14 ms·

A Teenager’s View on Social Media

488 points by nicksergeant 12y ago

jcrawfordor 12y ago
Okay, I'm 22, that's not much older than this guy. I know a lot of 18 and 19 year olds. How does it look to me? Facebook: most people use this primarily, but about 1 in 5 people does not because they object to pervasive surveillance/got frustrated by the newsfeed reordering/dislike Zuckerburg personally/are just asocial. Facebook Messenger is the main way of communicating with people who have it. You also use it to communicate with people who don't have Facebook Messenger by the indirection of using Facebook Messenger to talk to someone who might have their phone number. Instagram: I know a total of maybe two people that use this at all, and they have their content copying to Facebook which is where most people see it I think. Twitter: Not a lot of people use this, with the curious exception of the Facebook objectors, who mostly use this. Snapchat: I know a few people who use Snapchat but I don't think anyone takes it seriously. Of course that's kind of the point. General assumption is that snapchat users are trading dickpics and just not sharing with the rest of us. Tumblr: A lot of people are tumblr users but in sort of a "guilty pleasure" way, you don't discuss it with people you're trying to win the respect of. Perception is that it's mostly [furry]porn and SJWs. Admittedly this is roughly correct. Yik Yak: Took the campus by storm. Most people use it exclusively to either complain about faculty, ineffectively try to find a date, or to make fun of the former two. Openly mocked, but in the way that makes other people install the app just to see what's being joked about, so I guess that's a social strategy. Medium: Maybe a handful of CS majors even know what it is. Yeah, I go to a small engineering school and my social group is primarily in CS. I'm sure this impacts my experience a lot. This is exactly my point: I think social media/application/etc usage is far too specific to social groups, institutions, and even geographical areas for it to be remotely useful to work off of anecdotes. Here Facebook is absolutely king, but I can imagine a "trendier" population (not Engineering students) might have a certain ire for it. I think Instagram isn't widely used just for lack of having achieved critical mass in this particular student body, there may (and probably will) come a day when that changes. This is probably part of why "what teens are into" reporting seems so ridiculous. It's based on a shallow look at one group of people, and behavior varies far too much between groups. Broad statistical data would be far more useful for marketing purposes, but the results would still ring hollow for many specific peer groups.
- intellegacy 12y ago
  Not surprised insta isn't popular among your engineering group. It's like twitter but for photos.. it's very visual-based. a lot of artists and celebs are on it. also seems to be the home of pretty girls posting selfies and getting validation from that. it's like a cooler, more upscale version of facebook. Insta is hugely popular from what I'm seeing
arethuza 12y ago
For another single data point I asked my 15 year old son a few months back about what social media platforms he uses and was rather surprised to have him answer "Facebook is for old people" - which probably means over 20.
- richsinn 12y ago
  What else did he say?
  - arethuza 12y ago
    Some evasive mutterings about Snapchat.
simbilou 12y ago
> I only know a handful of people (myself included) that believe Snapchat does delete your photos. Everyone else I know believes that Snapchat has some secret database somewhere with all of your photos on it. It takes a special kind of stupid to even consider the idea that the photos are _really_ deleted.
- aridiculous 12y ago
  Well, then I guess you're calling a majority of the population (including doctors, lawyers, artist, musicians, etc) "stupid". What you really mean is someone who doesn't understand how technology (and tech companies) work. This could easily be mitigated if we enforced privacy laws saying that if you tell someone something is deleted, then it must actually be securely deleted. They might even be on the books already, just enforce them.
  - pestaa 12y ago
    If something goes online, it stays online. Proxies, long term caches, archives, you name it. Relying on privacy laws of secure deletion would be the same mistake. Delete buttons should really be labelled as "hide stuff from everybody except us."
