Social Media In-Depth
January 10, 2017
Social media is a crucial part of our daily lives. With new forms of media being produced each year comes new ways of communicating with those around us. According to Dream Grow, the most popular social media sites of 2016 are: Facebook, Snapchat, Youtube, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, and Vine. We at ENN want to see if this demographic follows a similar pattern to the students opinions at Totino-Grace.
Snapchat
A popular mobile app known for its ten second picture/video communication. This social media is quick and easy to use with just the click of a button. Snapchat is mainly utilized as a person-to-person form of communication; however, with it’s story feature, users can post multiple ‘snaps’ to their story which is viewed by all of their friends.
Another recently added feature is group snaps where multiple people can share messages and pictures to each other. Snapchat rewards users who snap each other each day with a snap streak. This feature gives an initiative to users to keep snapping their friends to increase this streak day-by-day.
Snapchat allows users to customize their snaps with filters. These filters range from banners displaying the state or city they’re in to animated filters triggered by one moving their eyebrows, mouth, etc. Snapchat has a memory feature where users can save their photos to. This is different from the camera roll because photos are saved directly to one’s Snapchat; however, photos are able to be transferred to one’s camera roll.
Lastly, Snapchat has a video calling feature where users can call one another, similar to Apple’s Facetime. This social media received 137 votes (50.9%), and was the most popular at Totino-Grace.
Youtube
A popular video sharing site where users can create or view content. Youtube has a variety of categories featuring a range of videos. Users can subscribe to other content creators, allowing them to get notifications when they post a video. In addition, Youtube has a like/dislike feature where users can provide basic feedback to the videos, and a comment section where users can expand on this feedback. Lastly, Youtube allows users to stream live videos on their site to their subscribers and other users. This social media received 59 votes (21.9%), and was the second most popular at Totino-Grace.
Another popular app where users can post and view each other’s photos/videos. Instagram consists of a follower base where users can follow and get followed. On each photo one posts there is a comment section for their followers to comment and a like button which their followers.
Recently Instagram has adapted the story format from Instagram where users can post a story that their followers can view. Instagram has a direct message feature where you and those who follow you back can send messages privately. Lastly, Instagram allows users to stream live videos to their followers where they can comment and like the stream. This social media received 37 votes (13.8%), and was the third most popular at Totino-Grace.
Twitter
A social media platform where users can post tweets up to 140 characters. Users are able to tweet each other through sending tweets containing one’s @. Users are able to like and retweet tweets they like, and have a follower base similar to Instagram’s. Each twitter profile contain an avatar, header and biography which one can customize. Twitter has a notification tap where users can see tweets that mention them, new followers, and likes/retweets. Lastly, similar to Instagram, Twitter has a direct message feature where you and those who follow you back can send messages privately. This social media received 18 votes (6.7%), and was the fourth most popular at Totino-Grace.
A social media platform where users can post stories and videos on a variety of topics. Reddit’s story tabs include: hot, new, rising, controversial, top, gilded, wiki and promoted. Each story can get upvoted or downvoted by users, and has a comment section for user communication. Each story has a share button which allows users to share that selected story to other forms of social media. Users can create their own stories or view others posted stories. This social media received 9 votes (3.3%), and was the fifth most popular at Totino-Grace.
Vine
A social media platform allowing users to post or view six second vines. Vine features a multitude of categories allowing for a variety of different vines. Viners can follow and get followed by other viners. Each vine has a comment section where viewers can comment, as well as a like and revine button. Vines have a counter called ‘loops’ which shows how many times that vine has been viewed. The site features three different tabs: the homepage, popular now and trending. This social media received 2 votes (0.7%), and was the least popular at Totino-Grace.
Facebook
A social media platform where users can post videos, pictures, and other thoughts. Users can friend those they know, and accept friend requests. Facebook also has a game section where users can play featured games. Each profile consists of an avatar and header which users can customize. User can tag each other in their posts which shows up on each others timeline. Each post consists of a like button, comment section and a share button which friends can interact
with.
Facebook has evolved over the years, adapting a live tab featuring recent videos and news, a shop where users can purchase a variety of items, and a live video feature where users can stream to their friends. Lastly, Facebook has a notification tab where users can see their requests, mentions and liked photos, as well as a direct message feature where friends can speak privately. This social media received 2 votes (0.7%), and was the least popular at Totino-Grace.
*The ‘other’ category received 5 votes (1.9%), and was the sixth most popular at Totino-Grace
ENN asked two students from each grade what their favorite social media was and why, below are their responses:
Freshmen
Liam Vance:
“Probably Snapchat, because it is the easiest way to send a video or picture to a very large group of specific people. You are able to send pictures without keeping them, in turn saving memory on your phone. On top of that they also have a section where companies like ESPN, or CNN are able to create stories where they can able to share news, viral videos, or highlights from sports that only last 10 to 15 seconds, and I am able to skip them if I’m not interested.”
Emma Kalberer:
“I like Snapchat because it’s an easy way to see what your friends are up to and share pictures with them. I like the fact it’s easy to connect to people and you can read articles on it. They always are creating new updates to make it more fun and simple. The only reason I dislike it is because there are sometimes some creeps.”
Sophomore
Muny Ngigi:
“I like twitter because I can share the things I want to say once, and then everyone can see it.”
“My favorite is Snapchat because I like that you can talk to people on a more personal level and it’s quicker to use than Instagram. I like the streaks and stories; however, I don’t like that you can save every conversation.”
Junior
Peyton Schuler:
“I really love MySpace because of all their new and innovative features. All my friends are on MySpace and it is always nice to be able to communicate with them through the internet. Also, G-Flo is on MySpace which makes it even more fun and entertaining!”
Cassidy Matter:
“My favorite social media is Snapchat because it is the quickest way to communicate and most creative way to talk with friends. I like it because you can actually see people emotions behind their words, so you always know what context someone is speaking in! I don’t like that you have to be in wifi to use the app.”
Senior
Mark O’ Donnell:
“I really enjoy the app Kik on my phone. I can send messages to people I just met online and being able to meet new people around the world is great.”
