An Interview with Ashley J.

Hello, thank you for participating in this interview.

You're welcome. It's nice to be here.

How old are you?

Recently turned 19.

How do you feel about Social Media as a whole?

I personally feel like it's very stupid, but it does good for the world sometimes.

What sites do you use? Why?

Tumblr because my friends were on it like crazy and I wanted to see what the hub bub was, and Google + because it's awesome. I also use Facebook to talk to friends.

As a teenager/ young adult how do you feel about the use of Social Media by other teens?

I feel like it was a good way to communicate but now I feel like it's of no use, because now everyone has phones.

What about the adults who use it?

I really don't know. I never thought about it. I guess its a good was for them to communicate with their family if they can't by phone or to even talk to their kids.

What advise do you have to say to teenagers/ young adults involving Social Media?

I say use it wisely and don't over use. It's pretty stupid to put your whole life on the web.

Thank you.

 

Last post.... Not Too Much

    A very important thing to remember about Social Media is to limit the amount of time you spend on it. Many people enjoy a lot of what it has to offer but they sometimes forget that there are other things to do outside of the Internet. In the article "How Much Social Media is Too Much" written by Ami Burns in a parenting magazine it is reminded that "social media time shouldn't take up all of your child's time, but it's really easy to get carried away- not just kids, but parents, too."

   Everyone of all ages should be aware of all effects of social media. Whether it be good or bad it does not hurt to be informed. 

Some positives

      Not everything about social media is bad. In fact there are many positive effects to it. It is very difficult to find an exact answer to the debate of "Is Social Media good or bad." I think there is a lot to both sides of the argument. Most of this blog has been leaning on the 'yes, social media is troublesom'  side so now I will talk about a couple of reasons why it is not so bad.
  1) You can communicate with people that you don't usually have contact to or can find people you have fallen out of contact with

There has been many stories about people reconnecting through social media sites such as Facebook. When people don't live near each other it is easy to drift apart but through the connection of people online it it a lot easier to remain in communication with.



2) Social Media has helped allot of causes get their word out.

 Word spreads like wildfire through the use of the Internet. It is a lot easier today to organize protests and such that it would have been around 20 years ago. In the article "How Charities Make Better Use Of Social Media," David Lawrence explains how useful social media has become in gaining charity support. "With 80% of 18 to 24- year- olds and 73% of 25 to 34- year- olds using Facebook and Twitter respectively," there is a much larger base of people to spread the word around and support the cause.


3) You can find communities of people with the same interests as you that you would have an otherwise difficult time finding in person.

Online communities are a wonderful part of social media. It is a great way for people to meet and talk about similar likes and lifestyles.

Online Lolita community having a meet-up

Me getting interviewed by..... me

 How do you feel about social media as a whole?

I sort of think that it is a little over rated.

As a teenager how do you feel about other teens and their use of it?

I think that a lot of teens (and adults) rely on it too much. They mention it a lot at school and I sometimes think that it becomes a little ridiculous.

What social media sites do you use?

I use tumblr and youtube.

Have you ever left a social media site. If so, why and what sites?

I had a facebook account for a while but I started getting annoyed with it. Then my account got hacked and I 'deleted' it right then and there. I felt a lot better the moment it was gone.

Any advice to others using social media?

Just try not to use so much of it. It's good fun but it doesn't need to be used 24/7. Take breaks to do other things and just be conscious of any future repercussions that can potentially come out of something that you upload or post.

When even the news does Social Media parodies

 

http://youtu.be/5r5U4Imx4Xo
Fox 4 news posted this comedy video on their facebook page. It makes fun of the use of social media and its relations with news.

Fox news uses satire in this video, showing how ridiculous Social Media has made the news.

Lets look at some demographics

Many different people use Social Media but which age group uses it the most? Here is a chart that shows the average amount of social media people of different age groups use.

Prior to what most people believe it seems that it is not teenagers that use it the most but adults between the ages of 35 and 44.













Now lets look at the types of social media websites that people use and which ones are used the most.

The downsides of social media.....Jobs on the line?

     

Social media and the workplace

       By now it should be no surprise that social media can put one out of a job. Whether the post be a joke, an after hour image, or a heated rant the workplace can find it, and if they deem it inappropriate it could cost someone a job.  In fact, some companies actually ask the job hopeful to log into their facebooks during the interview. It catches them by surprise and really puts social media in perspective for them. Jennifer Preston author of the article Social Media Becomes a New Job Hurdle says that "it is photos and videos that seem to get most people in trouble." It appears that there are several pictures of weapons and many many images of drug use. There has even been mentions of inappropriate relations with minors.
  People of all ages should watch what they post online. It doesn't matter if they think it is a joke or if they are just angry and need to rant. Whatever is posted on social media never goes away. There is always a trace of it somewhere on the net. The article Hey, At Least You Can Be Virtually Immortal by J. Pedar Zane talks about the fact that nothing online actually goes away. There is always a trace of it.