Quick Q: Social Media
May 10, 2018
How do you use social media, and how does it hurt and benefit your life?
Terrance Travis, senior:
“I mainly use social media to learn new things (mostly tech and business related) and talk to friends. I almost exclusively use Snapchat and YouTube, but I do look at things on Instagram and Reddit if someone recommends a specific post. Social media is the main reason why I know as much as I do about technology, and it has been awesome for keeping in touch with my friends. While I have no intentions of stopping my use of social media, I am very careful about the content I consume and have made specific filters so I don’t get stuck in positive feedback loops.”
Giacomo Glotzer, senior:
“I use Instagram and Snapchat occasionally as well as WhatsApp and GroupMe. Social media doesn’t hurt me. I like communicating with friends but sometimes I notice I spend too much time scrolling through Facebook or Instagram.”
Macy Beal, sophomore:
“I spend way too much time on it when I should be doing my homework. For example, a lot of my breaks end with me deeply inside Instagram staring at a health model’s page. However, I’m usually inspired to eat healthier.”
Francisco Javier Saez de Adaña, science teacher:
“Like anything else, social media has a positive component. But, I think the way it is used now is not healthy. Kids have a great intelligence but it is underused because of social media. We are not thinking very much but just reacting. That is not the best way to maximize your intellectual capacity. On the other hand the positive aspect is communicating with peers you otherwise wouldn’t talk to, but I think it is just overused. Maybe over time there will be a balance but right now because everything is so new maybe that is the reason we are overusing it. Hopefully, we can find a balance.”
Ioannis Nikas, sophomore:
“One way I use social media is to talk with friends. I do this by literally talking with people but also by sharing stuff with my friends; in a way we stay more connected through either what we post or what others post. Social media benefits my life because I get to connect with people over both serious and funny things, and it is often used to spread awareness for different issues. However, for the most part I would say social media has negative effects on my life. This is because it is a distraction and I sometimes find myself aimlessly using my phone when I know I could be doing something more productive.”
