Media and Social Networking For Me

     Media are the means through which people communicate. Some media can be small in scale, such as letters and emails, which other media are mass media, such as television or blogs. Media allow messages to be sent and enable information to be spread. Each medium has its own advantages and disadvantages, its own uses and drawbacks. Social media, then, is the use of online media to communicate on both a large and small scale with people from all over the world. Social networking is an act facilitated through media, especially newer mass and social medias, but does not require it. Social networking is the act of connecting with people and gaining contacts through experience and communication. This can be done in person through internships or online through social media. 

    Currently I use very few social media sites. These include Twitter, DeviantArt, Twitch, Discord, GroupMe, LinkedIn, Indeed, and Instagram. Many of these sites are used for entertainment. I use Twitter, DeviantArt, Twitch, and Discord almost purely for entertainment and to share my own work. DeviantArt and Twitter are sites that allow me to share my drawings and doodles as well as small bits of my life while also being able to engage with other artists and their art. My use of Twitter is more varied than DeviantArt as I also use it to post small life updates and look at more than just art-related content, such as animal-related content, and communicate with friends. While I do not stream on Twitch, I use it to watch art streams and communicate with those in the streams. Discord is the only of these sites that I have used for both entertainment and school, using it to communicate with friends met both in real life and on the internet or for clubs and group projects. Much of my Discord use intersects with people I have met through DeviantArt, Twitch, and Twitter. GroupMe, LinkedIn, Indeed, and Instagram are all academic or professional sites for me. LinkedIn and Indeed allow me to apply for jobs and be seen by recruiters. GroupMe allows me to communicate with classmates and club members as my personal communications are all done through Discord. The only time I really use Instagram is to post on the USF Undergraduate Research Journal Club (URJ), not using it for my own entertainment or personal uses. I use Discord, DeviantArt, and Twitter every day, often multiple times throughout the day. LinkedIn and Indeed are only used occasionally, with my use increasing whenever I am looking for a job or internship (such as right now). GroupMe and Twitch are only used a few times a week when things are active. My Instagram use was once every other week to announce meetings and other things related to URJ, but currently we are on hiatus and as such I have not used Instagram since the fall semester.

    My social media of choice have allowed me to explore my own identity through the anonymity of social media, helping me to grow and mature into my own person. I was able to play with gender and explore self-expression that felt comfortable and right, something that real life did not offer me. Social media allowed me to use art and connections with different people, some like-minded and others much older and more experienced, to better understand who I was and what the world could be. It allowed me to become closer with friends I met in real life, keeping me connected and up to date with them even though they are at different colleges. Social media has shown me all of the good in the world and helped me to meet many friendly individuals and communities. However, sites like Twitter have also caused me to feel despair at the state of the world and the damage and cruelty in it. Posts about global warming, crime, war, and politics cause me to lose faith in people and our systems as a whole.