Reevaluating My Use of Social Media Technologies

Looking back on my first blog post of the semester, I can see that some of my social media uses have changed. For instance, thanks to our class Twitter feed, I have been able to engage in some good back-and-forths about issues with the readings each week. Interacting and finding out whether my classmates are facing the same issues with the reading before class has been good as it has allowed me to ease up on overanalyzing readings assuming that it is just me that isn't following a given author's argument.
One thing that I was wary of when class began was the intense targeting of advertisements on Facebook. When I used to use it more frequently, I would always be disturbed by how accurate some of ads were. This bothered me to the point where it was one of the major factors in my giving up on the network. After our discussions in class of marketing and the amount of information Facebook collects has been really eye opening. I think that although in using the site, a user is agreeing to terms and conditions, which likely outline this practice, it is still disturbing how much they know. I also assume that, based on being able to get a .zip file of all of the information they have about you, even erasing your gender, sexual orientation, age, and location from your page would not change this as they probably have it stored. It's all a bit too Big Brother-esque.

Having this class an opportunity to have an open forum to discuss our social media use, and analyze it in reference to academic articles, was definitely valuable to me. I think most people who log on daily to Facebook or Twitter do not think beyond it as a chance to see photos from a friend's vacation, check the news, or post an update about themselves. Being able to compare my use to others, compare our backgrounds in social media use, and understand how it places in a greater picture of social media use has helped me realize that I am probably in the middle ground of social media "prosumers," which is something I am fine with.


Clarke

My Problem with Social Media

Looking back on my first blog post for this class (that I actually only emailed so it is not on this site), I found that I was rather euphemistic in talking about my use of technology. Yes, I admitted to my high usage of it, but I was not willing to admit that there were any negative consequences for checking Facebook 10 times a day, or constantly sitting on Gmail.


Things are a bit different now. Although I knew lots about social networking before I even took this class, I find that I am now more critical about my personal use. I am worried, for myself! Thankfully I get to graduate in a month, and I can take a break (as I discussed in class). I don’t believe that I am in deep trouble, but I now believe that with what I have learned about targeted marketing, search personalization, privacy and even psychological effects of spending so much time looking at a screen, I can’t rightfully use the Internet as I used to.  I know that I am a communications major and that, because of this, I will be searching for the true reason why I am so connected to the web- what it says about ME and the society I live in today, but all I can come up with is that the more and more research is done about this online phenomena, the more we realize that it is up to individual choice. The Internet is about US, ME, YOU, but specific to ourselves. We are the society of narcissim. I don’t want to be vain, but the Internet makes it so darn easy sometimes. Make me stop! No, it’s not anybody’s job but my own. I really, really, want to be done for awhile.


What was so interesting is that all the articles we read, or most, were so relatable, like Colleen said. I did indeed, unintentionally, perform my friendships on Myspace for other girls. One of my best friends had to deal with “coming out” in the age we are in today, and Facebook served as an interesting platform to track that process.


In my first post I said that “my usage is always changing based on the times”, and this could be very telling right now. Why am I being so hard on myself about my usage? Probably because I am right in the middle, or at the beginning of the end of my finals. Procrastination central is what I am currently experiencing, and I think that when we are in need of a distraction, the internet can make us feel worse about ourselves. I still, like I said in my earlier post, need to find a balance. Balance is so extremely important in this world today and now that I know even more about social networking, I will try my hardest. If only I could use social networking to my own benefit, but at the moment, I have no idea what job lies ahead of me, so it is hard to seek out potentially interested people when I have no impetus…until next time.


Oh, and I still just can't seem to get twitter. 

 

~Sophie G. 

