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COMM 1400, Social Media Week 1 Assignment

Tamarijn Alpaio

Prof. Susi

COMM-1400-600

September 4, 2022

I would define social media as a platform where users can interact with other users in hundreds of ways. Whether it be posting something for everyone to see, liking someone's post, commenting on someone's post, and many other things. These users can simply be posting something directed towards their friends and family or posting something directed towards thousands of people. Some people use social media just to look while others are trying to get famous, and some are already famous using it to stay engaged with fans. Social media can also be used to stay connected with friends and family since almost every social media platform has a built in direct messaging section. Many people use social media for advertising and selling products for other users to buy. Some people see social media as very dangerous because you can find lots of information about practically anyone. People can also pretend they are someone else and end-up scamming other users. Also, anyone with an account can contact anyone they would like to. Lastly, people only post exciting parts of their lives and add tons of filters causing others to be insecure.

I would characterize myself as an anonymous social media user. I say this because I very rarely post on social media and if I do, I never show my face. Also, I don't put my real name on most social media. I use social media for enjoyment and to keep in touch with friends. I use platforms such as YouTube and TikTok to look up how to do certain things if I am confused. I try not to use social media too much so I can stay productive.

My strengths in understanding social media are that I see many ways to use it. Such as posting, watching, making a profit, etc. I know how to navigate through practically every social media and if I don't know how to, I will use other medias to figure it out. A weakness I have is I can not always recognize when posts or comments are fake. I either have to look it up to fact check it or scroll through the comments to get answers.

There are a few things I would like to get out of this class. Such as, expanding my knowledge on platforms used to get a job such as LinkedIn and Indeed. Also, I would like to learn how to better tell if something or someone on social media is fake. Finally, I look forward to learning about how each platform gained and kept its popularity.