Scientific Essay from the year 2017 in the subject Communications - Public Relations, Advertising, Marketing, Social Media, grade: 1.0, Jacobs University Bremen gGmbH, language: English, abstract: This paper focuses on the positive effects of Social Media as a platform for support. Since the invention of the first platform in 1997, Social Media gained a significant importance for the social interactions of the 2.789 billion active Social Media users worldwide. These platforms, that are designed to provide access to social networks for a large number of users, get mostly examined by literature because of its negative effects like cyberbullying, shitstorms and addiction. However, it is also important to take a closer look at its potential to contribute to peoples' social interactions and their well-being in order to ensure a balanced discussion.