  - simbilou 12y ago
    First of all, my comment was meant in the context of the article which is the use of technology by _teenagers_, not the general part of the population. And even so, yes people should know better, privacy has a big place in the public debate nowdays.
jolid 12y ago
I like that he's less concerned with a company storing his Social Security Number (or credit card, name, address... things governments/companies ALREADY HAVE) than the photos and thoughts he's choosing to share only with his closest friends. Dunno how to quote: I only know a handful of people (myself included) that believe Snapchat does delete your photos. Everyone else I know believes that Snapchat has some secret database somewhere with all of your photos on it. While I will save that debate for another day, it is safe to say that when photos are “leaked” or when there’s controversy about security on the app, we honestly do not really care. We aren't sending pictures of our Social Security Cards here, we're sending selfies and photos with us having 5 chins
bcRIPster 12y ago
While it's an interesting article, I think he's being a bit hyperbolic in translating his local experience out to a generalization. This isn't simply a 19 year olds experience. It is a white, suburban, middle-class, male attending a conservative university in a culturally regressive state. If nothing else, he's about as radically distant from an urban minority as you could get to the point where I'd imagine it is really impossible for him to have any perspective into other demographics and how they use these tools. I value his opinion, but it's important to take it into context. Atleast he attempts to hedge his lack of experience in his opening statement.
- AndrewKemendo 12y ago
  It is a white, suburban, middle-class, male attending a conservative university in a culturally regressive state. Which is the demographic that all of the services in question care about (except whatsapp) - which kind of proves the point.
  - bcRIPster 12y ago
    I'm going to argue that. Many of these services are targeting a more diverse crowd. If they were only targeting this kids demographic, they would be limiting their growth potential out the door. Especially given that the growing base of users of these tools are international users. Also, I'm going to argue just against my experience with urban teens living in more diverse communities which doesn't really align with this kids experience.
    - AndrewKemendo 12y ago
      Agree in principle, disagree in execution. Pretty much any app maker (whatsapp aside) starts with a skewed market: people with smartphones. iOS makers even moreso. These people trend toward being white and middle/upper class. Now you need to narrow to who buys shit on their phones. Again that demographic skews younger. [1] [2] So right away, if you want a successful smartphone app in the U.S. then you need to target, urban white men between 18-29 with at least some college and 75000+ a year in income. I think as you say more people should target international etc... but people build toward the problems they have and the language they know. Whatsapp is killing it because they broke out of the mold. So yes, they should for many reasons, but if you just follow the money then who you target looks very homogenous. [1] http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/mobile-technology-fact-sheet/ http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/mobile-technology-fac... [2] http://www.voxburner.com/publications/6766-who-makes-in-app-purchases http://www.voxburner.com/publications/6766-who-makes-in-app-...
AndrewKemendo 12y ago
This is filled with gems that old farts like me (I'm 30) don't have any idea about. If I don’t get any likes on my Instagram photo or Facebook post within 15 minutes you can sure bet I'll delete it. Super interesting take - it's as though they are posting not to show people stuff but to get people's approval for what they are posting. Simple but critically different in my opinion. Facebook is often used by us mainly for its group functionality. Got it, so make a better group service and bring everyone to that. One big thing I took away is that, assuming this is representative of the demographic, they seem to not mind using multiple applications for communications. So there really is the ability to pretty narrowly specialize with functions - something I think the older generation does backwards; we want to consolidate and make services a "one stop shop."
- dominic2 12y ago
  I think Whatsapp has emerged as the better group service that everyone is using. It's a little too easily brushed aside in this article.
  - joshstrange 12y ago
    I disagree, none of my friends use WhatsApp and I've never heard them mention it. It's all about group texts or FB chat groups. (I am 23)
    - zild3d 12y ago
      WhatsApp I only use for when friends/family are out of the country. GroupMe gets used for any persistent groups, such as "roommates" (I am 22)
      - joshstrange 12y ago
        GroupMe was awesome when group SMS was shit but it's gotten much better and since everyone is one FB chat that's used more in my circle of friends. I have a few GroupMe conversations but a number have moved to FB Chat and the ones left are just a few holdouts.
jff 12y ago
* You post you getting ready for the party, going to the party, having fun at the party, the end of the party, and the morning after the party on Snapchat. * On Facebook you post the cute, posed pictures you took with your friends at the party with a few candids (definitely no alcohol in these photos). * On Instagram you pick the cutest one of the bunch to post to your network. Oh my god, just kill them all before it spreads.
swalsh 12y ago
I have never felt so old reading a post :D What I find interesting is the stark contrast to people's predictions from years ago. I can recall the speculation about how in a world of facebook our lives will be documented forever, and the problems that will cause. That very real concern seems to not only have been well received, but they seem to be taking precautions. Unexpected, but very encouraging!
