Response to AI and Other Social Media Trends: LJ5

After reading the articles and watching the videos for Module 6, I have to say that I’m surprised with how in the dark I was about a lot of these trends. When I was younger, I feel like I was more in touch with social media trends, but as I got older, I’ve grown out them. One article talks about BeReal, which grew popular in 2022 (BeReal, 2022). That was a trend that I participated in, and I enjoyed it for a few months, until I got uncomfortable with letting people know what I was doing throughout my day. As of today, I know that many of my friends have also deleted or stopped using BeReal, so I do not think that it will stand the test of time.

Another article mentions that 2023 is the year of AI transformation, which I would agree with because 2023 was when I became interested in AI as well. Boulton says, “Less clear is whether IT leaders are prepared for the unprecedented growth and acceleration of generative AI…” which means that AI will be continuing to grow and taking over technological innovations (Boulton, 2023). Therefore, I believe that this “trend” will stand the test of time and continue to advance into all aspects of human life.

I used to use Twitter, or X, but had deleted it before Elon Musk took it over, so I’m out of touch with many X trends. Ghaffary states, “the app has experienced major glitches — such as when, on Monday, all links to external websites stopped working,” (Ghaffary, 2023). I have heard many people complain about X, due to glitches, links not working, and results not loading, so I don’t think that it’s a trend I would want to re-participate in. I also don’t think that X will stand the test of time due to these technological difficulties and due to the dislike of Elon Musk. Additionally, similar apps, such as Threads by Instagram, are also growing in popularity.

In Hill’s article, 11 Social Media Trends You Need to Know, he discusses longer TikTok videos, increase in playful content, and the boom of the influencer economy (Hill, 2024). As a TikTok user, I have noticed an increase in the length of TikTok videos, an increased usage of memes in certain brand’s social medias, and a sudden surge of people trying to be influencers. It is amusing seeing Taco Bell posting one-liners under random videos, so I do enjoy seeing playful content. But TikTok now offers “paid promotions”, so my “FYP” is flooded with random people trying to promote items off of the “TikTok Shop” in order to receive income for their promotions. It can get annoying, but I do think that these trends will stand the test of time because these apps are offering a source of income, so it will appeal to users as financial stability depending on how popular they are.

I have never heard of any of the Twitter alternatives that were listed under Malik’s article except Tumblr (Malik, 2023). Tumblr was a major trend in 2011 and I think that other social media platforms outgrew it over time. As I mentioned previously, another app called Threads by Instagram is very similar to Twitter/X and will continue to grow in popularity, but it wasn’t mentioned in the article.

I have noticed this trend, even in myself, with obsessing over vintage technology. I have invested in plenty of disposable and digital cameras, and now flip phones are also becoming more popular. I would argue that they’re “simpler,” but I also like the “vintage aesthetic” it gives off. Maruf says, “…most importantly, they love the ability to disconnect – or as much as that’s even possible in 2023,” (Maruf, 2023). Social media can negatively impact your mental health, so having the ability to disconnect from the toxicity, while still being able to keep in touch with your family and friends, seems like a very appealing option.

Of the 20 new social media networks listed in Howarth’s article, I have downloaded Lemon8 and Dispo (Howarth, 2024). I rarely use Lemon8 because it reminds me of Pinterest, and I have a preference for Pinterest. Dispo, on the other hand, I’ve used to capture many moments of my college years because of its “film-like” effects on iPhone camera pictures. I think Dispo will stand the test of time because it offers a similar effect that a film camera would offer, and it’s more convenient to take film pictures on an iPhone than to go to the store and buy a film camera.

I have used AI before, such as ChatGPT. For the longest time, I strayed away from using ChatGPT because I heard that many people were using AI to write their essays and that concerned me. I wanted to keep my essays authentic and not rely on AI to cheat. I have messed with AI before by asking it silly questions and seeing what its response would be because that can be entertaining. In addition, if I have random questions that need to be answered, I ask ChatGPT because it allows me to better understand a topic when I cannot find a direct answer online. In this scenario, I do verify this information using other sources because I know ChatGPT can be wrong a lot of the time. It’s rare that I use ChatGPT, but I will likely continue to use it to clarify any confusion I may have about a topic.

Honestly, I didn’t know about many of these trends in the first place, so I don’t think that there are any other trends I can think of that need to be discussed.

References:

BeReal. Sprout Social. (2022, September 19). https://sproutsocial.com/glossary/bereal/

Boulton, C. (2023, February 8). Dell Technologies Brandvoice: Is 2023 the year of ai transformation?. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/delltechnologies/2023/02/08/is-2023-the-year-of-ai-transformation/?sh=13c55f977c4b

Ghaffary, S. (2023, February 16). Musk’s Twitter is getting worse. Vox. https://www.vox.com/technology/2023/2/16/23603155/elon-musk-twitter-worse-degrading-quality-glitches-superbowl-boost-feed

Hill, C. (2024, February 1). 11 social media trends you need to know in 2024. Sprout Social. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-trends/#bereal

Howarth, J. (2024, February 29). Top 20 new social media networks (Mar 2024). Exploding Topics. https://explodingtopics.com/blog/new-social-media-networks

