Tracking Summary
Though not necessarily shocking, my consistent checking of social media was interesting because I never found myself very absorbed in what I was reading. I simply checked social media because I had nothing else to do. Therefore, I typically only checked my social media accounts when I didn’t have any texts to read or reply to. If I was actively participating in a conversation, I would not bother to check social media. This makes me realize that I value direct communication more than I value “updates.”
These habits led me to recognize the patterns in my social media usage. I noticed that I use social media the most when I am not preoccupied with something else, or when my mind is not actively thinking. For example, the times during which my media usage are most prevalent are in the morning when I wake up, before I go to bed at night, on the way to and from downtown classes, and when I am not busy at work.
Contrarily, I tend to visit other websites, specifically clothing-oriented ones, when I am attempting to do homework. I find it interesting that I will not generally visit social media sites when I am attempting to get things done, but I will venture off to online shop. This may be a case of preferring the mobile interfaces of social media sites, and the web layouts of online stores.
I notice that I actively comment, like, and respond to my close friends and family on Facebook and Instagram, but am hesitant to interact with other people that I don’t know as well. I am also very hesitant to post anything, because I know that it is visible to each and every one of my Facebook friends. For some reason, this does not bother me on sites like Instagram, possibly because I have fewer followers there, and generally have a higher like-to-follower ratio.
Overall, I tend to be a passive Facebook user and an active Instagram user. I think my Facebook tendencies reinforce my belief that I am more interested in direct communication than “updating.” I think this belief also explains why I am not an avid twitter-user. Twitter, to me, is a constant stream of updates with very little interaction. You may think this belief holds true for most social media sites, but I am inclined to believe that more interaction occurs when the ability to comment back and forth among multiple users is available.
These habits led me to recognize the patterns in my social media usage. I noticed that I use social media the most when I am not preoccupied with something else, or when my mind is not actively thinking. For example, the times during which my media usage are most prevalent are in the morning when I wake up, before I go to bed at night, on the way to and from downtown classes, and when I am not busy at work.
Contrarily, I tend to visit other websites, specifically clothing-oriented ones, when I am attempting to do homework. I find it interesting that I will not generally visit social media sites when I am attempting to get things done, but I will venture off to online shop. This may be a case of preferring the mobile interfaces of social media sites, and the web layouts of online stores.
I notice that I actively comment, like, and respond to my close friends and family on Facebook and Instagram, but am hesitant to interact with other people that I don’t know as well. I am also very hesitant to post anything, because I know that it is visible to each and every one of my Facebook friends. For some reason, this does not bother me on sites like Instagram, possibly because I have fewer followers there, and generally have a higher like-to-follower ratio.
Overall, I tend to be a passive Facebook user and an active Instagram user. I think my Facebook tendencies reinforce my belief that I am more interested in direct communication than “updating.” I think this belief also explains why I am not an avid twitter-user. Twitter, to me, is a constant stream of updates with very little interaction. You may think this belief holds true for most social media sites, but I am inclined to believe that more interaction occurs when the ability to comment back and forth among multiple users is available.