What I really think about Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Blogs, and Instagram.
Image by Merakist
On Snapchat,
Snapchat is now mostly used by teenagers because of its “fun” filters. However, I find some use in having Snapchat because it allows you to capture a moment that you don’t want to hold on to but want to share for a couple of seconds with someone. Many times, my snaps include pictures that would never make the cut for Instagram but are worthy of sharing with some people or pictures of things I find bizarre or funny.
On Facebook,
At this point for us millennials, Facebook is mostly used for communication. We send a message on messenger as opposed to sending a text. That makes it easier because we have all our friends there and can maybe tell whether they’re available to talk based on whether they are online. Also, it’s more efficient to send files, images, memes, create groups, etc.
On Twitter,
Twitter for me is mostly a “tool” for journalism. It’s an easy way to keep track of who said what in a very brief way. You can read a politician’s tweets and get a sense of what they’re like or who they support. Many news outlets do a good job of laconically sharing stories on Twitter. I tweet very rarely. Reasons I tweet include: when I think the material is worthy of a retweet (in terms of newsworthiness), when I want to win a giveaway lol or when there is an event that people ask us to tweet about.
My Twitter account is @elenakefi
On Pinterest,
I use it to save ideas for different things. For example, I have boards ranging from traveling, to workout routines to recipes.
You can check my two accounts here: Elena Kefi and Food from all over the world, Design & Destinations.
On Blogs,
It really varies from person to person. I don’t use it for commercial reasons. For me, it’s just a platform to share my thoughts, stories, and advice because I like to write. It’s also a way to keep me writing and practicing. If you enjoy my blog, I’m happy but if you don’t, I’m not offended.
On Instagram,
Instagram has been the most debated platform in terms of its usefulness. First, I’ll start by giving you some statistics.
Based on an article at Forbes, Instagram has currently reached approximately 1 billion users. It has been shown to be effective in advertising certain products that appeal mostly to millennials who are the majority of Instagram users. The right influencer can, in fact, make a difference to a business that is what we call “Instagramable.” In understanding this, it is important to acknowledge that not all businesses can be successful in using social media. Some businesses depend on other factors and having a social media account does not add any value to their business other than a presence in the platform. I’ll not list here which businesses I consider to be less successful using social media because I’m not an expert; this is simply my opinion.
Below is a quote from a Guardian article on Instagram:
“The challenge for businesses is to make their premises attractive to social media influencers, so they pose up a storm in front of your store or hotel, luring in followers hungry for the perfect photo opportunity. According to Culture Track, a 2017 report by a marketing firm that tracked more than 4,000 cultural consumers in the US, respondents said they would rather have fun than be educated by cultural offerings, and preferred experiencing new things to learning something new at exhibitions.”
Just to clarify I do not agree with those consumers as I would prefer to be educated and experience new things at exhibitions. Having fun while doing that would also be nice but I don’t see the two as separate.
To read more on Instagram, here are two great articles that are kind of sad too in the sense that young people have really forgotten how to experience the world without a smartphone.
After this long intro. I’ll now tell you how I use Instagram:
To me, Instagram is a platform to share my favorite pictures whether they’re pictures of myself or with friends or of places I’ve loved.
It’s also a way to connect with companies whose products I genuinely like and want to share with others.
In terms of Instagram stories, I use those for pictures that don’t make the cut for my feed but are still worth sharing.
Another reason is because one of my jobs requires me to maintain a social media account and be social media savvy in general. That also comes handy with being a journalist, and a creative writer who is also into marketing and advertising. Sadly, Instagram is now a necessary skill.
Lastly, I do find some Instagram feeds inspiring and enjoy sharing private messages with friends when I find another post worthwhile to share. Usually, it’s a place I want to travel to with someone else.
P.S. Having been abroad for so long, sometimes I enjoy going through my Instagram and looking at my favorite old memories with people. Those are easily accessible because they’re concentrated on my feed. Though to be fair, there are some beautiful memories in my camera roll too.
My Instagram is @elenakefi
Finally, if you’re not a fan of social media, here is a way to stay connected and still acknowledge the value behind a platform like Instagram:
1. Post good pictures of things you actually like. That could be anything from traveling to cooking to fashion.
2. Post pictures that are worth being seen. We all appreciate a good picture so by sharing only the best, other people can see unique things.
3. When posting a picture of yourself with other people take a moment to write a caption, pun, joke as to convey why that moment was special and worth capturing. People also appreciate reading about a “good story” even if it’s three words long—the picture does the rest of the work.
4. Remember that there is no rule on how many times you post so posting once every couple of months is still okay. By actually keeping your account you allow other people to send you something they found on Instagram and want to share so it’s worthwhile having a presence even if small.
5. And remember, if it makes you happy, then post for fun and give no explanation.
Disclaimer: I’m not trying to convince anyone to have Instagram or any other social media accounts mentioned above. The reason I wrote this blog is because I wanted to reflect on my use of social media.
I hope that you’ll find something useful in reading this. If you have any thoughts on the topics or the articles here, I would love to hear them.
EK