By Sharon Jones

The world has become more connected, and never before has human contact been so closely stitched together. The digital world is unimaginably larger than people’s physical lives. You’re able to meet, talk, debate and share your opinions with literally anybody from around the world. News consumption has changed and altered into something entirely unexpected. With the power of social media and platforms like YouTube, everyone has the opportunity to become a beacon of light in their respective interest groups.

Source - Alan Levine

News and opinion

Facebook and Twitter are the two largest social media platforms, and they’re where the majority of the younger generation get their news from. YouTube is the home of ‘new media’ where people with opinions about current affairs all gather to express their views on politics, social issues, and product reviews. Individuals that shine brightly on this platform like Philip Defranco do so because they digest the news in a unique way, and express their opinion regularly on their channels. So much so, that Defranco now has over 5 million subscribers to his YouTube channel. Viewers overwhelmingly support unbiased digestion of the world around them and most of all honesty. Defranco recently launched his own, independent news company by the springboard his subscribers gave him. The online world is changing rapidly.

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Blogging

Product reviews are a niche market. Anything from video games, food products, computer hardware to make up tutorials has become a beacon for potential consumers. Various reviewers have become notable due to their popularity; such as Estée Lalonde. She has become famous as a blogger who eventually moved onto YouTube. Her blogging website has attracted so many London based stylist and makeup companies, that she was given a book deal to write about her life. Titled ‘Bloom’ Lalonde goes through her life stories as a socially awkward Canadian girl, who found love and moved to London. Not knowing how she was going to stay afloat, she began blogging. Her website looked professional and regularly uploaded content and reviews. She’s often asked how or who made her site for her, but all you’ll get is a smile and a wink. Whether you’re a professional or a blogger just starting out, companies like Red Spot Design are experts in personalized web design, and if Lalonde can be a beacon, so can anyone else.

Real change

By using social media, people from the Black Lives Matter, and March For Women, groups have been able to communicate and organize protests. Since Trump came into office, people have been using the internet’s various message board website to voice their opinion and share ideas. On the other hand, so have political supports such as the Make America Great Again supporters. They have rallied behind their president and have been able to organize counter-protests. Never before in human history have so many people, actively got involved in politics and the future of their respective countries. And it’s all been possible thanks to ordinary, average people, just sharing their opinion online and meeting new people. It’s a wonderful time to be alive. The world is getting smaller thanks to social media and video sharing platforms. Everyone and anyone has the chance to become a beacon of light.