How I Use Different Social Media
Yesterday, my writing partner and I sent out the questionnaire that has to provide the data for our BA Project on our Facebook profiles. And it got me thinking because I very, very rarely post anything on Facebook.
I'm about to rant on about my use of my social media accounts, so for good measures let me list them with the order that I joined them and what year; Facebook (2009), Google Plus (2013), Wattpad (2014), Twitter (2014), Blogger (2014), Snapchat (2014), Instagram (2015) & Tumblr (2016).
It is by far my social media with the most "followers" since it's the one I've had the longest and it's the only one where I encourage people I meet to friend me/sent a friend request when I've met someone a couple of times. Most of my other social media accounts are somewhat anonymous, like this blog, and thus not a lot of people find it. I kind of like it that way to be honest - like on here, no one really reads it (or at least no one I know with the exception of the exchange post I allowed my mother to read while I was away) and it gives me so much freedom.
I've been writing on here since June 2014 and I honestly feel like it's done me so much good. I can essentially say whatever I want on here and not have to deal with any kind of responses that I can't block if necessary (I've never had to and I think I somehow manage to stay pretty clear of the negative side of the Internet *knocks on wood*). I can get down feelings that I can't explain out loud and it gives me a way to put my thoughts into order. I also already know that I'll love to look back on this and see what was on my mind in different stages of my life.
However, I'm always hesitant to post anything on Facebook. I like to use it to write messages in group chats with my close friends or reach out via it to people whose numbers I don't have. It's great to communicate with large groups of people, like my whole year at university or all the people from my stable. I also really like how events are created, mainly because it does give me a set time, an address and which people are showing up (all very important things for me when I have to go out and be social).
I do occasionally take a scroll down my timeline but I must admit that it rarely happens anymore. Hell, I tell myself that I try to keep my profile photo at least slightly updated and I still have the one from when I went to San Francisco summer 2014.
This fall when I was away I finally gave in and created an Instagram account. I don't know why it's always giving in for me when it comes to social media accounts but it is. Just ask one of my best friends that I've known since we were five, she's the one who convinced me to get Facebook as the last person in our whole year. I've been eyeing Instagram a while and thought why not? I started posting photos, only with English captions as that just seems prettier to me, and I really liked playing around with it. It was a way to document my exchange in photos and I know I'll look back and that and smile. However, I don't really follow anyone I know even if a couple of people followed me. I'm attempting to make my Instagram feed aesthetic AF or something. Still working on that clearly.
I started sharing the photos on Facebook as well and that was such an odd thing. I've had Twitter since March 2014 and rarely really get any interactions back. Not on Facebook where I have over 300 friends, there someone would always like or comment. I mean I was happy they like my photo but at the same time I felt like I were clotting up their timeline if I posted too much. That's probably ridiculous because they agreed to "friend" me at one point or another and if they don't want to see my attempts at being "artsy", they can either mute be or un-friend me. I really wouldn't care.
This leads me on to how I'm not really obsessed with numbers, which I guess is a good thing. I have six of my friends on Snapchat and then follow a bunch of YouTubers' stories. But I don't go around promoting my Snapchat and actually prefer to keep the number I have of real friends there low. Initially I wasn't going to let that social media be taken over by YouTubers (as my Twitter almost exclusively follows YouTubers) but I do like being able to watch their stories.
I joined Wattpad January 2014 and with the exception of my personal Facebook that is where I have the most people seeing my profile and the stories I produce there. I get that and I'm strangely much more proud of that number, 36 followers, because that all because they liked something I wrote and wanted to see more. I cherish every single follower and every single vote or comment on my stories. I'm really happy with that platform.
My Twitter also got tied into my story writing on Wattpad as I always share it on there too. I'm not sure if people actually discover things through my Twitter as I only have 12 followers on there and I'm pretty sure all of them are "follow account" that just didn't unfollow me despite that fact that I didn't follow back. Still, I use it to get my stories into the hashtags.
And I also tweet YouTubers some and occasionally they notice. I have gotten a reply and three favourites from JamesChats, a favourite from Alfie Deyes as well as being in a screenshot he tweeted, Caspar Lee mentioning one of my tweets and my handle during different live shows, a favourite from SoundproofLiz, two favourites and a reply from Niomi Smart and a favourite from Evan Edinger. I know it might seem very ridiculous that I keep track of this but I do it to remind myself that even people with loads of followers see what you're tweeting at them.
I'm still just getting used to actually being on Tumblr after having just lurked on specific blogs for a while. I'm liking it so far though and definitely want to get more into it, but I'm trying to lay off until I finish my BA Project. I have enough distractions already, I don't need to add the bottomless bit that Tumblr can be on the list.
If we need to go way back, I can't go around joining Google Plus. I'm not sure if it's officially considered a social media, probably not, but it has changed a lot. I first joined it in the early months of enrolling into university in the fall 2013. It was to use Google Docs for a group assignment and I've grown very fond of that platform for group assignments, so much that also what my writing partner and I use to store our documents. However, Google Plus got tied into YouTube and suddenly gave me the opportunity to have a subscription feed and boy, did I start going crazy with watching YouTubers.
I started watching YouTubers earlier that summer, sporadically and occasionally. The first ones I watched when I was just stumbling around without any account were Munching Orange, Jamie's World and Connor Franta.
But getting opportunity to subscribe introduced me to the concept of YouTubers and I have never looked back. It's because of them that I've gotten a lot of my social media accounts, heck even my most popular story on Wattpad is about YouTubers.
The longer I sit here, the more late I'm making myself for a very important meeting about which graduate I should pick. I guess I might be delaying it because I'm scared. I'll report back on that later, also how it went with the therapist. So many things...
