Social media is a way of life

By Austin Arias

@austinarias

A few years ago, one would wake up, shut off the alarm, get ready for the day, grab some food and head out the door to school, their job or out. Today, one does all those same things - but makes time to sit at their computer or smartphone to check their accounts on popular social networks. Taking that 10 - 15 minutes extra first thing in the morning is proof that "social media is a way of life."

 

I recently polled a number of friends and colleagues, many of which are students, about social media about how they use it in their everyday life and how it has impacted them.

Most of my interviewees started their social media lives in 2005 - 2006 with the then popular site, MySpace. All of them agreed that now MySpace has become practically defunct and they spend all their current social media time on Facebook, some on both Facebook and Twitter. The majority of them said that they spend on average 2 - 3 hours on the Facebook, at times more if they are using Facebook's chat feature to talk with friends. I had only one user say that they used Tumblr, only one who used Linkedin, only one who used Blogger and only one who used popular photo sharing site, Flickr. The majority of them said that they are usually at home when they are using their favorite sites. However, they admitted to using the sites to pass the time in work or class as an effort to multitask.

With everything in life, you have your likes and dislikes. Many interviewees had much to say when I asked them about theirs that involve social media. Every interviewee said that they enjoy the ability to connect with friends and family - many who they may have lost touch with over the years due to moving (one interviewee was a military brat), change of schools or living in different states or countries. One interviewee mentioned that the she loves the "sharing of ideas" that she has found on Facebook and Twitter when networking and interacting with people who are in her potential career field, same major or do the same extracurricular activities at their schools. Another mentioned a good point, "It's an ability to be socially active in your own comfort zone." This is a good example of how some social media can allow us to be ourselves, which is a common factor of why people use social media. In terms of dislikes, some mentioned that they don't like how people get overly personal in their posts. Some mentioned that they don't like how many use it as a way to gossip, bully or perpetuate ignorant ideas. One said that they don't like over-usage of these sites because it makes talking in person seem disconnected, since social media doesn't allow physical interaction. An interesting point that got mentioned was the amount of spamming and advertisements on social media sites, which lead to an unpleasant user experience.

It is clear by the above that social media has impacted the interviewee's lives. A few of them said that it has changed their lives significantly. They spend more time on the computer and allowed them to stay more connected with the outside world, friends and loved ones. One mentioned that it has allowed them to network with business contacts and one mentioned that it has helped them when writing stories for their blog and for journalism class. A number of them mentioned that it has helped them in relationships with fellow classmates or those in a group for class, a boyfriend or girlfriend or with family who they normally wouldn't talk to. Many also mentioned that it has caused them to be more distracted and procrastinate.

In terms of what they are doing on these sites, almost all of them said they are using it to chat with friends, read the news and share info like photos and updates. A few said they use it for research or for self-marketing through blogging or Twitter. One mentioned that they use it to keep up with their favorite celebrities.

Many were able to recount great experiences that they had because of social media. Many said that social media allowed them to connect with people from their childhood and find other people in the world with similar interests through the content they post. One mentioned that it has allowed them to connect better with the students they supervise as a Resident Assistant, as he gets to learn more about their lives and what they like. One interviewee mentioned that it allowed him to meet a celebrity who he found interesting during while being interviewed on talk show. The two have become friends thanks to a connection on social media.

I felt like I learned a lot about these people through their social media usage and their feelings about it. The group I interviewed was a diverse group who all use it for different reasons and have different views on the impact it has on us all. All of them are clearly very connected. Many argue that being too connected is a bad thing and that it will lead to adverse effects on our lives. So I asked, "Do you see negatives to being so digitally connected?" Most said yes because it is a major distraction in their lives because they are using it in classes or at home besides doing other things. One mentioned that they think it will eventually catch up with us, citing " obesity, procrastination, addiction, and confusion between the "real world" and the "virtual" world" as potential hazardous effects.

Overall, this interview excursion was extremely interesting and I feel that I better understand many of the users of social media. At the end of the day, it is true: social media is a way of life.

I think it's best summed up with a comment from one interviewee: "You are always connected. It is impossible to not be reached."