Haymaker, T., & Malik, A. (2023, January 27). The best twitter alternatives worth checking out. TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2023/01/27/best-twitter-alternatives-social-apps/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAACF4_mmM7OUIwcm509cmZ6wAZ_hrKTgH43vBxfnrhJuhDKxodn6bEy8P8ec-bqG5TFN3IjcoR5qGoP9k6iotyAVOW4W-4CMpeUiESToNv6FIA-dPu51FatQCGPghv09sljGa1liSgtiW0jFAFOXDrSqn1AmzNcXJ5_zVkSeM_TV5

Maruf, R. (2023, January 16). Gen Z has a new “vintage” technology to obsess over | CNN business. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/15/business/flip-phone-gen-z-ctrp/index.html

8 responses to “Response to AI and Other Social Media Trends: LJ5”

Tia

March 27, 2024 at 12:53 pm

Hi Mahi! I am glad to know that I am not the only one who has not heard of the new apps and trends taking over social media, at least prior to this module. I enjoyed hearing about your experience with BeReal; as this was an app that I knew nothing about, I was very interested in how the concept would translate to reality. The part of the app description that most stood out to me was how there was “a two-minute window for the user to post a picture of what they [were] currently doing” (“BeReal,” n.d.). For some reason that I could not yet explain, the idea of doing that made me uncomfortable. After reading your post where you described how off-putting it was to show people what you were doing at that exact moment, my reason became clear. The idea of others being able to know exactly what you are doing and potentially where you are at that very moment – particularly from a social media app – seems a bit creepy. In any case, I really liked hearing your opinions and thoughts about the various trends and apps. It will be intriguing to see how social media and technology continue to develop.

BeReal. (n.d.). Sprout Social. https://sproutsocial.com/glossary/bereal/

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Jessica Schmidt

March 27, 2024 at 2:12 pm

Hello Mahi, your insights into the evolving landscape of social media trends and technology are very detailed. It’s intriguing how your perspective has shifted over time, from active participation in trends like BeReal to a more cautious approach with platforms like X due to technological glitches and concerns over privacy.

Your observations on the increasing length of TikTok videos, the rise of playful content, and the influencer economy align with the broader trends outlined by Hill. It’s a dynamic space where users navigate between entertainment and commercialization, with financial incentives shaping content creation. Overall, your reflections offer valuable insights into the ever-changing landscape of social media, technology, and their impact on our lives. It’s clear that staying informed about emerging trends is important for the rapidly changing social media environment.

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cmallan17

March 27, 2024 at 10:10 pm

Hey! great post, I enjoyed reading your perspective on social media trends. You stated that “I wanted to keep my essays authentic ” which is why you don’t utilize Chat GPT. This is exactly how I feel! To me the stuff AI writes sounds like a robot wrote it and who wants that?

AWESOME post! 🙂

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deniscoe

March 28, 2024 at 2:53 pm

Hey Mahi

The fact that you have ‘dabbled’ in the use of AI is interesting to me and agree that using it to write papers is bad and not authentic. Additionally, I enjoy the retro-tech trend as well and have invested in some older technology as well.

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IannaNunez

March 28, 2024 at 3:22 pm

Hi Mahi,

It’s interesting to witness social media platforms go through their phase of popularity. I never used BeReal but I liked the concept of the app and had a lot of friends who loved it. The purpose of the app was for users to share daily unfiltered pictures of themselves, encouraging people to be more “real” and authentic. This is a refreshing concept when we think about how people are always trying to present the best version of themselves. I like that you mentioned the digital camera trend because my Instagram page is filled with it. I think it’s funny how our generation loves the newest iPhone with the best camera yet digital cameras became a trend overnight because of TikTok influencers. Twitter or X was another platform never got around to using. I honestly didn’t see the need to use it because popular Tweets would end up on other social media platforms like Instagram for my viewing. I actually had to make an account to complete the Twitter assignments for this class. Great points, thank you for sharing!

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shawk4

March 28, 2024 at 3:28 pm

Hi Mahi,

I agree with your take that AI will stand the test of time. Whenever I hear anything regarding technological innovations, the continued development of AI is always mentioned. I’ve also heard that AI innovations are developing faster than anticipated which brings a concern I have. Hopefully AI doesn’t develop to the point where it could potentially do more harm than good (referring to any piece of science fiction regarding rogue AI which might not be so sci-fi in the near future). Although that may be a stretch, I believe that possibility is on the table now.

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mtimoszuk

March 28, 2024 at 3:52 pm

Hi Mahi! I found the points of your Learning Journal to be very thoughtful the point about 20 different social media platforms intrigued me. I believe that the AI point made after is also very true where it could be used to help better understand a topic if you have a hard time to for a topic.

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Will Livengood

March 28, 2024 at 3:54 pm

Hey Miah, I enjoyed reading your post. With being so dark in the knowledge of social media trends, I also realize that trends come and go rapidly. The amount of times my friends will ask me if I’ve seen this or that TikTok trend happens endlessly. Most of the time, Im usually clueless. The same types of trends happen in social media apps, like BeReal which you mentioned. In 2022, BeReal was the face of social media and now, it’s virtually dead. Although I never ventured off into this platform, I’m sure other platforms will come and go in the future.

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