Which Social Media Sights are Worth It?

Hello, everybody! Today I've decided to write an article about my experiences with different social media sights, a bit about what each does, and the pros and cons of each. So without further ado:

Twitter: 4.5

I'd have to say that Twitter is one of my favorite sights, granted, I don't use it in the most traditional way. I use Twitter mostly to follow my favorite authors, publishing houses, and YA blogs to keep up to date on new releases and projects. I also check out what's trending every now and again out of curiosity. Of the people I know, this seems to be the least popular social account (even including Facebook which surprised me). This is fine by me. It's a nice break to come to what I've cultivated into a world of books. 

As for posting on Twitter, I mainly like and retweet things on my personal account. Admittedly, I might chime in on Dancing With The Stars conversation every once and a while, but I tend to just absorb the content already up there. I have also reached out to a couple of authors to tell them how amazing I thought their book was and received a couple of responses which is amazing.

 Which brings me to using Twitter for the blog and what might be my favorite part of the app. When I write articles, I tag the author in the Tweet and oftentimes I'll get a like, or even a reply, back. I think this feature is phenomenal, and it really means a lot to me to hear from the authors who's books I've read and written about. 

I can see why most of my peers don't really use Twitter. Unless you have a specialized community you want to follow or an urge to keep up with the most current news as it happens, Twitter could be pretty boring.

Instagram: 4.5

I got my Instagram and Twitter around the same time which made me realize how different the two "social" sides of these apps are. Instagram is a wall of pictures ranging from pets to nature to selfies to everything in between. It truly is the highlight real of your life. Pictures tend to be carefully chosen and cultivated to create a picture perfect image of your life. As long as everyone grasps that Instagram is a very one sided approach to viewing someone's life, I think that it is a great place to connect with people.

I keep my personal account private and limited only to my close friends and family. I think this gives the app more of a scrapbook feel of memorable moments to save and share than a plea for likes and followers. I think Instagram can be a very positive way to keep in touch with friends who are far away or you don't see often, and it gives me something to do with all the pictures I take that I've never had an outlet to share on. 

Overall, I think that if you were to get one social media account, Instagram is probably the best balance of connecting with people, sharing, and contributing. 

Snapchat: 3

I've only been on Snapchat three days now, but I've decided I've tried it long enough to pass judgement. I find it very confusing. The app itself is hard to navigate and figure out and using the functions is quite the learning curve. While I mainly downloaded the app cause I was sick of saying "No, I don't have Snapchat," when I asked some of my friends if getting an account was worth it, most were so-so about it now. 

I like the filters. I think that these are fun additions to selfies. I also like that it's another way to connect with friends, but, honestly, why does everything have to disappear? It's really kind of stupid and invites some people to use it for stupid things. If you use it right and remember that anything on it can be saved and shared by your peers, then go for it. Maybe it will get more fun this summer when I'm on vacation? 

Pinterest: 5

I've covered the main three apps, in my opinion, so I thought I'd add Pinterest to the mix. It's my favorite of all of them because it's an endless sea of content to absorb without any real social interaction. I guess it's a lot like how I use Twitter. I think this is a great sight for anyone to waste hours of their life scrolling through (because it will happen), or for any kids too young for the above apps but are begging for "Social Media."

Facebook: 4

I do not personally have a Facebook account, but I have played around on my mom's a bit. From what  I've seen, it almost has the anti-socail media feel in the sense that people sometimes post paragraphs and paragraphs of updates in a world that seems to have shifted toward 140 characters. While I do have two friends on Facebook, I think the demographic is more adults who use it to stay in contact with and give updates to friends and family. I don't think I'll be getting an account any time soon, but I think it definitely has its niche in a cluttered field. 

What do you think about these sights? Which are your favorites? Tell me in the comments below.