Twitter is comprised of many short tweets about anything and everything. It reminds me of my news feed on Facebook, where I can see friends' status updates and content they "liked." The limit to the characters (140) feels like a limit on a deep understanding between users. I could post the same short messages on Facebook, or do long ones as well. I don't really understand the buzz about Twitter. According to an article that did a study in 2009, tweets are mostly nonsensical babble or a conversation between people. My impression is that this 80% of tweets are people looking for attention. I would prefer to have a conversation with people in private because replying to thousands of people at the same time will be chaotic.
Facebook is like an all-in-one package. There's browser games, trending news, updates from friends, video sharing, more personal details that I can enter in my profile. I also feel Facebook is much easier to navigate and to share/like posts. The first time I used Twitter, it was difficult to re-tweet, or see other users' replies. The new sponsored ads is definitely a negative aspect right now. It was implemented recently I believe. It takes information from my browsing history or something because it recommends products I have literally searched 5 minutes ago on online retailer sites (amazon, walmart, etc).
I also visit Reddit frequently for news sharing. I think Reddit is one of the easiest places to spend a lot of time reading random posts. There are sub-reddits for almost any topic you can imagine, and if there isn't, I think you can start one! You can find users that share interests in a movie, game, trending topic, hobby, and the list goes on forever. There are super fun posts like TIL (today I learned) where you hear some interesting stories and facts you never knew. For example, "witch windows" are diagonal windows that exist almost exclusively in Vermont, and the name comes from the belief that witches can't fly through slanted windows on their brooms.
YouTube is also a form of social media and one of the most popular sites. YouTube is good for looking for videos, it's not that great of a 2-way conversation. You can only comment on videos, which sometimes don't get responses for a while. Even viral videos that get millions of views sometimes start at Reddit, where a user will post the link and it gets shared instantly to millions of people. But people can make any kind of video they want, so it encourages a lot of creativity. You can listen to music, watch how-to videos, learn academics, or upload your own videos - all for free!
In conclusion, the usefulness of a social networking site depends on how the people use it. They can do amazing things like change the world through petitions, charitable causes, and spread awareness of those less fortunate. But people can also post about eating a bagel with cream cheese this morning, which may be interesting to their friends, but is a waste of time in my opinion.
Hi Kar,
ReplyDeleteI like your taste on these social media sites especially for Reddit mainly because I am a daily reader of Reddit as well. It is amazing how social media has changed throughout the course of the last few decades. Nowadays, most people wouldn't survive without checking his or her Facebook or Instagram or social media in general. It has become a vital part of our lives especially for teenagers.