I still remember the first day that I got my iPhone. I was in 6th grade and my mother got me my phone just because I was starting a new chapter in my life, middle school, and I needed to be able to text her or call her if anything bad was going on. As soon as I got my phone, I slowly fell into the trance that everyone else falls into. I downloaded 5 different screens of games, apps, utilities, and finally, Instagram. My mom told me about Instagram and how she keeps up with her favorite celebrities, musicians, and actors on the app. She recommended that I should download the application too, so I would be able to keep with celebrities while being able to post my own content and keep track of fun memories that have occurred in my life. I took my mom’s advice and followed some funny celebrities like Will Ferrel, Peyton Manning, and LeBron James.
As the years went on with my trusty iPhone, I began getting into different social media networks, creating a Facebook, a Snapchat, a LinkedIn, and a Pinterest. I also began getting into new hobbies, like quitting baseball get starting my photography career. My new hobby of ocean photography correlated perfectly with my new obsession in social media. I would go on Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook to portray my new hobby to the world. I would eventually use Instagram to promote my photography, putting my own money into paid advertisements on different social media networks. I have had multiple people message me through Instagram and Facebook that I have never met in my life but they would ask me for photoshoots and prints. Being a photographer, I think that it is a MUST to be on these social media networks because they can help you sell your art and services.
A negative coming through social media for me that I have seen most recently is that it can be as addictive as a drug. I have twin sisters who just turned thirteen and they are glued to their phone. I think this may be a phase but honestly, who knows? They are constantly going on the same social media networks that I used to go on when I was in middle school, but they are also constantly on TikTok. The app is similar to Instagram, but it only consists of videos. It also can be used all day, due to its feature of not having a timeline. There are constant videos that come up so the app enables you to be on it for as long as you want, providing you with consistently entertaining content.
Throughout the years, I think my social media habits have evolved to help better myself. I definitely go on social media less often then when I was in middle school and high school and I have started to use social media to my own gain, showcasing my photography and videography through the use of Facebook and Instagram. I have been connecting with people through LinkedIn and direct messaging on Instagram and Facebook. To conclude, I believe that social media has brought a lot of positives and some negatives to society.
Jake Schrier, a student in Jon Pfeiffer’s media law class at Pepperdine University, wrote the above essay in response to the following question: How old were you when you first started using social media? How have your social media habits changed over the years? The class covers copyright and social media. Jake is an Advertising major.
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