First post....Social Media Websites I use- my views

   Social media is a huge part of our world in modern times. It is especially used by teenagers. As an eighteen year old I cannot say that I am unaffected by social media. I mean, here I am, on blogspot. I've known and read several blogs in the past few years. I feel as if I don't use social media as much as many other teens. But then I sit back and look at the time I spend on my computer. I don't have a Facebook (I had long since disabled my page after having it for about half a year), I do not have a twitter, or an instagram, or myspace. I do, however, have a tumblr, a youtube account, and a goodreads account. Why don't I view these websites as social media? I think the answer is because I view social media as a bad thing most of the time.

                                                              Tumblr
When I first began going on tumblr all I did was stay on one persons blog. It was Jillian Venters, The Lady of the Manners, blog. She is an idol of mine, so I spent a fair amount of time looking through her pictures and reading what she had to say- virtually getting to know her.


Jillian Venters

I had followed her goth advise blog and read her book both titled Gothic Charm School for some time before I had discovered her tumblr. All I did was look through it silently. It was several months before my friend actually made an account for me, knowing I would probably never make one for myself. I barely ever upload things on there. My tumblr only contains two pages of pictures. The sad truth is I don't really know how to work it that much. I am just bad with technology. I can do simple things like, write a blog for instance, but tumblr, instagram, all those other websites are just a bit too complicated for me. Not only in the manual way but also figuratively. On tumblr I only follow 4 or 5 blogs. These are people who I know have things I want to look at and who I know are safe. When I mean 'safe' I mean blogs that do not post nude or inappropriate pictures.

                                                         Youtube 


Allison Eckfeldt- a Goth youtuber

I have had a Youtube account since I was in middle school. I hadn't actually thought of it as social media before but now I realize that Youtube is perhaps, one of the most 'social' websites I interact on. I watch listen to music, watch videos, and comment. On Youtube I watch a lot of videos regarding Lolita fashion and the Gothic subculture. The Youtubers answer questions left by viewers, and yes, sometimes I am the one leaving questions or comments that get answered by others. But sometimes on Youtube people become really harsh. I have seen it several times on Gothic Youtuber videos. People will say cruel things about the person being filmed or say mean things to a comment-er. I don't really have much patience for those types of people so I, to the dismay of my sister, just 'spam' them. I like Youtube. It is fun and accessible, but I don't like the way some people talk to others. They will break out in full blown arguments with people they have never even

Shelby Cloud- a Lolita youtuber

met. Most of the time I don't comment unless I want to ask a question to a Youtuber I know will answer or to comment on something I feel is important enough for me to word.













                                                      Goodreads
Goodreads is a website where one can document all the books that he or she read, review them or read reviews, marks books that they want to read, and find new books to read. You can also meet people, friend them, join communities, and chat with each other.

 The fact that people can share ideas, views, opinions, and can discuss them with others causes me to look at goodreads as a social media site.  Unlike the other websites I have not found many negative things on goodreads. Yes, there are negative reviews on books and yes I have seen very small, very stupid arguments break out over views of a book. I think that there will always be an ugly side to social media, even if it is well hidden.