Blog #6: Response to Ivy Y. & Re-evaluation of Social Media Use & Identity

As I look back on my initial blog post, written at the beginning of the semester, I haven't really changed much in my outlook on social media. I am still a fervent fan of face-to-face interaction and experiencing all that we can through physical-empirical experiences (a Facebook check-in here and there is fine, but for one to pick up their phone every single time in the face of company is still annoying to me). Having said this, I definitely agree with Ivy's "The Real 'I'" post when she notes that "social media is just a tool and social necessity", but that this class's analytical take on social media has led us to become more wary of our online identities and actions. Offering incite into the seemingly inevitable emotional attachments SM users take on, I like that Ivy highlights that people need to focus more on the creation of our real identities --quality included-- and that we need to lessen our fixation on the creation and maintenance of our online personae because arguably, it is the real interpersonal relationships we hold that have substance, and nothing can truly take the place of a face-to-face physically interactive encounter.

Notice --I wrote that I like this notion, but I don't completely agree anymore that we can generalize this notion --placing emphasis on the development of face-to-face encounters to everyone who is an SM user. As we have done readings on online communities and those who are psychologically and emotionally attached to their online selves (i.e. SecondLife, LamdaMOO), my outlook has definitely changed as I empathize with those who feel as though their real selves are in fact their online selves because they cannot be who they want to be in the real world. What I have realized with our studies is that identity cannot always be clearly defined. There are gray areas; in some cases, identities can overlap both in the real and online world, while for some, especially for those who may have different interests or perspectives from everyday societal norms, the online is completely separate and real; a place where they can be who they want to be with whomever they want to be with. I never thought that I could see online communities as a place of real substance; one where people can have real emotional attachments, but knowing friends who have forged real relationships via Tumblr and through my own research on the digital afterlife (online communities mourning for people they know online but have never met in person), It is a bit strange to me, I admit, but I'm beginning to understand more how these non-physical spaces (cyberspace) can actually occupy a place in one's reality.

--Charli Lee.

Social media use: now and then

Looking back to the beginning of the semester, I have noticed some slight changes in my use of social media—not necessarily in the types of social media (I still primarily use Facebook, Twitter, and email), but in the purpose. Ivy mentioned in her post that she has begun using social media as a branding tool, and I feel I have done this as well. While I still use my Facebook and Twitter accounts as a way of keeping up with my friends’ lives, I’ve noticed that I now pay much closer attention to the image of myself I’m projecting through my status updates, profile, and pictures. I’m much more conscious of the information that potential employers might be able to find on my social networking sites and want to make sure that my profiles give a favorable impression of me. It’s not too much of a change, because I’ve always been pretty cautious about the things I post online. But the knowledge that someone who could decide my future job might be evaluating my Facebook profile certainly informs my decisions now. I have also become much more active on Twitter because of this course (and also because a lot of my friends have recently started using Twitter…but I think I like using Twitter more thanks to CSMT).

 

Social media has taken on a whole new meaning for me after being in this class. I had never really thought critically about why I chose to make my profile look a certain way, list specific tastes or interests, or post certain types of pictures; I just did and that was that. Our readings really opened my eyes to the larger cultural shift in the way our generation negotiates identity, self-presentation, and friendships that has occurred because of social media. What really surprised me was how well I was able to relate to and recognize myself in the case studies and research projects that we read about. When I go back through the years of archived material on my Facebook and view it through the lens of these readings, I am able to fit my 16, 17, 18+ year old-self in perfectly with the adolescent girls discussed by Dobson, Banet-Weiser, and others. As Colleen said, it is certainly humbling to realize that so many other people have used these media in exactly the same ways you have.

 

I’m not sure if my personal social media use will change much in the future. One of my primary reasons for being an active Facebook and Twitter user is to easily share important updates in my life with the people I care about and that care about me. As I approach important milestones—graduation, my first real job, and possibly marriage and having kids further down the road—I know I will probably want to talk about those things just as I have with other past events. I’m sure that the landscape of social media will change as new sites and technologies are developed, but I feel that, now that we are so embedded in an environment of constant networked communications, it would be nearly impossible to ever truly go back to a world without social media as we know it.
 
-Nicole F // @nmf255

Reflection on Social Media Usage

Over the course of this semester, my social media habits have not changed greatly. I have toned down my Twitter account a bit, as well as become more involved on the professional networking site LinkedIn. Otherwise I think my habits have stayed fairly similar. I deleted my Facebook account in late August and have fought what little desire I had to reactivate the account. Mainly I miss seeing pictures of my friends’ children growing up and the photos my brother and father post, but I can do without.

