Since this seems to be introspection week, I figured I’d check in and give a social media update. If you’re new here, every so often I like to take a look at the digital world, and explore how my role in it has changed. My entry to this world started with this blog, so it’s only fitting that I track my progress here. In the past, I’ve discussed Friendster, MySpace, Twitter, and the rest. This time around, I think I want to talk about Instagram.
First off, I think I’m over Facebook. Every change that’s meant to “enhance” the experience has really made it worse to me. Let’s get down to brass tacks: I like the “spying” aspect of social media. It allows me to keep tabs on people that I don’t really feel like calling on the phone. It’s nothing against them, but I just don’t like the phone. The latest change to Facebook has been the introduction of Timeline – a new profile design that essentially changes Facebook into a digital scrapbook. By grouping events and status updates by year, it has essentially changed the purpose of the site. In the beginning, Facebook was a connectivity tool – it allowed you to keep in touch with people and share moments/thoughts/pictures/jokes/etc with them. This change, however, really turns into into a digital equivalent of “This Is Your Life”. It turns the focus inward rather than outward, and I feel it’s more isolationist than communal. Of course people are upset about it, but people are upset about every change that occurs online. That’s just the Circle of Digital Life. This, however, is worth being upset about, as it basically changes the mission of the site. I don’t need a digital time capsule. I want to see pics of the skank that my friend met on Spring Break!
More recently, I dipped my toe into Pinterest, which is essentially a digital pinboard. Since I’m not really acquainted with the notion of “pinboards”, I think of it more like a “junk drawer”. We all have that drawer that just holds a bunch of random shit, like movie ticket stubs, and that thing from that time you went to that place with that chick. It’s all the shit that doesn’t fit neatly on a Splurgg from IKEA. That’s Pinterest. You find stuff online that you like, and then you “pin” it, which puts it in one of the folders that you publicly display on your profile. They say that 90% of its traffic is women, and I don’t doubt it. Unlike Twitter, where I feel I need to stay on top of updates, Pinterest is something that you just check in on while waiting for an oil change. There’s no real pressing content, but it’s a way to pass the time. While Tumblr has established a bit of a reputation as a porn portal, Pinterest has yet to really establish a niche to make it a worthwhile time sink.
One of the biggest issues with Instagram was that it “made hipster douchebags think they were real photographers”. While there are certainly examples of this, I think it also took mediocre photographers to the next level. I don’t toot my own horn, bu I’ve always had a keen eye. Whether I’m looking for a needle in a thrift haystack or noticing how the light hits certain things, I’ve had moments when I’ve felt “that would make a great picture”. Since I skipped photography class in high school, and I’ve never had what one might call a “good camera”, I never really got to take a lot of those pictures. I don’t understand the basic rules of photography, as you might notice from pictures on the ecrater site. A lot of it is due to ignorance, while the rest is due to lack of patience. I find that Instagram has bridged that gap for me. To real photographers, I might be “cheating”, but I’m finally able to realize a desire that I couldn’t really do anything about in the past. I enjoy trying the different filters, and it’s a great feeling to have someone “like” something that I’ve shared. There are some shots that I’m more proud of than a lot of the creative stuff that I’ve done. If that makes me a hipster douchebag, so be it. All I know is that this has opened a new door for me, as I’m interacting with artsy people instead of the usual comics/toy bunch. Don’t get me wrong – a lot of my pictures are of toys, but it’s helping me explore other facets of myself at the same time. So, if you’re on Instagram, I’m williambrucewest. If you’re not on Instagram, I highly recommend that you sign up!
I feel like an old fuddy duddy when I think of Instagram b/c I don’t get the huge popularity behind it. It’s like Viewmaster for your smartphone. I don’t take photos like that anyway, but similar to tumblr, a lot of the new people are using it as their free porn portal. Good assessment of Pinterest. We promote stuff from our site on there, but otherwise it’s a nice little time-waster of randomness.