Josh McMillan Blog #1

Almost everyone uses social media in different ways. Some prefer to only use it when needed, others use it so much it interferes work and school. I like to think that I lay somewhere in the middle of those two. Going a day without social media wouldn’t be too challenging for me, but at the same time I enjoy using it when I have the time to. Through YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Reddit and sometimes Facebook, I interact with social media to pass time, gather information, and feel more connected with family and friends.

Here's what my social media
 folder looks like!

I would say that I have an average to below amount of social media for someone of my age. The apps that I have on my phone that I consider social media include Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, and Reddit. One of the most prominent social media platforms missing is Facebook. Why I choose to keep some apps on my phone and some not depends greatly on the benefit I receive from each. Each of the social media apps on my phone all have very different uses, ranging from keeping up with family, to getting the latest memes.

The social media app I use the most is YouTube. I use YouTube in many different ways. Unlike most social medias, I use YouTube in a very noninteractive way. Besides watching videos and very rarely giving a video a like, I do no interact on YouTube. However, it is still the social media app I use the most. This is due mostly to its versatility. I have a few accounts I subscribe to and watch a few times a week. I also use YouTube to pass time when I have little else to do. And finally, I will use it to search for information on how to do something or a educational tool to find videos about readings or events talked about in my classes.

Another social media app I use daily is Instagram. Compared to YouTube, I use way more of the features available to me. Although I do not post as often as others, I do post semi-frequently along with using the stories feature and direct messaging my friends. This app is how I see where my friends are traveling to, and what they are up to. I also use the stories feature to spread the word about fraternity events we have going on or to repost posts I like. I like to keep my Instagram a polished version of myself while still remaining true to who I am. I engage greatly with my friends on this platform by liking and commenting their posts, as well as sending them posts they would like. This results in Instagram being the social media platform I engage with most.

Twitter is used in a way that is unique from both Instagram and YouTube. Besides using it for class, I use Twitter to stay up to date in pop culture and to get the latest memes. Twitter is similar to YouTube in the way that I interact with posts. I do not post my own content on twitter but I do like posts that I think are funny or interesting. I do not follow meme accounts but others' retweets, likes, and suggested tweets show on my timeline. I also follow some influential people who I think are interesting. This includes some professional athletes and sports personalities. Twitter is the only platform where I follow people who are very well known.

Snapchat is another platform that I do not post on. I do snapchat friends, and group chats, but I rarely, if ever, will post something on my story. I do view other people’s stories but often times I do not watch everyone’s. Another feature I do not use is the news and subscriptions. I know people who get their news exclusively from snapchat, I do not utilize this feature at all. Snapchat is useful to me to see stories of my friends that they would not be willing to post on their Instagram. This includes private stories I’m included in. These often times are funny and more relevant to me since they are my closer friends. This all comes together to make snapchat extremely useful to keep up with my friends in a more unfiltered way.

The final social media app I have on my phone is Reddit. This app is the one that I use least often. Often times I will end up on the app from a google search that shows reddit threads as a top result. From google I will then open to page in Reddit for easier viewing. Reddit is useful for getting peoples opinion’s on matters or finding ideas to problems others have faced. I do not post, like, or follow anyone. Reddit is used exclusively to find answers to problems or to find opinions on matters I am interested in.

One popular app that I do not have on my phone is Facebook. Every once in a while I will download it again to view an event or a Facebook group that I am in. However, after viewing the things I need to I often waste a lot of time on Facebook. Unlike other apps, the content I view is often very generalized and not beneficial to me. The content tends to be videos that are captivating but not very fulfilling. This includes videos of Coke and Mentos, hot knives cutting through things, or prank videos. Another reason I don’t have the app is because most of my friends on it are people I friended in middle school. This leads to seeing updates on people I haven’t seen in ten years, which is not very entertaining. I don’t have the app on my phone because it doesn’t really serve a purpose besides wasting time.

The social media apps that I have on my phone are subject to change based on how much I have going during a particular time. For example, if I have a busy week in school or for work I will delete the apps I use most like Instagram and YouTube. This eliminates most of the temptation to go on them instead of being productive. I find this to be effective because although I could still access them through the internet, it would be much more work compared to just clicking it open.

Social media accounts for only a small portion of my life. I enjoy using it to keep in touch and pass time, but when there is a time when I cannot use it I often do not miss it. For example, last summer I spent two weeks on the Appalachian Trail. During this time I didn’t have access to my phone or the social media on it. I found that I really didn’t miss it. In fact, when I returned from the trail I didn’t download some of my social media apps for two weeks or so afterwards. This, along with deleting apps during a busy time in my life, shows that social media to me is simply an addition. I use it to pass the time and feel more connected but would be perfectly fine if I didn’t have the same access to it that I have today.

Me on the trail!