Photo courtesy of Jenny Ueberberg on Unsplash.
This piece is about my digital literacy practices and comparing them to Ronnie from Amber Buck’s article, Examining Digital Literacy Practices on Social Network Sites.
The technological shift from 2012 to 2020 is astounding. It is overwhelming how much technology has advanced and continues to advance on the daily. Back in 2012, there was Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Now, the social media market is booming with new platforms that connect us with people all over the globe, allow us to express ourselves, and give us a voice to speak on important issues. Amber Buck’s article, Examining Digital Literacy Practices on Social Network Sites, dives into the world of social networking in 2012. Buck takes a look into the digital life of Ronnie, a male undergraduate student, who is an avid user of social networks. In this paper, I will be discussing how Ronnie’s digital literacy practices in 2012 share similarities and differences to my own digital literacy practices in 2020 as well as how social media has advanced in the last 8 years.
First off, the majority of social media users are young adults and they are often concerned with their online identity. Ronnie is an undergraduate student that is avid user of social networks. Ronnie and I share a few differences in how we use digital literacy practices. Buck tells her readers that at the data was collected, Ronnie had profiles on Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, Blogger, Tumblr, YouTube, Last.fm, LinkedIn, Academic.edu, PureVolume, Digg, LibraryThing, and Ning (15). I have never heard of most of the networking sites except for Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, Tumblr, YouTube, and LinkedIn. With advancement of technology over the last 8 years, social media keeps getting upgraded. Therefore, the accessibility to a wide range of social media platforms was lacking in 2012 versus now. Now, there is Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, We Heart It, Snapchat, Tumblr, YouTube, and so on. Although the world of social media has changed immensely, there are platforms that are still relevant now that were relevant back in 2012.
On another note, Ronnie and I both use Twitter but for different reasons. Ronnie said that Twitter represents “a stream of consciousness” for him (15). Twitter is a way for him to connect with friends and roommates. He uses the platform for a plethora of other reasons. Buck lists the reasons in her article, “The information shared on Twitter varied widely, such as updates on what he’s listening to, thoughts and musings on his way to class, images from his daily life, and questions to his friends about weekends plans and other topics” (15). As for me, my use of Twitter consists of attaining news updates (as seen in figure 1). Most global news stories appear on the search page which is easy access for Twitter users like me. The platform is one of my main sources for national news—although some of the information may not be 100% accurate—as stories that are not covered on local news channels are shared frequently on the platform.
On the contrary, Ronnie and I share a couple of similarities with our uses of digital literacy practices. Buck clarifies Ronnie’s use of Flickr as postings of artistic photos that are catered to fit the photo-sharing site (19). As for Instagram, a popular photo-sharing platform, is much different than Flickr. Users can post any type of photos and videos they want. The content does not have be artistic and professional. Instagram is one of my most used social media platforms. I use it to post video edits I create using applications on my phone (as seen in figure 2). Buck expands on Ronnie’s use of Flickr to her readers as he also posts photos from his daily life such as graffiti and the different workspaces he utilizes on campus (19). Evidently, Ronnie and I may use these platforms differently but there is one similarity that surpasses the differences. The similarity being that we both use these platforms to simply express ourselves and our interests.
In a similar fashion, our uses of the platforms above go along with Ronnie’s use of Tumblr and my use of We Heart It. We use the platforms to express our interests. Tumblr is a platform where users can share images, gifs, and videos. Users can “reblog” other users’ posts to put them on their blogs if it is something that interests them. Buck details Ronnie’s use of Tumblr as a space for him to express himself through “song lyrics, song audio, and other material through audio, video, and text” (24). While Ronnie uses Tumblr to express himself through music, I use We Heart It to express myself through various photos that fit different categories. We Heart It is a place where users can “heart” their favorite images and create collections of them. My account’s collections (as seen in figure 3) are plentiful and diverse. Currently, I have 54 collections on my account and I am confident that it will grow. We Heart It inspires me often because of the numerous collections I have created.
Likewise, the platform created a new feature called ‘Articles’ where users can write articles, reviews, and so on. This feature is a huge plus for me because I have a huge passion for writing. It is just another way for me to express my interests and share my talent with other users. This platform is a way for me to get inspired or be inspired by images that users have uploaded to the platform in its entirety. Not only is the ‘Articles’ section a way for me to get my writing out to other users but it is also a way for me to get inspired by the works that other users have published as well.
