published on

The Purposes of Social Media

I resent that Facebook mediates so much of my interaction with others.

I read Facebook regularly – as in many times a day – which means that I see a great deal of content I wouldn’t really choose to see . . . except that I do choose to see it by looking at Facebook.

That’s the Newsfeed which is under the most central control. I use Messenger a fair bit. It’s control is expressed in the ‘Seen’ function and in emojis/stickers.

I use Events and sometimes people upload photos of me, though I never upload my own photos. When people post photos of me I get anxious.

Why do I resent it? The lack of control, the lack of choice. The commercial background of sponsored pages and promoted content (I’ve blocked the ads).

– Construction of identity and self-expression

What is the ‘best use’ for social media?

Actual outcomes: self-loathing, #fomo

Twitter just seems all bad, why do I read it? I read it but I never post anything and only rarely like things, usually on accounts that are not my friends.

Am I afraid of missing out on important information about actual friends?

Do I find the information genuinely interesting, useful, or entertaining at a sufficient rate to keep reading?

Do I owe my friends engagement or self-disclosure (what’s the right amount?)

Is my Facebook use really about people I’m attracted to? Is everything I do actually about people I’m attracted to?

Is social media presence necessary for certain kinds of professional work

I don’t know what snapchat is for at all