Internet Infatuation: How Social Media Functions

By Tasha Dowbachuk | Published by Oct. 4, 2018

Whether it’s the strategically vibrant feeds or the sponsored ads, the social media battle between Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter thrives with a strong pulse for attention, numbers and user activity.

These social media platforms hold a special place in the hearts of millennials and Generation Z as these websites document every photo, video or post that may have the potential to go viral overnight. The secret recipe for becoming famous on social media may be revealed with a peek into where the numbers are coming from.

The most common social media applications in today's age of technology. Phot Courtesy of Creative Commons.

The most common social media applications in today’s age of technology. Photo Courtesy of Creative Commons.

According to Statista, as of July 2018, Facebook is the most famous social media network with 2,196 million active users. YouTube is the second-ranking network, following with 1,900 million users. Within the frenzy, users compete against each other through hashtags, spam posting, and so on for one prized possession; the verified symbol.

The attraction of becoming a famous “Instagrammer” or “Youtuber”, is by gaining credibility through the lenses of a digital world. The main reason whyis to attract their desired audience in order to gain more followers and build a bond.

So what’s going on inside of the world of social media? One word: Trends. They come and go, never going out of style. The current trend on Snapchat is their “lenses” feature.

Most of our communications is surrounded by the topic of social media. Photo Courtesy of Creative Commons.

Most of our communications is surrounded by the topic of social media. Photo Courtesy of Creative Commons.

With this in mind, Snapchat and Instagram are in an entirely different league. They both carry the same genetics, in terms of easy marketing tactics and appealing to their users through 5-second advertisements.

What keeps the wheels turning is the trends that funds the pockets of social media influencers and their audience taking off with the new ideas while participating in the praise.

Facebook, being the warm parent of social media platforms, had its moments in the past where its appeal plummeted, due to privacy concerns. The problem also consisted of hackers and “fake news” articles. As its popularity grew, Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, opened the gates to the ever-growing empire that we know today.

Do you think the infatuation over social media has gone too far or is the journey just beginning?

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