Involvement on Social Media (Focus on Snapchat and Facebook)

How I Use Digital Spaces to Communicate with Peers and to Partake in Specific Communities

 

 What did Kardashian do at the party last night? Chances are Kim directed messaged (DM'd) you on a social media account where you have added each other as friends, and you waited for the juicy updates to appear in your morning feed. After seeing the beautiful sunsets and fun times, you suddenly felt like you missed out on the experience. Social media creates a custom experience for each account holder. Like the interaction between you and Kim, each interaction through a digital community sends the user on different highs and lows. Direct messaging, taking and sharing photos or videos, and creating “posts” or “stories” are common features of social media apps. While sharing is an aspect of social media, so is the fear of missing out, a common experience described as FOMO. To avoid feeling the lows after the highs, I have learned to interact on social media in moderation. Social media provides an extension to my personal life where I can stay in touch with friends I have met in real life, find humor in the content I subscribe to, and heal from within. 

Social Media Accounts I Do Have (And Why):

   My approach to social networking apps was largely defined by a middle school experience. The environment and intention make or break a social media involvement. At the same time, culture does not exist in a vacuum. The environment in which users are introduced to social media is just as important as their intentions regarding the app. My close family introduced me to Snapchat and Facebook when I was 12 and 13. Involvement on social media personally reflects the account holder’s intentions. My involvement then was sharing funny pictures and self-expression; however, there was a time when innocence was not on my mind.

    As a middle school student, I used Snapchat to communicate with friends, view their stories, and watch short, random videos known as reels. My first relationship was nurtured by the 24/7 available contact. I remember feelings of anticipation and excitement staying up late and sleeping on call. Eventually, my 13-year-old boyfriend and I shared nudes, which along with temporary adrenaline, led to a lasting internal questioning of my views. 

    After the breakup, I felt shame and isolation. A trend known as ghosting occurred; relationships I thought were close suddenly stopped responding. The bounce took about a year. In a way, Snapchat made me stronger. Afterward at school, I faked confidence, stopping branching out in person and stopping adding people on Snapchat. I battled whether or not I should delete the app. I did for a time, but I reinstalled Snapchat for the pleasurable experience the app still offered. After reinstallation, I consciously decided to use the app responsibly and embarked on the journey that shaped the continuity of my life to this point.

    Flashforward 5 years later, and my interactions on social media have changed minimally, with few, healthy exceptions. Now at 19, I mainly communicate with my sister. Her and I's Snapchat "streak" (days in a row continually sent pictures) is 929 and counting. Along with keeping in touch with family, post on my snapchat "story" where I add quotes and silly pictures and further get to know romantic interests with conversations and full-clothed pictures. 

    What Makes an Approach "Filtered?" 

    Moderation and taking things into perspective are important tools for sifting digital spaces. I mentioned earlier that I “filter” my usage on social media. Taking a filtered approach to social media is the approach I am most comfortable with. I am more outgoing than my family is with unfamiliar apps, but I am certainly uncomfortable with the idea of communicating with people I have not met through comments. I also do not enjoy experiencing temporary instant gratification. FOMO does not feel good, nor does being ghosted. To not get my own hopes up, I set limits. My personal involvement on social media is purposefully limited. I use it as an extension of my life, not as my life.

     Everyone can relate to signing into Facebook and tensing up to see how many notifications there are about the activity in the feed. Instead of anxiety, I am grateful to "check-in" when I feel ready. This approach nourishes my chosen lifestyle. Instead of doom scrolling, I strictly use popular social media platforms Snapchat and Facebook to interact with peers and family members I have a connection to in real life. 

  Additionally, filtered means "specifically chosen." Social media accounts I specifically chose not to fully engage in the user experience are Reddit and Discord. As earlier mentioned, the environment apps are introduced in play a part in adventurousness. My family and friends did not talk about Reddit. I discovered Reddit through Google searches. Reddit is a blog-type platform where users post questions and a community answers in individual comments. My involvement on Reddit includes reading posts, but I have not answered a thread post. I would be willing to engage in the commenting process if a friend showed me the ropes. I also do not understand “sub-threads” as I find most of the content hyperlinks to more sub-threads, each becoming more niche or further from the original inquiry intended. The other app I have but rarely engage on is Discord. On Discord, users can directly message friends and see a stream of feeds of quotes and memes. I was introduced to Discord my my junior and senior year of high school through friends and my older sister whom I have the Snapchat streak with. I am a part of her group chat for the popular game Among Us but I do not use it otherwise. 

 

Social Media Accounts I Do Not Have:

    Social media is a choice to become involved in. There are options when social networking. Apps I do not partake in or interact with are Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok. Basically, I stay away from apps I was not introduced to by my family in middle school or have the potential to interrupt my happy place. LinkedIn, an almost dating site for employers to find employees, aims itself at millennials looking for careers. I am not a millennial looking for a career. I am not the targeted audience. Twitter, an app for resharing thoughts, is also aimed at previous generations and is politically geared. Again, I am not part of the targeted audience.

    Instagram and TikTok are social media platforms aimed towards high school and college students. After the revealing middle school experience, I learned I lack self-awareness and am not immune to temptations. My popular friend Autumn showed me Instagram, but my "nerd" friends did not use it. I felt the pictures were too permanent as my friend list would compose itself of middle school and high school students (at least Snapchat presented a false sense of security.) Then, as a person with ADHD, I created my own homeostasis, or happy place. I avoided TikTok because my friends were not into Vines apps that target naturally short attention spans. I have never downloaded TikTok. In middle school, I saw the crazed frenzy my friends were in from MusicLY (the sister app focusing on “Vines” that few of us remember). Though I do not use some social media, I have nothing against other's involvement in the apps. It is a personal experience, and everyone has different intentions and homeostasis.

Where Do I Stand on Social Media Now, and Community Involvement? 

     Social media can be great! Before reaching out to friends about unfamiliar apps, I would advise examining intent. Are you feeling lonely? Are you looking for ways to build a community? Are you hoping to look at your crush's feed?   Otherwise, tips on using unfamiliar social media apps would it would be researching YouTube videos and podcasts giving an overview, and asking friends and families about their experiences. Not everyone needs to limit their social media usage, but I find the approach that works best for me, someone who is easily tempted and overstimulated, is to follow content that makes me feel inspired.  Always remember to comment constructively, and stay authentic by realizing the intentions of one’s use of creating an account. 

Image Credits

"Social Media in Smartphone" by Viralyft via Pexels. 

"Iphone On Yellow Surface" by Thought Catalog via Pexels. 

"Smartphone Showing Facebook Application" by Pixabay via Pexels. 

“Person Holding Iphone Showing Social Networks Folder" by Pixabay via Pexels.

"Twins Twinning" by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon via GIPHY.