Have you ever felt guilty about spending too much time on Facebook? Posting too many photos on Instagram? Perhaps you find that others have an unhealthy addiction to "tweeting" details about their lives on Twitter. There are those who believe that social networking sites are a waste of time. Which are a detriment to “real life” social relationships. But these platforms are much more than just entertainment gateways. They have a deeper impact on our society than some are willing to admit. Just like everything in life, they have their pros and cons, but the benefits of social media far outweigh the following. Research shows that social media does more good than harm for society because it spreads information faster than any other media, sparks political change, and helps socially isolated people connect with others. The first argument as to why social media is more beneficial to us than it is harmful is that it spreads information faster than any other medium. From natural disasters, to the passing of a famous person or other shocking news; it only takes a few seconds for a friend to post it on their social media page, along with their opinion or reaction. With this in mind, because we live in the information age, the abundance of data we are exposed to can easily cause fatigue (Kelly, 2010). Not all news matters to everyone. Depending on your life experience, personality, preferences, and many other factors, some news will have more impact and meaning for you than others. Filtering certain stories based on your preferences can save you time and be more efficient than reading multiple headlines until you catch one that interests you. Social media happens to do this fantastically. Because social media is made up of friend... center of paper... w Research Center. (2012). What Facebook and Twitter mean for news. Retrieved from http://stateofthemedia.org/: http://stateofthemedia.org/2012/mobile-devices-and-news-consumption-some-good-signs-for-journalism/what-facebook-and-twitter-mean -for-news/Rosenstiel, T., & Mitchell, A. (2011). The State of the News Media 2011. Pew Research Center.Wasserman, T. (2011, October 27). The architect of #OccupyWallStreet praises the power of magical hashtags. Retrieved from Mashable.com: http://mashable.com/2011/10/27/occupy-wall-street-adbusters/Wilks, M. (n.d.). The effect of online social networks on adolescents' social networks. Retrieved from http://www.eckerd.edu/: http://www.eckerd.edu/academics/ford/files/11/Mary_Wilks.pdfWolak, J., Mitchell, K.L., & and Finkelhor, D. (2002 ). Adolescence, vol. 37, no. 147. Close Online Relationships in a National Sample of Adolescents, pp. 441-455.