Social Networking Sites

The four most used social networking websites are Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram. Even though the display of the platforms are different, the general function and use serve the same purpose: communicating.

Personally, I use Facebook more frequently than the other social media platforms. The primary reason is that the use of messenger, has replaced texting and phone calls in my personal life. At the same time, Facebook is a convenient way of keeping up with the recent events. There are times when my friends would share various types of news articles. Other times, they share mood lightening photos and videos. I really enjoy using Facebook not just for communicating, but also for browsing the different pages that are available. Keeping up with the trends is also something Facebook is really good at displaying.

Instagram is another social media platform that I check multiple times a day. Unlike Facebook, Instagram is a way for me to follow people that I look up to or browse accounts that I can draw inspiration from. For example, a majority of the influencers that I watch on YouTube, I also follow on Instagram. I use this platform not as a way of communicating, but as a way of getting quick updates in other people’s lives. At the same time, I use Instagram as a form of a “quick break” when exam season comes around. Navigating it is extremely easy as well. The presentation of this platform is also really enticing. The colors are bright and depending on the individuals that you follow, the posts all contain a bright color that catches your eye as you scroll.

On the other hand, Snapchat is another app that I use on the daily. However, I use Snapchat more to keep my “streaks” as opposed to watching other people’s story and seeing what they’re up to. To me, snapping once a day is also a form of communicating. I usually snap something once in the morning and then forget about it. The only times when I open up snaps from other people is when I have free time and don’t really have anything else to do. Either way, in my opinion, Snapchat is a good way of keeping a constant flow of communication between friends. Something that’s not exactly pleasant about Snapchat is the way its formatted. It gets confusing when there are other features like mini snaps on the bottom of the ones that are from individuals that you have added.

The last social media platform is Twitter. Twitter is something new to me. I’ve heard about people “tweeting” and what you can find on there. It wasn’t until this class that I have had exposure to Twitter. From the first impression, the layout reminds me of Facebook. Where there’s a tool bar on both sides of the newsfeed. As soon as I log on, there are posts from other people, just like that way Facebook has them. The only difference that I appreciate is that there’s a character limit. I feel more inclined to read when the caption of something an individual is sharing gets straight to the point and there’s no need to write a long story for the sharing post.

In general, I still prefer to stick with Facebook and Instagram as my top 2 forms of social media platforms. The layout of the platform is easy to follow and there isn't a pressure to constantly log on like Snapchat. I am not as familiar with Twitter, but maybe later down the line, I would prefer using Twitter than Instagram.