social media...
According to Dictionary.com, the definition of social media: websites and other online means of communication that are used by large groups of people to share information and to develop social and professional contacts
Four or five media specialists, most of them with AOL, claim the first use of the phrase, Social Media, back in the mid 1990s. Today, the two words are so integrated into our society, we can't ignore the pros and cons.
Aside from assuming everyone under the age of 30 uses it, I don't have a clue how a 25 year old thinks of social media, but, I found the perfect laboratory. Among others, my branch bank employs four people under the age of 31 and one in her early 40s. The five agreed to be interviewed.
My subjects could be more conservative or liberal in their use of social media compared to their age group in general, or, they could be typical.
Erica White, 23, is a graduate of Western Kentucky University.
I use Instagram, Tik Tok and Twitter, she said. Mainly, I use Facebook to keep up with family members. I would say I use Tik Tok and Instagram the most, but, I don't really post a lot. I use it to see what everybody is doing. A lot of my friends are getting married or having kids and I keep up that way.
Do you have a favorite?
Tik Tok, she said firmly. I definitely use it. I probably get on it too much actually. I set time limits for it like 30 minute notifications, it's mindless half the time.
Since you don't post much, you must look at a lot of other people's work.
I watch a lot of makeup and fashion videos, she smiled. I have recipes and workout videos I watch too.
Lets look into the future. What is Erica White doing five years from now?
Hopefully, I am out of state and doing something with my Health Sciences and Health Care Admin degree, she prophesied. I have this job because I wanted to go back to get my Masters, but, I messed FAFSA up and I would have had to get a really big loan and I didn't want to do that. I reworked FAFSA and sent it in and I hope to be going to U of L this August.
Have you ever thought about how you want to be remembered?
Good energy, always being nice to people, she voiced. I never want to be rude or condescending or make somebody feel less than they are. I am always happy and love being with people.
Have you met anyone meaningful?
I don't have time to put into a relationship, she offered. I don't want to be with someone if I can't give 100%.
That could change tomorrow.
Of course, she laughed.
Logan Metry, 31, is also single.
I use Twitter to stay up to date on sports, he told me, but, I don't use interactive social media. Never had Facebook or Instagram and rarely use Snapchat.
So, sports is your deal?
Yes, I am a big Yankees and U of L fan, he offered, so, I try to stay up to date about them.
Did you use Facebook in high school?
It started out My Space was number one before Facebook, he recalled. I saw the trend of people posting what they ate for dinner and I just didn't see any use for it, so, I deleted my account my senior year.
What about friends and buddies?
I don't need to keep track of friends with social media. I have a close knit group from high school that I've known for 20 years and if they need me, they have my number, he explained.
Five years from now, what would you like to be doing professionally?
Maybe being on the loan side of the banking business. Going out and interacting with the community, he guessed. A branch manager is kind of in-house, but, there's always things to learn on the loan side.
Lets really look into the crystal ball. What is Logan Metry's legacy?
Compassion for people, going the extra mile for people's needs, he imagined. I want to make sure if someone runs into a family member, that they only have good things to say. My parents brought me up to respect other people and do right by the other person.
Tai Fitzgerald, 42, has two kids, 14 and 16.
I use Facebook and Instagram mostly to see what people from school are doing with their lives, she said. Just to keep up with old acquaintances.
What is a goal for you? Something you want to accomplish.
Just to make sure my kids don't get destroyed by social media, she wished. My generation didn't have to contend with social media, the good and bad of it. My goal is to raise two healthy, happy, children.
How do you like to spend your spare time?
Traveling, she smiled. Me and my kids have been trying to see more of the world. We've been collecting stamps on our passports. So far, we've been to the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Mexico, so, we've got a great start.
What is a legacy you want to leave? How do you want to be remembered?
I would like to be remembered as a loyal, happy, grateful person, she offered. A person that people liked to be around and that she laughed a lot. I think that's about it.
Coleman Galloway, 29, has a definite outlook of most social media.
I've seen the negative effect it has had on society since I was 14 or 16 years old, he claimed. It alters people's perspective of what is expected and what is okay. People present a false narrative on how good life is or how happy they are relative to what their life is really like.
You aren't alone when you paint one of the negatives of social media. I have heard it expressed that way before too.
Well, it creates a fear of missing out, he went on. It makes people think they are in worse circumstances then they are because they are not really seeing others as they really are in life.
Which of the popular platforms do you use?
Occasionally, I use Snapchat, Facebook to keep up with friends from high school and family members, he reasoned. Outside of that, I do a lot of reading on Reddit even though that's not really social media.
What is a personal goal you have tucked away in the back of your mind?
I want to make my parents proud of me and I want to own my own home, he smiled.
You have a lot of years ahead of you, but, do you have a bucket list?
I want to go to Europe for a couple weeks, no particular country, he said.
Morgan Sellinger, 20, is the youngest of the five bank employees interviewed.
I did not go to college, he stated. I decided to take a little time off and go to work. I started here at the bank and I really enjoy it.
Do you use social media?
Occasionally, not as much as I see others use it, he responded. I'm here and there about it.
What is your go to?
Tik Tok and sometimes Instagram, but, not really anymore, he stated. I used to be more into it. When I was in high school, it feels like you have to be into all of that.
Peer pressure?
I think it's more a fear of missing out, he concluded. I have an almost boring perspective on social media. Just like a lot of things, there are good things and bad.
Do your friends use social media?
Yeah, I have a good friend who is a photographer and he uses it for business, he said. Others too.
Have you set goals for yourself?
Oh, man, he sighed. I will tell you my biggest goal right now is to marry my girlfriend. We've been dating for almost two and a half years now. That's the next big thing for me. I'm really excited about that. I also want to travel.
Do you have a destination in mind?
Not really, but, I've got an affinity for Ireland, he said wistfully. My mom's dad is Irish. I even get orange in my beard sometimes. I'd love to go to Ireland.
Coming up: another oddities, observations, & ?'s, an interview with a biker outlaw turned evangelist, and; a dinner with the George Brothers.
And, finally. Logan mentioned MySpace. It is a fascinating story.
The predecessor to Facebook was founded by Tom Anderson and Chris DeWolfe in 2003. Anderson sold the company to Newscorp in 2005 for $580 million dollars.
A few years later, Newscorp sold MySpace to a group headed by Justin Timberlake for $35 million. dollars.
The company is still operating and as of 2022, the site averaged about six million hits a year. During its prime, MySpace averaged 29 billion hits a year just in the United States.
Interesting side note. Prior to coming up with the once popular website, Tom Anderson was investigated by the FBI for hacking into Chase Manhattan Bank's computer system.
HUH? What's up with that?
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