Social media plays such a huge role in the daily life of students all over Cabrini’s campus. One of the reasons people find themselves using social media is because of their friends that are on it too.
“I think friends play a role in social media usage because if they are constantly using it and showing me it then I’m likely to want to use it myself,” junior Tricia Stocker said.
“I think to a certain extent I use social media because my friends are using it,” junior Jackie Neary said. “If they are talking about something that they saw on social media I want to be able to check it out for myself too and not feel left out.”
The usage of social media is what keeps people up to date on what is going on all around the world or just in their own friend group. Some of the main social media platforms used by students are Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter.
“I spend most of my time on Facebook recently and I think it’s because there is more there than just what my “friends” are posting,” Stocker said. “There are a lot of articles about so many different subjects that come up on my Facebook feed and I think that’s why I spend more time on it because I’m reading different articles.”
Snapchat is sometimes used as a second form of texting. It has become famously known for its disappearing pictures and text that make it the perfect spot for gossip. It is also an outlet for people to have fun with goofy filters or keep their circle updated with the infamous Snapchat story.
“I use Snapchat the most out of all forms of social media. Throughout the day I am constantly snap chatting my friends sometimes even instead of texting,” Neary said. “It’s just simple quick and easy communication.”
“My worst habit on social media is using up all my data on Snapchat,” freshman Jena Braungart said.
It is so easy to get stuck with data overages when being so invested in using social media. Not only can it cost you money it can cost you time.
“My biggest bad habit on social media is just using it too much in general,” Stocker said. “I think that it really hooks people in and they can become obsessive about it. I really don’t like when I feel myself constantly wondering what’s going on on social media and I try to not get in the habit of checking it too much.”
The time you spend scrolling through your latest feed or reloading your Snapchat can take away from getting anything productive done.
“I think social media is a big distraction when it comes to being productive,” Neary said. If I’m really focusing hard on getting something done I usually can’t have my phone around me or else I won’t accomplish much.”
“I think social media can distract people from being productive when they spend too much time on it but I think that it can also be a good way to take a break when you are being productive,” Stocker said. “It is a nice way to step back from what you are doing for a little bit and give your brain a break. It’s all about how you use it!”
The common time for Cabrini students to use social media is morning and night. This is when they find themselves having the most down time with their busy class schedules.
“I use social media the most in the morning and at night. It is one of the first things I check in the morning and one of the last things I check at night,” Stocker said. “I don’t have much time during the day to be on social media.”
“I’m on social media through all times of the day, but the most is right before I go to bed,” Neary said. “I like to lay in bed and catch up on what I missed and go through all of my social media accounts.”
Although time and money can be taken from you through the overuse of social media, there are some other great positives to using it.
“Social media is a great way to post pictures and to see what you and your friends are up to,” Braungart said. “Also while sharing funny things you find such as pictures.”
