I often think of social media just revolving around Instagram likes and Facebook profile pictures. But upon closer examination of how I use social media daily, I realize it's much more than that. I can see the shoes that my friend Raina likes on Pinterest. I can listen to a playlist made by my buddy Sasha on Spotify. I can even get a better look into my brother's life by becoming Facebook friends with his fraternity house dog. These are all people I know and care about, and the media allows me to interact with them in many different ways.

The media can provide you with information from strangers and allow you to engage with friends and family, but it can also create community. A friend of the family has a very sick son who has been in the Pediatric ICU for over a month now. Every day, his grandfather posts updates to Facebook, where an amazing community of over 3,000 people (friends and strangers alike) have joined to support, donate, and pray for this family.