New Media Reflection
Communicating through social media has never really been my fortĆØ. I find that I am always one of the last people to join the trend of the newest social media. Every time something new has popped up, I know I can always turn to my sister who has already downloaded the app or registered for the website. It is through her that I get all the information and perks of being on the bandwagon. It is only after many efforts of convincing that I give into the pressure and join the newest technology. Not to my surprise, however, the usual routine begins to take place where my interest quickly peaks and then shortly after begins to wane until there is not a hint of interest left. There are a few exceptions of course, but in the usual case, to me, the new social media app becomes just like the others on my phone. The recently downloaded app lines up with its forgotten neighbors until its next possible use. As a result, I find myself trying to immerse with the community around me and relish in the moment as much as possible. I do use both social media websites and apps but I try to keep it to a minimum. For this project, however, I decided to try something new. Instead of being one of last ones to relish the scraps of a new media, I wanted to be the early bird. I signed up for a brand new social media website called Ello which is actually still in beta mode. Due to the lack of its popularity, I discovered the urge to constantly check it greatly diminished. It is also not brought up in conversation because it is a hidden gem.Ā From this experience, I learned that I greatly enjoy surfing this new social platform because it is hidden from the public. That notion is what gives the platform something special. I feel less pressure to post and more pressure to be myself.Ā By joining this new social platform I was better able to understand how social media has changed the way in which individuals find a sense of community and personal identity.
With popular social media websites, I feel like it is leaning away from being an aid to communicate with others to leaning more towards a crutch to do the communication. We are no longer living side by side but through the internet. From my personal experience and talking with others, the ratings of special events and trips are based on what social media deems to be worthy. That is the first thing that comes to mind. I have a friend whose friend was visiting for the weekend. At one point, there was a high chance that she would not be able to come. My friend admitted to me that one of the biggest reasons she wanted her friend to visit was because of the fantastic instagram pictures she would receive out of the experience. In āA Life Lived in Mediaā by Mark Deuze, Peter Blank, and Laura Speers, they say, āIf anything, today we have to recognize how the uses and appropriations of media penetrate all aspects of contemporary life...media become the playground for a search for meaning and belongingā. When one posts social media worthy pictures online, one expects to receive an abundance of ālikesā. In return, the media gives one an endorphin rush. They feel love, loved, and welcomed. The rush in most cases, however, does not last very long. The pressure to be part of something extraordinary increases to the point that one cannot go without their social media. It has becomes a part of who they are.Ā It becomes their crutch to creating their identity, which in some cases does not always match up with the reality of the situation.Ā
Through this experiment, however, I learned that a social media community can be very welcoming. I think because this new technological platform is fairly unknown, the pressure that is present in the popular websites is less visible in this one. There is no need to live up to certain expectations. You enter the space as who you are in both the virtual and actual reality especially when it is a new space. It can be a space where your thoughts and values are nurtured. Of course there are limits to sharing because I think there should still be a line drawn between oneās public and private lives. The site Ello, because of the absence of advertisements, gives one the chance to only focus their attention on the art and other topics of discussion posted on the website. One is than able to share their work as well as help a friend out and promote their work. The media on its own accord has the possibility of becoming a promotional site. It gives the user the ability to chose between what they the want and not want to see.Ā It gives the user option between friend and noise. If one places a blogger in the friend category, their posts will appear on oneās newsfeed. If the user decides to place a blogger in the noise category, they are given the option to check that feed,Ā they do not comes across that new or information automatically as they sign in. I noticed that it allows the userĀ to think they have control which can lead to the site becoming more and more popular.Ā
The benefits of a popular site, however, is the fact that all sorts of companies non-related to the social media website are drawn to it because of what it does. Social media not only is a way to communicate with others but it in the end it is also a great promotional tool which can be a blessing and a curse. In this day and age, it can be a blessing because the internet caters to what you want to see. The downfall of that however according to Eli Pariser in āBeware online āfilter bubblesāā, when reflecting on his social media experience, he says, ā ...I was so surprised when I noticed one day that the conservatives had disappeared form my Facebook feedā. Social media can spread all kinds of information and raise awareness of certain situations, however, due to the conservatives disappearing from Pariserās newsfeed, it shows that the internet has the capability of filtering out certain information to the point that that it becomes invisible. Sometimes the information that is cut off can be vital. As a result, if the user only relies on the internet for is current news event, it becomes detrimental to their knowledge of the reality of the situation. Eventually it becomes this notion that, āIt will be very hard for people to watch or consume something that has not in some sense been tailored for themā. The internet, āmoves us very quickly toward a world in which the internet is showing us what it thinks we want to see, but not necessarily what we need to seeā. One creates their own unique personal virtual world that filters out the good and the bad. In other words, the internet can promote a very one sided view of an important issue or make the user unaware of the issue in general.Ā
Even though there are up and downs to having random articles and advertisements appear in oneās newsfeed, it is promotional tool which is vital to the survival of a social media especially new social media. It also shows that the media is finding innovative ways to keep the users interested.Ā Promotion and updating are one of the major keys to extending the peak of a new media. I was talking to the same friend who introduced me to Ello and was expecting the visitor. Due to the lack of promotion for this new media, she is the only one out of my friend group, and vise versa, who knows about this social platform. Unlike me, she on the other hand has completely forgotten about it. One of the major reasons this could be is because no one talks or posts about it, which for me is not a problem. Word of mouth, posting and sharing of new updates, concepts, and ideas gives room for a site to become very popular. As mentioned before in this paper. what makes Ello stand out from all the other social media websites is that it promotes itself as ad-free. It is still in its beta phase so the chinks and errors are getting worked out. If the creators do not find ways to continually update the system, the userās interest begins to wayne.
The benefit of an interest decreasing until the media becomes desolate is that it becomes one less distraction, one less virtual community to check. I discovered that this allows the user to be present in the moment and to create their identity on their own terms without being influenced from what they see online. Speaking from experience, I think one often forgets thatĀ fellow users, most of the time,Ā hide a part of themselves that could be key to their true identity. Most often what one sees online is an exaggeration of the truth or in some cases one can actually be cooler in person than what their profile reveals. It gives people a greater incentive to communicate face-to-face. In other words, try not to judge a book by its cover.Ā
Social media does not always have a negative impact on the way one views the world. It depends on what from of social media one uses. It can provide a community where one can flourish, prosper and create their identity. In some instances this form of communication comes with an addictive quality to the point that we begin to rate our lives based on the pictures we post online. With Ello, however, I did not feel the pressure to please my followers. Because its fairly new, I have no mutual friends therefore I can be myself. With the website being ad free, what one sees is what one gets. Sometimes simple is more which in a way can give someone a break from the hectic schedules and constant stream of random information. The simplicity provides a nurturing environment for artists and businesses. If there is sponsored information provided, there is a danger that the internet only shows one what they want to see not what they need to see. It keeps the social media from failure, but this can lead to a one sided perception of reality as well as the formation of a narrow mind. Occasionally checking social media allows one to create an identity that does not solely rely on the virtual community. Most often, oneās identity online differs from their true identity. In other words, social media can be a great way to connect with people and learn about new things through finding a balance between virtual and authentic communities. The formation of oneās identity will naturally follow.
