Social Networking Sites

Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and Pinterest. I almost feel like singing that kids song, "One of these things is not like the other...!" given how different Pinterest is in comparison to the other three, but they all seem to stand out pretty well on their own. Since we're only asked to give our impressions, I'll start with MySpace, since it's my least favorite.

I'll be honest. The fact that MySpace is still alive and kicking is impressive to me. After the "war" it got into with Facebook and it's complete defeat I would have thought MySpace would have rolled over and died, but apparently I was wrong. The site looks very different from the days when it was competing with Facebook still, and if I almost didn't know any better I would say it's a pretty solid site with a good chance at establishing a name for itself. The problem with MySpace is no longer it's layout or appearance, it's the reputation. The finicky part about Social Media is that you have to be relevant in order for you to mean anything. Since Facebook established itself as better than MySpace within the social media sphere MySpace will probably never make a comeback unless something really shocking and unforeseen happens with Facebook. It's nice that it still gets some traffic and has activity going on with it, though.

Twitter, Twitter, Twitter. I'm not a person who fully understands the point of Twitter, but I do see the allure of it. Short messages, constant updates, lots of news from only people you care about. It seems like a hyperactive thriving community that never sleeps. Every minute of every hour there's an update about something, which only gets worse the more people you follow. I apparently came in late to the game with Twitter, though, as many people are proclaiming it is dying due to companies using it as a platform to espouse their news and latest deals, perverting it from what it once was. Maybe that's part of what influences my outlook on Twitter and how it doesn't seem to have much of a point to me. It is a very pretty looking site, though, and has become one of my primary places to go to when I want the latest news on video games that I follow.

Pinterest I used very little of, but it is a sight much like Instagram in that it is ruled by images. I think what really strikes at the heart of Pinterest users is the ability to "collect" images on folders called "boards" where you "pin" them up and almost keep a collection for yourself of whatever theme your heart desires. Maybe you use it to get ideas for a new halloween costume, or you could be a cooking enthusiast looking for new delicious recipes. Whatever the case, the picture makes the post on Pinterest. I'm not much of a collector so Pinterest doesn't really appeal to me. Maybe if I was more of a designer or a cook it would pose more useful, though. Who can really say?

Facebook was once the social media king, and while it still holds a spot as one of the sites you -must- be on in order to establish an internet presence it is facing strong competition with other sites like Twitter and Instagram. It's an incredibly complex site that thrives on trying to look simple and keeps people in touch with family and friends through status updates. It also gets a bad rep from its own community because Facebook likes to see what's working for other social media platforms and adopts it for itself. A good example of this is the new "trending" graph that shows up on your news feed which used to belong to just Twitter. Facebook is already being labeled by the newer generation as a site for older people, though, which is a shock to me considering that I'm a person who primarily uses Facebook and I'm just 23 years old. However my younger brother and his friends and people younger than him, too, are all about other sites like Pinterest  Instagram, and Twitter. I wonder if those sites will be considered old news once he gets to my age.

Technology sure moves fast...