Term Paper 1

       

 Since our birth, we have encountered some form of technology. In my life, the kind of technology that I use effortlessly daily would have to be social media and social networks. Not only do I participate in using Snapchat, Facebook, and even Tik Tok, but so do my family and the whole baby boomer generation that is constantly shaking their heads down on us. This form of technology has many positive outlooks as well as many negatives. It is sad to say, but in this generation, it is said to either treat others with kindness or stay prepared to defend yourself physically, and emotionally. The moral of it all is that social media and social networks are a major influence on my life from day to day.

 

Social Networking and media are something that everyone knows how to navigate even if they have never used them before. I used to interact with Snapchat daily from twenty-sixteen until about early twenty-twenty. The reason for the lack of interactivity in Snapchat today is that I rarely take photos of myself to post, and I chose to be very private with my life for my taste. Soon after my decline with Snapchat, I gained the confidence to open my account on Facebook that I already knew how to navigate. This idea is because all social networks have the same kind of navigation, but certain buttons in different areas of their application or site.

 I on average spend about two to three hours a day on Facebook either scrolling on my feed to see what everyone is doing, watching cooking fails, sending funny videos or posts to my boyfriend through Facebook’s messenger or perhaps just having the application open on my cellular device from the previous day. I have always had the mentality that Facebook was for those old forties till infinity age groups until I began to use it. In my opinion, I engage with Facebook because it is the next application to scroll through when I have nothing to do. Unlike the other applications that are at my disposal, Facebook is my last pick for most viewed applications and Snapchat is the winner for least used applications. 

The next software that I operate is my frenemy YouTube. Yes, as much as I love it, I also dislike it at times. I love it for the fact that I can learn how to do things in a tutorial-style environment with others just like me who are communicating in the comments some of the same concerns that I have as well. For instance, I have been trying to learn how to do knotless box braids for years, and at that point, I decided to just give it a rest. The thing that motivated me to keep enduring this task of learning to master this skill once more was the comments under the video from other young ladies that have also expressed their defeat with this craft. The comments not only showed me that they too think braiding hair is hard, but also that there are like-minded people like me who feel the same way which makes me not feel as lonely. 

To add, YouTube is also exercised in my life to watch videos of others’ daily life to maintain my relaxation. I know that sounds crazy, but I honestly gain comfort from seeing others starting from scratch with their ideas to becoming multi-millionaires from just producing intriguing videos. 

The last but shining star of my social outlets is my bestie TikTok. Tik-Tok formerly known as Musically in my opinion is a combination of all my top five social media networks. I do not post on TikTok, but I have videos that could be posted that are in my hidden drafts. To continue, my favorite part about that program is that I can never get tired of the experience of being it. Sometimes, on other apps, I can get easily dreary or perhaps overwhelmed with not finding certain content that sustains my interest. Tik- Tok is for literally everyone! 

My boyfriend only watches fishing, hunting, or basketball on his account, whereas I like to be up to date on the new dance trends, makeup hacks, and all things college girl. It is the perfect platform for someone who wants to become involved in the world and who wants to gain a few life skills. My addiction to TikTok is so bad that I can stay up past midnight watching a little of everything with my eyes full of tears from trying to stay open. Although there are some products that I may like more than others and engage with more than others, the reality is that I use each product every single day of my life.

             If it was thought that I overused social networks, it could be found surprising how often I utilize any kind of messaging. I do message my parents and boyfriend daily, but I can agree that the other forms of messaging that I use exceed my personal messaging to my loved ones. To add, I am currently the president of our chapter’s National Honor Society, which encourages me to reach out constantly to our new inductees so that they can become inducted members. The hardest part of the job is the communication aspect to which I must message over ninety candidates checking in with them daily, answering some of the most bizarre questions, and providing them with information that they’ll need to succeed with the induction process. 

For my organization, I use an instant messaging app called Band because it is simple, and I do not have to worry about strangers having my personal information. I not only message my new members, but I also message and email my professors. Some are more reachable than others through email and the others I must text their cellular devices to which is somewhat weird in my opinion. Speaking of messaging others on a daily, my mother implements it into her day as well. My mother is a full-time teacher and uses two devices to engage with her job. One of her devices is for her personal use and family and the other is for her parents to communicate with her without their messages having to be blasted the other forms of messaging that I use exceed my personal messaging to my loved ones. 

My dad also has a similar interaction with messaging to which he has two devices. The difference between my mom’s devices and my dad’s is that they have two different careers so their need for another device is quite different. The career that my dad has is that he works for a television company and his second device is for clients to talk to him. The to talk to him. The last person in my life that uses any kind of media is my brother. He not only does his work online using the websites created for his school, but he also plays an awful amount of ear-aching video games. These are other kinds of social networks that I use every day.

           Though all forms of social media play an important role in my life, there are definitely positive and negative outlooks to the concept as well. In my life, I feel as though social media has taken time from  my relationship with God and that something that I’m passionate about that I feel as though has slipped my mind. Without God, I would be nothing and spending time with him is not option in my life. Another negative perspective that I have on social networks would have to be the urge to see where others are in their life and often being happy for their successes, but also wanting to know when my biggest achievement will come. 

         Comparing yourself to others online is a horrible mindset to have, but everyone does it rather they realize or it not because everyone wants to live that “best life” perspective. The positive parts of social networks are the positive parts. Even though I gave my opinion on the negative, the positivity from social networks can also be overwhelming. There have been times where I have turned to social media for comfort, to assist with a car problem, or even to provide a laugh for the day. Though there are negative and positive vibes to social media, they are all still relative in my life.

    Now that you know what networks I spend most of my time on as well as my family members, I hope that you won’t judge me for the time I spend on these products, but to focus on the different emotions that each software embarks on my life!