The great debate about social media: is it good or is it annoying?

image courtesy of Google images

Social media like Facebook- its a great way to interact with your friends from back home especially if you don't have time or if there is a time difference. You can write on their walls or send them messages just like email. Or you can be savvy like me and other friends and play games like Sim City Social, Sorority life. The cons about this is that you may have to purchase Facebook credits and that can eat into your student budget pretty quickly. But you usually can earn them for free by doing things and reaching a certain level.

But be careful, people have been cyberbullied online so you might only want to let your friends see your private information.

Blogging and Instagram is also a good way to tell your friends. There are a few blogging programs out there and it is free to sign up. Blogging is a great way for you to practice English. You can post photos etc of your experiences in Melbourne. The only thing is that it can be one sided at times. Instagram is free for you to post lots of pictures with captions. But the only downside is (and is with many posting many pictures of yourself) that unwanted people can download these and send them to their friends. So your most private pictures become public.

The downside of social media is that it can take up a lot of your time studying and you can become easily distracted. It might also be the reason why many people get put up for" at risk" interviews at the end of semester.

So proceed with caution my friend and social media can be your friend. Or abuse it and it can be your arch enemy.

Social media is here to stay and we should embrace the technology as it is a great way to catch up with friends and family for free and alleviate some of the homesickness that you might feel whilst you are in Melbourne.