Social media: The 21st century’s uncharted territory
Photo of The Lamron Instagram page
I am never sure how to feel about social media, but let’s start with what platforms I will be discussing today: Snapchat and Instagram. I personally feel most of us were either in the phase of lying about our age to get a Facebook or got it simply to join college Facebook groups, so it doesn’t have the biggest impact on our generation.
Let us start with the age-old app, Instagram. I honestly cannot remember when I got my Instagram account, but all I know is that I am grateful we can change our usernames, as mine was once something like “dancerqueen_69.” One can easily tell that Instagram is becoming, if it has not already, our generation's Facebook—some people post too much about their lives, while others post pictures of themselves with captions that are meant to gain attention. I hate this, but I have most definitely fallen victim to this more than once. We have all posted a good-looking picture of ourselves to gloat and impress an ex-significant other or ex-best friend. I’ll even admit that it makes you feel good about yourself when those likes and comments begin rolling in, until it abruptly stops. I think this is where people have turned to posting daily updates on their stories for consistent attention, now that Instagram has so many features once exclusive to Snapchat.
Speaking of stories, whether on Instagram or Snapchat, please do not post entire concerts! If I had wanted to see the concert, I would have paid to be there in person. That’s all I really have to say about that, thank you very much.
Moving onto Snapchat, all I can think about is how long will our generation use this app. Will we be snapping at our weddings saying #justmarried? Will we be posting on our stories when we have kids #thirdoutfit? It is so hard to think about us all sending streaks to each other with children in them. Instead of posting Harry Styles concerts, it will eventually be elementary or middle school band concerts or dance recitals. I currently have my cousins on mine, but it’s not the same as being thirty years old and sending streaks; imagine if I continued to keep up my streak that is already over five years old!
Social media is such a strange thing. When do we turn into our parents and start posting cat videos or the meal that we make for dinner? When do we reach a point where we just stop being on social media? This is such uncharted territory as we are among the first to have social media from such formative ages. Think of all the things these “iPad kids” will do when they are our age. I wish we just had a book of rules on how to navigate being an adult on social media and what we are and aren’t allowed to do.