reputation for being infatuated with the devices and applications that were specifically designed to reel younger audiences into obsession. Social media is not just a self-serving tool. It can be utilized to create jobs, spread awareness and even save lives, attributes that many Millennials take advantage of.

Although it is true that iPhones and Androids dominate stringent environments such as the classroom or workplace, Millennials are not the only ones who are in a relationship with the technology that has been released over the past decade. Baby Boomers and members of Generation X are just as guilty of spending copious amounts of time checking Facebook and other forms of social media.

Aside from this generation being fascinated by the technology they seem to scorn, they are the ones responsible for inventing and distributing these devices to Millennials. The younger Millennials, who were born in the late 90s and beyond, are simply interacting with the world they were brought into, succumbing to public forums and profiles that seem necessary in a world that runs online. Social media is widely used and criticized, most of the time in a hypocritical manner, but it is a force so powerful that it is impossible to ignore.

A bulk of parents and elders mock younger people for their vanity and naivety online. However, they are probably not aware of the numerous benefits that social media offers. For example, Twitter is a great tool for dispersing news. Many well-known sources, such as the New York Times and the Washington Post have Twitter accounts that share breaking news stories that are easy to access and contain beneficial information. Along with news being dissipated, people have utilized mass sharing sites, such as Twitter and Facebook to try to find missing people by uploading their photo and a caption of where they were last seen. The idea of saving a life via the internet is a phenomenon that should not be overlooked. Yes, the internet does pose a threat when considering the questionable people hiding behind various shady instant messaging accounts. However, with proper knowledge of internet safety, the tool is advantageous. Twitter hashtags are also a feasible way to quickly spread awareness for deserving topics, whether it be finding justice for a lost soul or raising awareness to fund research for a particular disease or illness.

There are remarks that technology is taking over people’s lives and jobs, but this is how it has always been. Every generation creates new technological advances, always expanding and improving upon past successes. Much like how the Pony Express evolved into the United Parcel Service (UPS), social media is just a facet of the technological advances that have developed over time and will continue to develop. Millennials are not mindless victims of social media, they are employers of their assets. Social media is an engine that creates jobs in various areas, such as public relations and media advertising. It has opened up a different world, one that does contain a substantial amount of useless trends but also has the potential to positively alter the world as we know it.