Who framed me? The Internet

How has the Internet framed me? I have to start out by saying that majority of the people that I follow on social networks are people that I know on a personal level because I trust more of what they have to say. Although there are the selective few that I don’t know personally and have followed them because they’re attractive or we share common interests. The variety of the networks that I’m engaged in affect me in different ways and I’m going to break them down.

Twitter: I have gone away from Twitter and it is now a network that I rarely check out because I was never really fully involved with it in the first place. The first time that I got a Twitter was in high school because everyone had one, it was the “thing” to have. I never saw the huge appeal about Twitter except the fact that people used it to vent and let out frustration that they had. Out of all the social networks, I did think Twitter was good for instant responses. The way that it framed me wasn’t the most positive because I would just end up becoming furious at people and most of my conversations would end up in arguments which made me shy away from it. I followed people from high school but now that we don’t really communicate anymore, I’m not that interested in the things they have to say mostly because they don’t directly affect me like they once did. I also followed my favorite sports team but now I rely on Facebook because I’m on their more so I would get updates or basically play by plays on Twitter as though I was watching it live on TV. Other than that, I used it as a tool of entertainment because people just write down their feelings sometimes without thinking it through and I sit back and laugh or feel whatever emotion they are displaying and do what I can to help them out. Twitter is definitely the least most used social network for me now.

Instagram/Snapchat: Both of these social networks strive off of pictures for personal interaction and I use Instagram way more intensively than Snapchat. Let’s start with Instagram, the same rules apply here as with Twitter meaning that I majority follow people that I personally know and have those individuals that I meet online. Although, the thing with Instagram is that it gives me a better sense of security because all you do is post pictures so it’s easier to identify someone but I will still trust the person I know more than a stranger. I do follow some celebrities like Eric Bledsoe from my favorite basketball team, the Phoenix Suns and Molly Burnett from Days of Our Lives. I like to follow them to keep myself updated with what is going on in their lives (it might sound creepy but I want to be informed). I feel like how I’m being framed on Instagram is that I will normally only like someone’s picture if they show interest in me by liking my material or I if we’re good friends. I find myself scrolling past people’s timelines especially when they don’t like anything of mine because I don’t understand why we’re friends in the first place. The funny thing is I won’t unfriend them because they might be this really attractive woman who has a hold on me and I’ll be intrigued and anxious to know what they’re going to post next or something about someone draws an interest which will keep me engaged.

Now focusing on Snapchat, this is a program that I don’t invest a lot of time in and on my end, I rarely send pictures to people and most often never post anything on my story (which is a series of events throughout the day). Especially now that I’m in college and busy with school, I don’t have the time to record everything going on in my daily life and I never found it necessary to do it either. I know it might sound selfish but I don’t want people to know what I’m doing on a daily basis because some things are private and I personally feel like I don’t need to broadcast my life to everyone. When I first downloaded the app, I sent pictures to everyone I know and they’d send them back so it was good interaction and I could actually physically see their face and videos could also be sent as well. I check people’s stories nightly because I am interested and curious to see how somebody’s day went and it’s a good quick way to stay in touch with people that you don’t talk to anymore. This frames me because I feel like I’m intrigued to know how someone’s day has went each and every day plus I can identify body language and hear the tone of voice as well so it’s not just a robot talking.

Facebook: Between Facebook and Instagram, those are my two mostly used social networks that I interact with and I tend to hold Facebook close to my heart because it was the first social network that I ever had. That’s right, I never had a Myspace as crazy as that might sound but anyway I feel the most secure and trustworthy towards Facebook because this is the only network that I follow people I know on a personal level because I have information on there that I don’t want a stranger to see because unfortunately you never know who is on the other side of the screen. I spend the most time of Facebook because there is so much content not only from your friends on their but Facebook will try and feed you into things it thinks you might like and this is how it frames me. I am a religious individual and my dad has a bible page that he post scriptures on and shares any videos that will help people. I enjoy it because it shows me how much he believes in our Lord and especially he was sick lately and now has dialysis. That’s beside the point and he’s always believed in God but I bring this up because I follow his page and every time that I log on, I see a picture on my timeline of Jesus being crucified or something that says, “If you Love God then comment ‘Amen’”. I will always fall into the trap of commenting because for some reason I feel like if I ignore them then I won’t be blessed and I feel like I’m not respecting God. At the same time, I understand that just because I like it doesn’t make me invincible and I do go to church and listen to the message but I try to respect him in every way. I am trying to grow out of that though. Facebook will also notify me if something is happening athletically in my high school because I follow people from high school and certain pages that they have to so I can stay up to date with what is going on. I am also framed in that way as well and it stems from the things that I like, Facebook will take notice of that and feed me specific articles or pictures to my liking and it’s kind of cool but scary altogether.

Who does the Internet think I am?

Obviously the Internet knows that I am religious and will keep feeding me those pictures as long as I keep commenting or liking them but it goes deeper than that. The Internet keeps track of whose statuses and posts you are engaged in and will narrow it down to those individuals because it feels like you guys have the most in common and are close friends. It will also find people and organizations that it’ll think you like and send them your way so you can friend them. For instance, when I was on Twitter, I followed the Phoenix Suns official page and similar organizations related to the Suns were trying to follow me. I find it crazy that the Internet works so hard to find similar people and organizations that it thinks you’ll be interested in to seek you out. I understand the concept because obviously the interests between the two are common but that is a way the Internet will keep an eye on you and what things you’re involved with and things you aren’t.

The Internet is public and so intelligent because it literally keeps records of events, sports, activities that people participate in and have it stored somewhere if someone decides to do some background research. I experimented and Google searched myself, the first thing that came up was that I was a part of the Dixie State University Cross Country Team and all the records that I have since I’ve came here. That is not the only thing that appeared, also my high school records from running and also my Instagram and Facebook although both are private. I have my own reasons for keeping it private but I don’t really feel like anything is private because all it takes is a simple search of my name and you can see where I go to school, the sports I play, etc. I know it is nothing to be worried about because my social security number is out floating around visible for people to collect but I do find it scary that I have so much information that is easily accessible. It definitely shows me, I need to be careful about what I post on the Internet because they do say “Once you put something out there, it’ll be there forever” and that is true. I don’t know who the Internet thinks I am but I will keep my eye on it!