However, the next post on here will probably be about my Easter holiday to Venice with my family. We're leaving this Sunday! I've been so busy that I haven't had time to get excited as the upcoming holiday sort of have snuck up on me. But I will allow myself time to get excited on Saturday.
I'm about to rant on about my use of my social media accounts, so for good measures let me list them with the order that I joined them and what year; Facebook (2009), Google Plus (2013), Wattpad (2014), Twitter (2014), Blogger (2014), Snapchat (2014), Instagram (2015) & Tumblr (2016).
Image found on Google
It is by far my social media with the most "followers" since it's the one I've had the longest and it's the only one where I encourage people I meet to friend me/sent a friend request when I've met someone a couple of times. Most of my other social media accounts are somewhat anonymous, like this blog, and thus not a lot of people find it. I kind of like it that way to be honest - like on here, no one really reads it (or at least no one I know with the exception of the exchange post I allowed my mother to read while I was away) and it gives me so much freedom.
I've been writing on here since June 2014 and I honestly feel like it's done me so much good. I can essentially say whatever I want on here and not have to deal with any kind of responses that I can't block if necessary (I've never had to and I think I somehow manage to stay pretty clear of the negative side of the Internet *knocks on wood*). I can get down feelings that I can't explain out loud and it gives me a way to put my thoughts into order. I also already know that I'll love to look back on this and see what was on my mind in different stages of my life.
However, I'm always hesitant to post anything on Facebook. I like to use it to write messages in group chats with my close friends or reach out via it to people whose numbers I don't have. It's great to communicate with large groups of people, like my whole year at university or all the people from my stable. I also really like how events are created, mainly because it does give me a set time, an address and which people are showing up (all very important things for me when I have to go out and be social).
I do occasionally take a scroll down my timeline but I must admit that it rarely happens anymore. Hell, I tell myself that I try to keep my profile photo at least slightly updated and I still have the one from when I went to San Francisco summer 2014.
This fall when I was away I finally gave in and created an Instagram account. I don't know why it's always giving in for me when it comes to social media accounts but it is. Just ask one of my best friends that I've known since we were five, she's the one who convinced me to get Facebook as the last person in our whole year. I've been eyeing Instagram a while and thought why not? I started posting photos, only with English captions as that just seems prettier to me, and I really liked playing around with it. It was a way to document my exchange in photos and I know I'll look back and that and smile. However, I don't really follow anyone I know even if a couple of people followed me. I'm attempting to make my Instagram feed aesthetic AF or something. Still working on that clearly.
I started sharing the photos on Facebook as well and that was such an odd thing. I've had Twitter since March 2014 and rarely really get any interactions back. Not on Facebook where I have over 300 friends, there someone would always like or comment. I mean I was happy they like my photo but at the same time I felt like I were clotting up their timeline if I posted too much. That's probably ridiculous because they agreed to "friend" me at one point or another and if they don't want to see my attempts at being "artsy", they can either mute be or un-friend me. I really wouldn't care.
This leads me on to how I'm not really obsessed with numbers, which I guess is a good thing. I have six of my friends on Snapchat and then follow a bunch of YouTubers' stories. But I don't go around promoting my Snapchat and actually prefer to keep the number I have of real friends there low. Initially I wasn't going to let that social media be taken over by YouTubers (as my Twitter almost exclusively follows YouTubers) but I do like being able to watch their stories.
I joined Wattpad January 2014 and with the exception of my personal Facebook that is where I have the most people seeing my profile and the stories I produce there. I get that and I'm strangely much more proud of that number, 36 followers, because that all because they liked something I wrote and wanted to see more. I cherish every single follower and every single vote or comment on my stories. I'm really happy with that platform.
My Twitter also got tied into my story writing on Wattpad as I always share it on there too. I'm not sure if people actually discover things through my Twitter as I only have 12 followers on there and I'm pretty sure all of them are "follow account" that just didn't unfollow me despite that fact that I didn't follow back. Still, I use it to get my stories into the hashtags.
And I also tweet YouTubers some and occasionally they notice. I have gotten a reply and three favourites from JamesChats, a favourite from Alfie Deyes as well as being in a screenshot he tweeted, Caspar Lee mentioning one of my tweets and my handle during different live shows, a favourite from SoundproofLiz, two favourites and a reply from Niomi Smart and a favourite from Evan Edinger. I know it might seem very ridiculous that I keep track of this but I do it to remind myself that even people with loads of followers see what you're tweeting at them.
I'm still just getting used to actually being on Tumblr after having just lurked on specific blogs for a while. I'm liking it so far though and definitely want to get more into it, but I'm trying to lay off until I finish my BA Project. I have enough distractions already, I don't need to add the bottomless bit that Tumblr can be on the list.
If we need to go way back, I can't go around joining Google Plus. I'm not sure if it's officially considered a social media, probably not, but it has changed a lot. I first joined it in the early months of enrolling into university in the fall 2013. It was to use Google Docs for a group assignment and I've grown very fond of that platform for group assignments, so much that also what my writing partner and I use to store our documents. However, Google Plus got tied into YouTube and suddenly gave me the opportunity to have a subscription feed and boy, did I start going crazy with watching YouTubers.
I started watching YouTubers earlier that summer, sporadically and occasionally. The first ones I watched when I was just stumbling around without any account were Munching Orange, Jamie's World and Connor Franta.
Images found on Google
The longer I sit here, the more late I'm making myself for a very important meeting about which graduate I should pick. I guess I might be delaying it because I'm scared. I'll report back on that later, also how it went with the therapist. So many things...
However, the next post on here will probably be about my Easter holiday to Venice with my family. We're leaving this Sunday! I've been so busy that I haven't had time to get excited as the upcoming holiday sort of have snuck up on me. But I will allow myself time to get excited on Saturday.
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