8/29/2018 2 Comments Vine is Life 2012 was when social media and being online really started to become prevalent in our high schools in North Carolina. Everyone was getting on twitter, everyone already had a Facebook and had moved on, and Instagram was just starting to be formed as a platform, not really known to many people. My main priority in high school was to make friends and connect with as many people as I could, and social media, specifically twitter, was a brand new unexplored medium, appearing perfect for coming together with friends. In turn, I had no regard for being careful with what I posted or how I managed my time online. I would subtweet my friends when I was mad at them at them; I would post pictures when I did something fun or special so that people would think that I was cool and had friends. I would spend at least 5 minutes taking pictures so that I could remember everything I did, and I loved people being able to know what I was up to. Privacy was not a concern of mine and I was enthralled with being connected with my friends. Then vine came along. Six second videos, creating trends, jokes, and memes, singlehandedly changing the way comedy worked within schools and in the world. Vine created a subculture within the realm of online creation and consumption. If you were on vine, you knew what people meant when they said, “I’m in me mom’s car”, “I sure hope it does”, “Is this Kesha?!”, and “Why you always lying?” It enabled us high schoolers something to bond with and have a language that adults and people not on vine couldn’t understand. It was the ultimate inside joke creator. And this is where my view on social media changed. I no longer needed to share everything that I did to feel connected, but instead I could consume media by myself and bring what I learned to real life. I could be present when I was with people instead of worrying about what other people thought of me when I was away or online. So now in a world where instagram dominates the social media platforms, and where everyone on twitter is either complaining about how to world works, making fun of people, or reminiscing about vine. I no longer feel the need or desire to post anything myself on social media. Not because I am scared about privacy or because I feel like I don’t have friends, but because I feel connected enough by the memes and the jokes that relate a culture of people and create joy and laughter within people. I do not worry about how many likes I get on pictures because I haven’t posted on instagram in 2 years. The stress and anxiety is replaced by meme references, quick jokes, and laughter; enhancing my real world friendships, instead of isolating others, trying to build myself up by social media bragging and wanting to be liked online. I don’t need or even want an online presence. Vine changed my life and I could not be happier because of it.
2 Comments
Molly Shea
8/30/2018 09:02:59 am
Hey Jack!
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Kathryn Mooew
9/3/2018 11:11:12 am
I really liked how you focused on the transition of social media; I think that's something almost everyone our age can agree with. It went from constant life updates, to just memes that point out all the fun (and not so fun parts) of everyday life. I never thought about how this "transition" can take a lot of pressure off of posting; it's more about finding something that makes us laugh than trying to meet any specific expectations.
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