Social Networking Sites

Most people today use at least one social networking site. I was able to resist using these sites until high school when it became almost mandatory in order to join clubs and more easily make friends. Four social networking sites that I personally use are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. All of these sites allow us to be digitally connected with individuals around the world.

Facebook is the obvious choice for individuals of all ages, and for good reason. The interface is generally simple to use, and it is a convenient way of posting thoughts, sharing life updates, documenting events, and uploading photos for family and friends to view at any given time. In addition, users are able to see events such as concerts and festivals that friends are planning to attend or have gone to recently. Facebook Marketplace allows users to buy and sell items quickly. Facebook Messenger replaces texting for many users who want to instantly message each other. Overall, Facebook is a streamlined site that is the most useful in helping me communicate with family and friends.

Twitter is generally used to post thoughts and opinions about news, pop culture, politics, sports, and other topics of interest to one’s followers. We can follow and monitor these topics with the use of hashtags (#) to quickly view users’ ideas. One downfall of Twitter is the debates and long message threads that occur from certain controversial topics that tend to be confusing to follow at times. Even so, an upside of this social networking site is that companies that use Twitter also tend to reach out and talk with specific customers whenever the customer’s tweet is noticed by them. Whether it is a positive or negative tweet, Twitter has allowed us to more openly communicate and share our thoughts directly with these establishments.

Instagram is mostly used by the younger generation to showcase pictures and videos to their followers. It shows friends, family, or celebrities in their most picturesque moments. Photos allow users to present to the world many different parts of themselves such as their selfies, friend and family meetups, food choices, drink choices, life experiences such as vacation destinations, and hobbies. Instagram brings all of our experiences and personality to the online world, and in return for sharing this we gain likes for these posts. I enjoy using Instagram to follow my friends and celebrities because it provides visuals which I could immediately interact with.

Tumblr is a mix of Instagram, Twitter, and a traditional blogging site. In fact, some users of Tumblr may only post a combination of pictures, videos, and gifs while others may only post text posts. Some users do a combination of both. This social networking site is extremely versatile in what a user may want out of it. Most fandoms utilize Tumblr to follow focused sites for interests such as bands, television shows, and books. There is a comparatively lower amount of communication between a content creator and their followers, but it is a great method of disseminating content. Their mobile app works similarly to Instagram, in which these posts take up the majority of the phone screen and can be liked by tapping a heart icon.

All four of these apps have differing uses, and each cater to somewhat similar audiences. The main point of any social networking site is to bring people together over mutual likes and dislikes. Most individuals have a desire to be sociable, and sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr as well as many others help us fulfill this desire to be a part of a group. As long as it is used responsibly and safely, our digitally connected world can become one in which information is used in a beneficial manner.