My Twitter account, which was profoundly inappropriate, has now been toned down due to the fact that my work colleagues follow me. When I made the decision to accept their follow requests I also assumed a responsibility for the content I post. As it is no longer friends and strangers I am more careful about how explicit or personal my posts are. I believe that some of the in-class discussion we had about self-censorship may have played a role in this shift, but also a bit of my own common sense. In some cases I feel it may be necessary to maintain separate account for different facets of my life (work, school, professional), but that is a bit of an inconvenience.

Also, as we approach the end of the semester, I have become more inclined to find and connect with people on LinkedIn. This activity is closely correlated to my desire to find a job in 6 months rather than class topics.

Overall I think the class topics have been intriguing and relevant, but perhaps more so to those that maintain social media accounts where profiles are the norm. I’m an outlier in that case, aside from my LinkedIn. Largely I’ve found in my own life that political and ethical issues don’t have much bearing on my social media usage. If I don’t know enough about a political topic or movement I don’t want to address it to my 150 followers who may be better informed. On the other hand, I could see myself using Twitter as a sort of grassroots method to recruit voters for the 2012 elections. I’m an enigma.

In years to come, it will be interesting to see how social media becomes more or less prevalent in certain fields (professional networking, music etc.). Especially considering how we – as a generation that grew up on MySpace and Facebook – will adapt.

S.Nelson

The real "I"

In the beginning of the semester, social media is just a tool and social necessity that I engaged in without thinking much about the reasoning and consequences of my actions. Throughout the semester, the understanding of the social medium through various analytical lenses has led me to more closely monitor my actions and language on social networks. Also, before the class I have never really talked about social networking sites with my friends of classmates. In the seminar environment, it is so interesting to hear other people's stories of themselves and their distilled reflection of what they think of other's actions. It is invaluable as a media major to gain such insights into other people's social media habits. Having heard others' stories, I became more careful about what I do on social networking sites knowing more clearly that everything I say will be taken into consideration of my personal identity. I've realized that I use SNS less as a venting outlet but more as a branding tool. I say less because I would be judged less by the little that I express, I "like" others' photos and status more because it is a neutral way of being engaged while in the mean time being disengaged. I have become moderate--engaged in social media because it is still a social necessity but want to disentangle myself from the drama and emotional attachment of SNS because I still believe that everyone eventually grows out of it. Growing out not in the sense of abandonment but in detachment. There is a fine line between real d online personality-- and as one grows older, the focus should be more on the creation of quality, real identity and less fixated on the online identity. It matters less how many comments one receives for a picture or how many facebook friends one has, the real interpersonal relationships should be beyond that level of superficiality and more about face to face encounters. I think in the process of this class, I've gotten a fuller and more realistic picture about what online identity really means and how it should be perceived. I think such realization will serve me well in the long run because while I understand the importance of branding myself  though SNS platforms, my approach will be more rational and focused knowing that an online identity is and a supplement, not replacement, of my authentic, genuine identity. 

Ivy Y.

Social Channels of Communication

Reflecting back to the beginning of the semester I can definitely say that my use of social media and its integration into my everyday life has drastically increased. When I first enrolled in our Social Media Seminar, my technological capacity stopped at Facebook and Twitter.  I would go through phases of heavy Facebook use, but in the months leading into Fall my digital voice was exercised on Twitter to a greater degree. My goal coming into this class was to obtain a deeper understanding of the impact and importance social media has on business.  Over the course of the last few months, I've come to realize the broader significance of social media as an agent that affects the ways in which we communicate not only in business but throughout our lives.  In comparing my use of social media between then and now, I have added another channel to my case.  I recently created a FourSquare account and am yearning to tap into Spotify.  The volume of my tweets has increased.  In addition, I find myself tweeting more about digital applications in social spaces.  While my Facebook usage might not have increased, I do find that I have become much more conscious about what I share with the public.  In addition, I noticed that I am slowly bridging the interest gap between Twitter and Facebook. While my Twitter is heavily geared towards my professional side and my Facebook is tweaked to reflect my character, I've noticed that the two are merging to become slightly more in sync. 

