I have always been told to put down my phone. In middle school, my parents would catch me on my phone late at night and take it away from me so I would go to sleep. I was told it was bad for your eyes to stare at a screen too long; that technology was making people more shallow; that it’s a waste of time.
Screenagers!
To my surprise, the argument in this class is to consume more media. That if you consume more media, you are becoming media literate, you are boosting creativity, and you are keeping in touch with the large world around you.
I decided to log my social media use on Sunday, January 21st. In total, I logged 3 hours and 51 minutes of social media consumption in one day.
I’m unsure if that’s too much or too little.
I found that, like many others, I go on social media when I’m bored. If I am not doing something (or doing something I don’t want to do), I whip out my phone. When I wake up, the first thing I do is check my phone for any notifications I missed while asleep. As I’m brushing my teeth, one hand holds a toothbrush while the other scrolls through Instagram. When my friend gets up to get more food, my hand reaches for my phone to check my Snapchat.
I don’t watch much of my media. I have never felt a need to spend money on my entertainment, which causes my lack of a Netflix or Hulu account. Luckily, this also keeps me from becoming addicted to any shows (and I easily would). Instead, I either listen to music or watch Youtube videos. I realized that I never solely sit down and focus on a video, however. I’ll play a Youtube video and listen to it in the shower, listen to one as I do my hair, and listen to another as I do my makeup.
My go-to is always Snapchat and Instagram stories. Most of my friends don’t post very much on their accounts (and I do the same). There is a certain appeal of posting a photo that disappears within 24 hours — the lack of permanence means less thought has to go into it. They are much more personal and real, unlike heavily filtered and edited posts. Tapping through stories, I will see some of my favorite Instagrammers directly talking to their fans while my friends are posting what they’re eating. I can swipe up and reply to a Snapchat story and answer poll questions on Instafamous blogggers all on the same platform.
However, in total, I spend the majority of my social media consumption on Instagram. I like to think of Instagram as a way to share creativity and inspire others. Some of my favorite Instagram accounts are of girls who lift a lot of weights, wear nice makeup, and have cute outfits. My feed is filled with girls who inspire me to improve myself and I use their content to learn and follow.
When it comes to news, however, I consume it in probably the worst way possible. About a year ago, I turned on Twiter notifications for CNN Breaking News, Fox Breaking News, Complex News, and BBC Breaking News. Each time they tweet, a notification pops up on my phone and I read the headline. If it’s interesting to me, I’ll open it and read more. This doesn’t happen very often.
I believe my social media habits reveal that I am an easily bored and impatient person. I find I need to fill my time with some sort of entertainment — even if it’s three minutes between sets at the gym. Snapchats that are only seconds long and Instagram stories that are quickly skipped through reveal the way I and many others like to consume our media — in quick, short bursts. But I don’t think I’m far off of the social media habits of many others my own age. Nearly every other teenager uses social media religiously — many probably even more than me.
Although there are arguments for and against social media use, it has obvious benefits. I try to use my phone as a tool not only for killing time, but to keep up with the world around me. I use social media as a means to keep up with news and politics (although I could be doing a better job of it), keep up with my friends, and get inspiration for my own creativity.
an inkling 