- bcRIPster 12y ago
  And just how did you come to that conclusion when he specifically said he doesn't care if someone like Snapchat keeps his photos forever?!? Will he care when his photos start showing up in advertisements? Will he care when a prospective employer with a data sharing agreement with Snapchat's future owner accesses his document/activity history and he can't get a job? Sigh.
  - organsnyder 12y ago
    They don't care, because they're operating under the assumption that it's true. According to his account, they're not putting their most private photos there—they assume that anything they post may be made public in the future.
    - bcRIPster 12y ago
      I'm feeling like we read different articles. I never once got that concept that he was somehow protecting his privacy. He just stated that his perceptions were that some sites were more private than others. I get the feeling that his friends are still posting compromising content online, they just don't think they're be accountable for it.
      - organsnyder 12y ago
        From the article: While I will save that debate for another day, it is safe to say that when photos are “leaked” or when there’s controversy about security on the app, we honestly do not really care. We aren't sending pictures of our Social Security Cards here, we're sending selfies and photos with us having 5 chins.
stinos 12y ago
The content on Instagram is usually a higher quality. People take time to edit their photos with filters, different brightness/contrast settings, etc. ... This means the content on Instagram is normally “better” (photo-wise) That's the OP's personal experience of course, mine is sort of the opposite: facebook has all sorts of crappy pictures, instagram has those as well but made even worse by having applied all kinds of filters most of which appeal ugly to me. Tumblr on the other hand I consider as a source for decent/pro material (as in, actually beautiful pictures taken with proper cameras). Maybe all this is because of who I'm following though.
bgun 12y ago
many have nailed this on the head. It’s dead to us. The next few paragraphs then go on to describe Facebook as essential social plumbing. I think an FB product manager would be delighted to hear that Facebook is "dead" in this way. This is precisely why the most successful social network of its generation was built, first and foremost, to be a platform rather than a cocktail party.
- josu 12y ago
  So were Yahoo and AOL. If specialized apps start to show up, people may start ditching FB altogether.
  - Chronic30 12y ago
    You can be sure Facebook will acquire any threatening social networks.
    - billions 12y ago
      Except Snapchat which refused acquisition so far
      - crazypyro 12y ago
        Probably because Facebook hasn't offered them enough billions yet. This article and author certainly seems to be promoting Snapchat well though.
        josephpmay 12y ago
        Facebook could offer Snapchat 20B and Evan Spiegel wouldn't take it
        manticore_alpha 12y ago
        He's an idiot, then.
Anechoic 12y ago
Piggybacking off bcRIPster (now down voted) post, I'd be curious to know the race of the teen author and if the preferences he observed are the same across others with different ethnic and racial background. Among my 30-something and 40-something circle I've noticed that most of my white and Asian friends tend to utilize Facebook more while most of my black friends tend to use Twitter more. Instagram seems more evenly split.
- eastbayjake 12y ago
  This is only anecdotal of course, but I taught in a 99% African-American public high school and it seemed like most students were on Twitter. Most of those former students are obsessed with Snapchat now -- I do get a lot of the "I'm so bored" messages from them via My Story. I guess when you have to opt-in to see someone's Story it doesn't feel like you're spamming someone if you post a bunch -- your friends control the spigot.
