I had a lot of good feedback this week. Questions, questions, and more questions.
I started off early this week with good momentum. I was asking people about their social media consumption habits. There were some biases in this research since they were people I was acquainted with, and so personal bias through affiliation is inherent. I know there are flaws in this.
Of the people that I questioned:
What makes you feel like time was "well spent" versus "wasted" on social media?
This was an interesting question that caused mixed answers. The unique ones that stood out were about wasted time, like when content algorithms (algos, as I will now refer to them) felt off. They said they would close the app if the algo was “cooked.”
On the other hand, many people thought time was “well spent” if they found themselves entertained at any moment. 7/15 people said this. They also liked it if they went on an app and saw that there was new content related to their friends, family, or themselves. Reposting was done frequently.
What’s the difference between content that entertains you and posts that enrich you?
This question got me excited, because people using social media actually had distinct routes to find information versus entertainment. Many said Instagram was not for information (like breaking news), but was for “cooking tutorials or friends/family.” TikTok, on the other hand, was the first place they went for consumer information (where/what to buy) and also entertainment.
X and BlueSky were reported for breaking news and cutting-edge information. Interesting.
Important: only one person from this study, age 25, knew what Bluesky was.
When procrastinating, what specifically are you looking for on social media?
Any cure. They want to get smarter, but they feel unable to because they cannot practice their new frameworks, ideas, etc. in the moment. The first company that can solve that will be worth a billion dollars.
Mostly, people just want to be entertained when bored, not offered another boring solution.
You’re going to keep 3 apps on your phone for a month. Which ones are they? What are you going to miss the most about the others?
With obvious ones permitted (iMessage, phone, email, etc.), all other consumer apps were up for grabs. 10 people said Instagram, 3 said TikTok—specifically those who posted—and also YouTube. Almost all of them love YouTube. I was amazed. Is Google one of the tech companies that doesn’t have a traditional social media, but still has the biggest app?
Tell me about a skill or hobby you’ve developed with the help of social media.
Unsurprisingly, a lot said cooking. Many are turning away from home cooking TV channels for more untraditional routes like short cooking videos. Others learned about dieting, obscure chemistry, or fixing a car. But when asked if they could replicate fixing their car again, most said they couldn’t and would need to watch it over again.
How has social media influenced your interests or passions?
Due to the backlash that “redditors” receive, many people avoid Reddit altogether. Still, a lot of people feel their interests have deepened in categories like gaming, makeup tutorials, and fitness.
Their online communities have significantly impacted who they are today.
Describe a time when social media made you feel more connected with the world around you.
Breaking news was the big one. Many people remember COVID through the lens of social media and the news. Post-COVID, they say they only know the news through social media.
When asked how they connected, they said it was through parasocial relationships with creators online, who influenced how they felt about new situations.
Does social media play a role in your academic life?
Most of the people I talked to were in college or graduated in the 2010s through the early 2020s. For the younger ones, social media helped them pick up topics teachers didn’t cover well. Many teachers also substituted material with YouTube or other short-form platforms, mostly TikTok.
What’s something you wish you could filter out completely from your social media experience?
This was an interesting one. I got answers all over the place.
But hands down, everyone said ads. They all started with ads, then added a few more things.
When asked if they could control their algorithm, they all agreed it would be nice to have some form of control.
How do you decide to engage with content from strangers versus people you know?
Many people said if a post has little to no interactions and it’s from someone they don’t know, they scroll past. But if it’s a friend-of-a-friend’s post or a discussion, they’ll at least like it, though commenting was less likely.
Relationship posts carried more weight if they were acquainted with the person, meaning they were more likely to like, comment, or share.
Many also said they had 1 to 2 creators they always interacted with. When I asked why, they said it was because they felt a rapport or a long-standing connection with them—like following them since before they blew up, or since they were younger.
After looking at all this, I realized people fall into two hemispheres when it comes to social media: