You’ve heard it countless times before, but the veracity behind a statement similar to this one always fails to fade: “In the 21st century, social media is an absolute game-changer, sucking millions of people into an anonymous world in cyberspace.”Social media is no longer just a pastime or the best way for students to procrastinate; rather, it’s assumed a great role. Large corporations, organizations and movements remain connected through social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and more. The power that social media brings is absolutely immense; in fact, social media empowers me. With a single tap or click, people from all over the world, all different ages and ethnicities, can live with me through my best and worst moments, whether they’re hidden under filters on Instagram or geo-tagged on Snapchat. If I don’t want to be, I never have to be alone in my experiences. I’ll always be connected to someone else, just as long as I extend my hand out first. These invisible connections available through social media among the 7 billion people on Earth empower me.

But of course, like everything else, there can’t just be the good. The anonymity that social media allows renders it frighteningly easy for people to create a fake persona without others knowing. That’s why we have to be cautious, to educate ourselves about the potential dangers, so that we don’t fall for their traps.

For a few months now, I’ve been an ambassador for Spayce, a new social media app that allows users to “Meet people through the realtime posts they share. Spayce is a look at what’s happening in your city every day and night.” When I was first introduced to this job by one of my classmates, everything about it screamed “scam, sketchy, sus,” you name it. I would be paid 30 dollars a week for just posting pictures. It seemed too easy. Nonetheless, after hearing positive reviews from other ambassadors and talking to one of the company’s representatives, I decided to give it a try. I wasn’t required to give them my credit card number, or any private information similar to that. So far, I’ve been paid systematically, and everything is going well.

I want people to know though that this isn’t always the case. My mom was very hesitant when I told her about this app, and she had every right to be. “Paid Social Media Jobs” are rising in popularity, and the Internet is full of programs that promise to create opportunities to make money online. A lot of companies post these social media jobs so that they can focus on other aspects of their growing businesses while lower employees manage their social media accounts. Some people argue that these social media jobs are a great way to make side money while other say that the companies have you completing ridiculous tasks such as receiving 4,000 likes an hour-tasks that are impossible without illegal adder software. The lure of being paid without doing much pushes people make rash decisions they might later regret.

So bottom line, do your research before agreeing to anything, and never, ever give out your private information, no matter how great the deal sounds.


<Lucia Kim Marymount High School 12th Grade>