Now, more than ever before, you can learn something from everything and everyone on Social Media Platforms such as Instagram.

Living in a social media world allows us to expand our perceptions and step into others’ shoes. Instagram does an amazing job of connecting us to people all over the planet if we are into broadening our perspectives and learning from the world around us. One way of learning about others is having open-mindedness and curiosity as an asset.

In order to really learn anything, we have to learn how to really listen to others. And I mean listen to learn, not listen to respond. With over a billion users on Instagram alone, that’s more than a textbook full of information or any documentary you can now be a part of. Social media makes this easier than ever before with users sharing their stories and experiences all over the world.

Here are a few pointers on how to best utilize this practice to your advantage!

1. Look up things you’re curious about:

Have you ever wondered about, I don’t know, anything? You can literally look up any word on Instagram and find out some incredible things. For instance, one time I wanted to know about tribes in Africa, well I looked it up using #africantribes and came upon the coolest tribes, one of them was this tribe in Ethiopia called ‘Mursi Tribe’ who live in Omo Valley, and the women wear these plates to signify womanhood. That is just a tiny educational lesson that you can learn about on Instagram. So whether you are searching for African tribes or mars, or just the lights festival in Thailand (Yi Peng), it is truly a great way to become an active learner without trying too hard. A truly great way to travel the world as well if you can’t actually get there just yet!

2. Follow other users:

I’m not referring to just your friends or family members, I’m talking about anyone. Anyone that sparks your interest in some way or another is a great benefit. National Geographic is one of my favorites, not only do you get to learn about new things, but they also capture ‘behind the scenes’ photos to show the difficulty the photographers experience in trying to capture things and people from all over the world in so many different circumstances. Ever wondered what is going in another country during a certain event? A War? A festival? A party? LOOK IT UP and follow those people and you’ll see it as if you were there yourself! It’s insane! Find other people and expand your mind on topics!

3) Find and talk to people:

I don’t mean go searching for your soulmate, but find people who enjoy doing what you love doing and talk to them and learn. For instance, one time I was looking up (using hashtags) a certain book, and I came upon a person who wrote his opinion on books that he read, and I was intrigued by his opinions. After browsing through the books and his reflections of them, I left him a comment; ‘you have a great intake on books, what’s your favorite book and why?’ and he wrote back and gave me a couple of recommendations and the reasons as to why he enjoyed them. It’s a great way to informally meet people and get to know other cultures and perceptions. Also, if you’re a shy person, this could be a great way to come out of your shell a little bit. Seek and ask questions!

Every day I am amazed at what I find on Instagram and the things I learn, and I am grateful that I have this tool that I can use to my advantage. Remember; knowledge is power, and to get that knowledge you need to know how to properly use the resources provided to you.

If you’d like to follow @Positivitysparkles on Instagram, You can find me HERE!

If you’d love to see my quotes page and their interpretations, you can visit HERE!