My thoughts of social media have changed drastically.  I did not think participating in social media was a necessity at first.  But after learning about the ways in which social media can be optimized for marketing (whether it is a brand or an individual), I've come to realize how vital it is to be a participant in this movement.  Communication is undergoing a paradigm shift in which information is no longer broadcasted but rather talked about amongst people.  In truth, prior to this class I actually rarely read reviews for products before buying them.   Now, I am religious about reading what others have to say about their experiences with a product or company.  In turn I find that I share my experiences more often as well. Word-of-mouth marketing has always been powerful.  One of the first benefits appointed to the use of social media was ability to spread word of a brand from person to person.  However, what developed is my understanding of why this matters.  The obvious trust of peers opinion was not the only factor.  The empowerment that social media gives to the user is actually making the world more consumer-centric place.  Brands, institutions, organizations are confronted with voices that have a vast potential to share experiences.  Social media is the multipurpose avenue for sharing that forces these socioeconomic entities to listen, cater, and deliver.  I still think I have much to comprehend about the benefits and risk areas of social media, however after that past few months I feel a newfound comfort with the medium. 

I am quite ecstatic that I took this course because I know that social media will change.  To have a foreground understanding of it will help understand and be aware of the changes taking place. Facebook has this inside saying "we're one percent finished."  While I do feel like social media has trumped this one percent, we are still in the beginning stages.  Companies are just learning how to use social media in a way that genuinely engage people.  The Facebook "Like" was the inception of prompting consumer engagement.  Just a few years from that development we already see companies finding new ways to enhance experiences and engage its audience base through digital applications. I feel like social media is only going to grow and with it will the privacy and ethical issues will come to focus.  We already see how institutions are coming to the realization that social media is a force to reckon with, as they try implement limitations.  I am curious to witness the evolution this medium and the way large entities of power use and confront it. 

@gabolletta

Re-reflection of My Use of Social Media

Looking back at my first blog post for the class, I don’t think I have changed much of how I use social media on a daily basis. The same routine still goes on the majority of the time when I open my internet browers, “check my personal email and school email, look at news feed on Facebook, read timeline on Twitter and then scroll through my Tumblr dashboard.” I constantly check my emails, whenever I get the chance because I am applying to jobs, so I’m always hoping someone will be emailing to request an interview.


I also noticed I use Facebook less compare to the beginning of the semester. Maybe because of the new Facebook layout change and the way news feed is placed and ordered. News feed seem to be more clutter and harder to get information I need and want to see. It might also have to do with how I have less time to do school work and many other things so I simply don’t have the time to log on to Facebook constantly to check up on what everyone is doing.


I definitely use Twitter more often than I did before. I also became more mindful of my audience when I tweet on my personal Twitter account and my public Twitter account. My personal twitter account is filled with me blabbing about the traffic and other unimportant detail of my day that I believe my friends would care about. Whereas on my public Twitter account, I like to retweet articles related to social media, technology, marketing and advertising that I think the unknown audience would be interested in. For my public Twitter account, I check what I say and make sure it’s appropriate since it is a reflection of me.


For the future, my use of social media will not be changed too much – I will still have different voice/medium I use for public and private. Because not the entire world needs to know where or what I ate for lunch. I will still be careful the sort of information I share on the internet because the understanding I have of the different privacy settings on different social media platform, and the information they take for advertisers. 

 

@jayckah

Critical Review on Socialnomics

"Socialnomics sounds Explosive, but is a Dud"
By David F. Freeman (http://www.amazon.com/review/R1JLK8RCJZOU8P/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R1JLK8RCJZOU8P)

This book is full of superficial anecdotes and miniscule case studies, platitudes and generalizations, unsupported opinions, idle speculation, specious claims, inconsistent style, imprecise language, typos, and bad punctuation.  

