Social media seems like it has turned into such a part of life. What do you do when you wake up? Go on Facebook or Instagram? Check Twitter? It seems like during quarantine some of us may be spending more time on social media ‘interacting’ with people than in real life. During class on Wednesday, many people expressed that they were relieved to have social media as an outlet at the beginning of the pandemic as it offered entertainment, a stable way to connect with people and a sense of security. Last semester I was taking Social Media and Society when mid-semester, the pandemic took over and classes went online. Prior to this, every month we needed to record our social media usage and provide a brief explanation about why we might’ve spent more time on a certain app. After our class transitioned to Zoom however, we stopped and our professor didn’t really think it was fair to track anymore. Some people did express their usage in class claiming that their time doubled or tripled but nobody was really surprised by this. It was almost to be expected with most social and outdoor activities off-limits. Now I’m back in college and all of my classes are on Zoom except one that meets twice a week for an hour. The clubs that I’m apart of meet on Zoom as well as other college-associated events. Now I’m noticing that it’s just a force of habit to go on to Instagram or Facebook during breaks with limited time between Zoom classes.
A few years ago Facebook partnered with Instagram and became joint. I find this interesting as the Facebook logo is now under the Instagram login. Both outlets seem like a served for different purposes. Instagram for sharing pictures and Facebook for connecting with family members and sharing life updates and news articles. I never had a Twitter, although I have posted on the Fiat’s covering an event a few times. My perception is that Twitter can become a place of political arguments and animosity for opposing viewpoints which doesn’t really interest me. It’s so hard to even attempt to change a person’s opinion and then to start a feud with someone that could rile up their follows and be taken a million different ways sounds exhausting and kind of pointless. I do respect people who engage in polite discourse but can’t picture myself ever doing so. It’s nice to share what you believe but then it’s like your doing it with the intention to let others know which can come off as deceptive.
Mark Zuckerberg was a 19 year old college student at Harvard when he started Facebook in 2004. With a long-time interest in computer programming, his intent was to create a platform to connect students and allow people to find shared interests. Zuckerberg has been taken to court many times in regards to privacy issues, a hot topic dominating many media sharing platforms. It also has been in question if Facebook had any connection to the 2016 election as ads supporting Trump seemed to populate everyones feed. Personally, I don’t know what to believe as the counter-claims were simply that the election was trending at the time (why wouldn’t it be) and that campaign ads were simply popping up on people’s browsers on the app. I think it will be interesting to see if something similar happens this time around as the debates are supposed to be held on Zoom and everything is going to be digital. The documentary, ‘Mark Zuckerberg: Inside Facebook’ delves deep into it’s start and everyone involved in helping to launch it, incorporating his friends at the time who claimed to be discredited for their work given less share-hold. I find Zuckerberg’s story really interesting and admire his entrepreneurial skills that he developed from his interests at such a young age. I am a sophomore in college right now, the equivalent to when he launched Facebook and it just makes me realize that we are all capable of so much with the right tools and resources.
My questions for the class are:
Do you view social media as a time-sucker or valuable time to connect with family and friends?
Do you think there could be another majorly used app on the way in the next few years?
Mass Media and American Life 
I think that more and more I am viewing social media as a time-sucker but I still scroll through anyways. I notice that as I am trying to fit more and more into my day that I have to be more selective about what I am spending my time on and social media is becoming less of a priority. I find Facebook to be kind of an annoyance and full of ads. Instagram is better for me to stay connected with people without being totally sucked in. I am not on Twitter for some of the same reasons you listed. I usually like to choose my words carefully putting some thought into it, especially if I am talking about politics or something serious and I don’t feel like Twitter is a great space to have a conversation. I DO see there being another majorly used app on the way – great question! I feel like Facebook is still widely used, but maybe if a better app came along, people would move away from it. I guess they still own Instagram though….I just found that out not too long ago.
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I believe it is accurate to say that media is a time sucker that can steal a lot of the time we have to spend with loved ones and family. I think apps are always changing so I believe a social media app that can change the game will always be just a few moments from being created. It is seen as one of the most lucrative businesses in the world so I think billionaires will find new apps to help exploit social media in general.
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I think social media can be both. I have wasted time just endlessly scrolling and before I know it an hour has gone by before I know it. That is a problem but I think the way it connects people to each out ways that. I think we will see new social media apps come and go as part of the cycle of technology, just like we saw with Myspace.
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During this pandemic, I did see social media as a time-sucker. While trying to maintain a connection with friends and family, many of us are just too busy. We are spending most of our time at work and school, which makes our day-to-day pretty predictable. Social media nonetheless have shown that no one knows what the future may hold. So many project their uncertainty in copying one another. Creating similar content, I believe, is the result of not being inspired. Also, to the question on the other question, it is predictable that another major app will be surfacing soon. People are always creating new ways to connect.
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I think it was a really good idea to connect social media and the pandemic. The pandemic has made social media more common than ever. Most may not see it that way but seeing growth in social media is very hard to notice being that technology, internet, and social media is always around us all the time.
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