Whether you’re on it when you wake up, or on it when you are headed to bed there is no doubt that social media has an impact on our lives. The various popular platforms including Instagram, Snapchat, Tik Tok, and many others draw people in for various reasons. Whether it be to see what your peers are up to, search for entertaining content, find new friends, or to look for creators to inspire you, social media is a big part of our lives.

In a poll conducted with 108 respondents, the most popular platforms were found to be Tik Tok, Snapchat, Spotify, and Instagram. From research, these platforms make it easy to share aspects of your lives and connect easily with other people. In an interview with Mrs. Moos, a Pennridge art teacher, she said that Instagram was her favorite platform because “it allows me to view new artists and photographs, it gets straight to the visuals, and I am able to follow authentic accounts.” The general response from people who chose Instagram from the poll stated it is their favorite because it provides something for anyone to enjoy, no matter their interests.

Respondents who chose Snapchat said they are drawn to this platform because of how quick and easy it is. Many respondents said Snapchat was their favorite because of how easy it makes it to message anyone and everyone. The way Snapchat works is users can send pictures/ videos of themselves to any person they want, and after that user opens the snap, it cannot be seen again, unless the user screenshots it. Individuals can also choose to post pictures on their “story” and by doing that, all the people they have on Snapchat will be able to view what they have posted. Snapchat also has a memories feature, where it shows you what you posted around the same time in the previous years.

Coming in as the most popular platform chosen by respondents is Tik Tok, a short-form, video sharing app that allows users to create and share 15-60 second videos, on any topic. This platform racked up 26.9% of respondent votes, which is not surprising based on the praise it received. Respondents said the videos others post are quick and funny, it is entertaining, a good way to kill boredom, and has creative videos which can help inspire. 

As far as when people are using social media, the evening takes the win as far as the most popular time goes. From the poll, 78.7% of respondents voted the evening/night (5 pm-12 am) as the time that they are on it most. The average time users are spending on these platforms ranged from about 1-3 hours daily. A striking response we received, however, was many respondents saying that they felt they were on these platforms “too much.”

In an interview with Maddie Coffey, a Pennridge student, when asked if she thought there were downsides to social media platforms, responded “yes, because of the bullying and harassment some people face, and it can put some people in unwanted dangers, just because of how easy it is to share locations.” Maddie stated that VSCO is her favorite social media platform because it is one of the least judgemental platforms, there is no like button, and users can post and share what they want because there is no “wrong thing” to post.

Like most things in life, social media is good in moderation. In the interview with Mrs. Moos, she said that “teens should have limits on the time they spend on certain platforms.” Social media is a great way to connect and get inspired. However, if used in excess, teens may fall into the “false sense of reality” that social media shows. People are only sharing the good aspects of their lives, which can be toxic to struggling individuals. Out of 4.17 billion mobile internet users, 90.71% are active users, so it is safe to say that social media is a huge part of today’s society. However, everything in moderation.