In some of Qualman's examples, I couldn't tell whether the facts were real or hypothetical. In many of the micro-case studies, he shows how a company accomplished a certain objective through social media, but does not establish that the objectives could not have been accomplished more cost-effectively through other marketing channels.  

He describes the case of Dancing Matt--about Matt Harding, who filmed himself dancing around the world and put his videos on YouTube. The videos were hugely popular, so Stride Gum sponsored his further travels and video production. Stride exercised restraint and placed its logo discreetly at the end of the video (in the post roll). Qualman claims Stride earned "millions of dollars in brand equity," but does not support that claim with any data or sources. Is it his own guesstimate, or did the company tell him it earned "millions"? No clue. 

He claims that social media activities "connect parents to their kids like never before." He offers no source, data, or study to support that statement, and he is clearly not qualified to offer that opinion. 

@jayckah (sorry I'm so late on this!)

My (New and Improved?) Use of Social Media

In class this past week, we ended up discussing whether or not we were being too critical of social media technologies as scholars on the subject. As I’m sure many others in the class would agree, this type of conversation comes up often in communications courses, as you are looking extremely hard at very personal habits of interaction, picking them apart in hopes of best understanding them and their functions.

However, looking back on my first post, I was surprised to see that it appears I have been cynical about social media from the start! Reflecting back, I actually almost feel like I am less distrustful of social media sites now than I was at the start of the course since I now understand the full picture of social media—from its history to its use to its business properties—more than I did in the beginning.

In my first post, I looked back at the timeline of my social media use, from email to Facebook and everything in-between. After reading the selections on adolescent social media use, my experience seems almost uncannily normal. Embarrassingly enough, I easily could have fit into the statistics of how teens used Myspace from Dobson’s study on young Australian women, as I took the same “goofy” types of pictures and posted the same quotes and song lyrics that I dedicated to “mah gurlz.” There is definitely something humbling about realizing that no, you are not the only person who had these sort of experiences and interactions with a medium—in fact, you are one out of millions who probably used it in almost an identical way.

The main issue I raised with social media in my original post had been about privacy, which is definitely still a concern of mine today. As I am now actually about to graduate and my job search is becoming more and more of a priority, I have absolutely made some changes in my use of social media, from changing my name on my Facebook profile in hopes of becoming even more difficult for employers to find to updating my LinkedIn page in hopes that an employer will find it.

Reading pieces such as boyd’s “Facebook’s Privacy Trainwreck” reminded me of how actually terrifying it had been when Facebook implemented their Newsfeed and made me nervous about the Timeline change on the horizon (speaking of which, does anyone know when that’s happening?). The idea of my personal profiles becoming more accessible still makes me extremely uncomfortable, and it is evident from pieces such as boyd’s that I am not alone in that feeling.

But at the same time, my experience in seeing how “normal” my use of social media was made me realize that while these companies may have access to my information, it is not as “personal” as I always believed it to be. Can they track the websites I am on? Yes. But are any of them really monitoring me as anything more than a product? Aside from the companies I am applying to that are probably vetting me via Google, most likely not. I think many people panic that their lives are completely out on display, but when millions—if not billions—of users are revealing this same information, it seems significantly less damaging.

Therefore, while I still am very stringent about the sort of information I am willing to share, I do feel that this course gave me more of a perspective on social media and its role in our lives. It made me realize that while social media sites are designed to be able to be used as your profile and your platform of communication, they are not at all about you—they are in truth massive businesses that you are simply a statistic in. While I guess I always knew this in the back of my mind, this course really helped me conceptualize how large the industry of social media is. Really looking at it, it is almost incomprehensible to try to grasp the size and sphere on social media, and I honestly believe that an entire major could (and probably will) be devoted towards studies of it in the near future. It is such a fast-growing field, both in the number of adopters and of academics on the subject, so it is very interesting to have started studying it as this point when there is significant knowledge of it but still so much to learn.

 

- Colleen