Ah, Twitter. How you have kept me from countless hours of sleep. People with Twitter accounts tend to check them very regularly due to the easy accessibility, especially for iPhone owners. Basically, Twitter is the perfect social media site, in my opinion. A tweet is like a Facebook status, but people typically update their Twitter accounts significantly more than they do their Facebook statuses. We can even “follow” celebrities to see what’s going on in their daily lives. ‘Hash-tagging’ has erupted into a new fad that is not only used on Twitter, but also in our everyday lives. “#winning” is just one common thing that people say regularly. On Twitter, it is a HUGE deal if a celebrity or someone famous follows you back after you follow them. Twitter also offers a private chat option, but it is not very convenient, so people typically don’t use it.
Junior Taylor Justmann said:
“I really like Twitter because it’s simple and a lot less confusing than Facebook. It doesn’t constantly have a bunch of changes like Facebook. With Twitter, everything is all in one place.”
Facebook
Though Facebook is a passing fad for many teenagers, I still check it regularly. Many clubs, teams and BV groups use the site to contact people quickly. I also appreciate how all pictures are in the same place. Facebook is typically more sophisticated, which makes it more desirable for older generations. Another quality Facebook feature is group messaging. If you’ve ever had to tell multiple people the same thing or plan an event with a group of friends, a Facebook group message is the way to go. On Facebook you can also post on other peoples’ walls, which can be compared almost exactly to tagging people in a tweet.
Junior David Coventry said:
“I like Facebook because it allows me to see what’s going on and to connect with people outside of school.”
Instagram
For all the lazy social media users out there, Instagram is for you. Instagram is basically Twitter — without all of the words. Instagram is a feed of pictures, with no statuses and hardly any words involved. Like Twitter, It still uses hashtags and “@” signs to tag users. Often times people take pictures and post them on Instagram after editing them with Instagram’s filters. The filter feature allows users to put special borders and effects on the pictures they take, which is a good feature. Many fashion bloggers and stores use Instagram to get the word out about their products. If you are looking for a quick place to post the ‘selfie’ you just took, you’ve come to the right place.
Freshman Sam Kalmus said:
“I like it because it’s a convenient alternative to Facebook and it’s an easy way to share pictures.”
Pinterest
Pinterest is different than these three other sites; while it is a social media site, people don’t post about their own events. No statuses or updates are involved. Users can, however, upload their own pictures as ‘pins.’ Users can re-pin almost anything: outfits, recipes, craft projects, quotes, funny pictures, wedding ideas, etc. This site is more popular with girls, due to its fashion aspect. Users have to be invited by another user in order to join, which, in my opinion, is one of Pinterest’s few downsides.
Senior Sabrina Bode said:
“I like Pinterest because you get pictures for inspiration and ideas for do-it-yourself stuff like food and organizational ideas.”