Furthermore, the layout Ronnie uses for Tumblr and the layout I use for We Heart It are different but share the commonality of aesthetic. Aesthetic deals with the concern for beauty or the appreciation for beauty. Although Ronnie’s layout of his Tumblr account, which Buck provides an image of, is not exactly aesthetic per say, it does have organization. Organization is an element of aesthetics. Organization can be the foundation for an aesthetic.
In a similar fashion, Instagram has been a platform for me to express myself through my aesthetic. As for my aesthetic, I prefer my feed to have a theme. Themes create cohesion and make an account look put together in which a user’s brand begins to blossom. Themes are identifiers for viewers. They can help identify users’ posts and stories. Aesthetics exist within a layout of a feed, the filter being used, and the stylized features used on a consistent basis.
A similar platform to We Heart It is Pinterest. I use Pinterest in similar yet different ways. Pinners (users) can pin photos and videos. Currently, I have 9 boards. The board I post to the most is my ‘Posters I Made’ board. I make polaroid posters for films, shows, and albums (as seen in figure 4). I started making these posters because of a video I saw on TikTok. I wanted to learn how to make them myself so I did. I have a board dedicated to places around the world just to give me a taste of wanderlust. Primarily, I use this platform to share the posters I make. I made my own wall of these polaroid posters on my bedroom wall.
As I mentioned earlier, Ronnie and I use social media to share our interests and passions. Ronnie’s Tumblr account is based on his musical talent. Buck tells her readers that “…he represented a specific part of his identity for a specific audience” (25). We all show certain parts of ourselves on social media because we want to be accepted into the digital world. Society tells us how we should look and act and social media is similar in that sense. On a similar note, Buck points out that Ronnie presented himself through a different name on his Twitter account. I present myself through the usernames of my accounts. The usernames become my branding. It is how my followers identify me.
My Instagram and TikTok accounts are based on my love for film, television, and celebrities. I show a specific part of my identity through the video edits I post for that specific audience who enjoy watching my edits. Unlike those platforms, We Heart It for me is much different. I am not trying to reach a specific audience but one of a broader range. Since my collections are so diverse, they are bound to attract those of varied interests.
TikTok is another outlet for me to get my video edits out to the public. Aesthetics are different for me when it comes to TikTok versus Instagram. This is because the cover that users see on TikTok is a moving image, similar to a GIF. Covers are important for me with both platforms because they are another form of identifiers for users (as seen in figure 5). It is the first thing a user sees on the explore page on Instagram and on TikTok.
On another note, the social media industry is ever-changing. In the past 8 years, social media has become more advanced to keep current with the times. Currently, platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Twitter are playing major roles in the social media industry. Although some say social media is a massive distraction for millennials, generation Z, and younger, this instant technology has its pluses.
One plus is how instant information is since it is attained just at our fingertips. Social media has made it so easy for us to attain news, connect with friends and family, and entertain ourselves. Platforms like Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram are incredibly useful for friends and family who do not live relatively close to each stay connected. Social media has been a way for us to entertain ourselves when we are bored or when we were in quarantine because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic has welcomed new ways for digital connections such as Zoom and Discord. We needed to learn to use these technologies so we could stay connected with our loved ones. In times like these, we should be thankful that we have technology, especially video chatting platforms and social media. It would be quite challenging to connect with each other if we did not have the technology we have right now. Furthermore, the social media landscape is continuing to grow but it also because of the pandemic. The pandemic has introduced us to these alternate ways of connecting with each other and entertaining ourselves.
As for the minuses, the more that the social media industry continues to grow, the more disconnected we become to reality. It is hard to admit it but social media is a distraction from the world at large as well as the people we care about. It can also be toxic for children and teenagers because of societal norms which I mentioned previously. Social media is a place for us to be someone other than our authentic selves. Girls scrolling on Instagram seeing a photo of a female celebrity they idolize that have perfect physical features make those girls insecure and even depressed.
Social media can be toxic in the sense of trolls. Trolls are just people who leave mean and rude comments on social media posts. Trolls are more prevalent on Facebook, especially within the political landscape of the platform. They love causing trouble and creating a space where users feel uncomfortable to be themselves. Trolls are bullies because they taunt and tease people.
In conclusion, Ronnie and I share similarities and differences with our digital literacy practices. Technology has rapidly advanced in the last 8 years with the social media industry booming with new platforms for us to experiment with. I believe that social media will continue to advance and make us more connected to the internet than to reality. The world of social media has changed the way we interact and connect with each other. Social media has its negatives but also positives. We leave our digital handprint behind whenever we share something on social media. The big question is: do we want to use it to spread positivity or negativity? That is up for us to decide since the things we post on the internet stay on the internet forever.
