Three Questions about Social Media

What do I use social media for?

I have 2 uses of social media: entertainment and Information.

Entertainment

Like many people I’m a use YouTube a lot.  I use it to track a categorize music that I like but have not yet downloaded.  If I hear a song on the radio that I like I search the bands other content on YouTube to see if the whole album is worth downloading.  

I search YouTube when I’m bored or just need a break from homework.  I watch videos that I find by searching random words then I’ll click on related videos.  I typically look for comedic videos.  I don’t use YouTube to connect with people the way others do.  Some of my favourite videos are marshmallow people, Simon’s cat, Stanley and the pineapple, and Llamas with hats 1-4.  My sense of humour is a little out there so and some of these might be a little on the inappropriate side.  

I use YouTube to check out upcoming movie trailers.  This is very useful to me because I have a PVR – I don’t watch commercials.  YouTube allows me to keep tabs on what movies are coming out and whether I’d like to see them.

I don’t engage in the YouTube community by commenting on videos, posting videos, or posting video responses.  However, YouTube does in fact create a connection between me and my physical friends.  When I find something funny I share it with friends and family and they share what they find with me.  Some of the content we view becomes part of our conversations.

I don’t use Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, MySpace, or any of the other online sharing sites that exist.  I prefer to communicate face to face with people.  I don’t think that I’d spend much time on it anyway so I don’t see the point in having it.

Information

I use YouTube to find videos for school projects.  Students in the HRMT program are required to make a Mahara pages about the course material.  YouTube is useful for finding videos that summarize course topics.  For example, I found a video that describes how to talk to your boss about difficult topics (e.g. trust in the workplace).

I follow Banyan’s blog through the economist website.  I find that he is able to break down messy or complicated events into easy to understand summaries.  Banyan also is able to provide useful analysis.

When and Why I Started Using Social Media

Back in the day when internet connections were dial up I used my first chat room.  I was babysitting for my uncle and aunt and I was bored.  I logged on to the internet and after a couple of minutes the Netscape browser loaded Yahoo.com.  I made a profile and spent the rest of the night talking to people in the chat room. 

At first I started using chat rooms because I was bored.  As time when on the and chat rooms gained more features I started using them to keep in touch with my friends who lived out of town.  Specifically I have a cousin who lives in Victoria.  We used to create private chat rooms so that we could talk without worrying about my siblings picking up the phone.

How Would I Replace Social Media if it was Taken Away?

I understand that social media sites create a connection between people; particularly among people that live long distances from each other.  I don’t participate in sites like Facebook.  If social media was take away I would lose the entertainment and information aspects that I use social media for.

If social media were taken away information would not flow as freely as it does now.  I would have to replace the information aspect of social media with trips to the library.  I’d have to seek entertainment elsewhere.  I might even have to start watching commercials again so that I can keep up with new movies.

Even though I don’t participate in sites like Facebook social media does connect me with other people.  I share YouTube videos with others and that creates a bond between us.  Replacing the connection social media creates would be difficult.  I would have to foster and maintain these relationships over the phone or face-to-face.