- bcRIPster 12y ago
  If you look at the end of the article there is a short bio and his photo. He's a blond, white boy who's the spitting image of a young Mark Zuckerberg. To the "separated at birth" level of looking like him. Kinda freaky. :)
Rainymood 12y ago
20/m/europe >In short, many have nailed this on the head. It’s dead to us. Facebook is something we all got in middle school because it was cool but now is seen as an awkward family dinner party we can't really leave. What? >Snapchat is where we can really be ourselves while being attached to our social identity. Without the constant social pressure of a follower count or Facebook friends, I am not constantly having these random people shoved in front of me. Instead, Snapchat is a somewhat intimate network of friends who I don't care if they see me at a party having fun. I use snapchat to send funny images of myself to my girlfriend >WhatsApp- You download it when you go abroad, you use it there for a bit before going back to iMessage and Facebook Messenger, you delete it. I know tons of people who use it to communicate with friends they made abroad, but I feel like Messenger is beginning to overshadow it. For international students, however, WhatsApp is a pivotal tool that I’ve heard is truly useful. Back here we use WhatsApp exclusively almost, fb messenger when we must >Tumblr is like a secret society that everyone is in, but no one talks about. Tumblr is where you are your true self and surround yourself (through who you follow) with people who have similar interests. To me, tumblr is a place where hipsters post images from the internet, back on the internet edit: added location, might be very relevant
- dublinben 12y ago
  WhatsApp has far fewer users in North America than every other region of the world. It's not surprising that an American teenager studying at an American college would have no use for it. http://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2014/24497/whatsapp-by-the-numbers-where-its-used-most http://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2014/24497/whatsapp-by-...
  - mst 12y ago
    I now know quite a few whatsapp users put I was patient zero for the local epidemic - and I only noticed its existence because a friend of mine from .sg introduced me to it. (disclaimer: am in UK, am 31, don't have a lawn)
- dethstar 12y ago
  >>In short, many have nailed this on the head. It’s dead to us. Facebook is something we all got in middle school because it was cool but now is seen as an awkward family dinner party we can't really leave. >What? The author is talking about how their grandma is on fb now and on their friendlist. They don't feel as comfortable posting certain content there.
themodelplumber 12y ago
This is weird; the author possibly met with the CEO of Snapchat more than once recently: https://twitter.com/thatswattsup/status/546018511902867456 https://twitter.com/thatswattsup/status/546018511902867456 > Can't wait to visit my friends at @Snapchat again tomorrow :D https://twitter.com/thatswattsup/status/545326840940740608 https://twitter.com/thatswattsup/status/545326840940740608 > Loved hanging out with @evanspiegel yesterday, he's one of the nicest and more genuine guys I've met. Thanks for having me @Snapchat! ...influencer? Hope not :(
- deleted 12y ago
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  - drzaiusapelord 12y ago
    Something I noticed growing up, even when I was a teen, was stuff like "what teens think today" seemed bullshity and something certain adults wanted to hear, which often never reflected my experiences. In this case, the HN-friendly Facebook bashing. Now as a middle-aged adult, its obvious its questionable writing. Its either PR of some kind or a half-assed article by someone with a teenage daughter and a deadline. A proper survey or data about app store habits say a lot more than a questionable testimonial. Yet somehow, this little sub-genre of reporting still exists. Its like there's this constant adult neurosis about what teenagers and college students think, especially if your paycheck stems from the spending habits of that demographic. This neurosis lets us overlook a lot of things, the same way people looking for spiritual answers will sometimes flock to a known conman, cult, or abusive religion. Funny how a lot of us were bright young kids, like you, but have become milquetoast adults falling for the same old tricks. Sounds like you're on the right path though. Don't become us.
    - crazypyro 12y ago
      Sorry I deleted my comment. I felt it might have been perceived as a little harsh or quick to judgement. Funny, I guess the author did get one thing right, most of our generation is quick to delete anything that may be controversial for fear it'll be enshrined on the Internet forever....
scottmwinters 12y ago
Really interesting views on people disliking but still using Facebook. I was walking around my college's campus a few years ago and overheard a girl saying "well, he doesn't have a facebook, so thats kind of a huge red flag to me. I dont think I'm going to keep talking to him" Funny what an animal social media has become...
Matth3wMarshall 12y ago
Wow, this is the truth! I hope the product guys at these places are reading.
hugs 12y ago
Also noteworthy that Google+ didn't even get a mention, even if to mock it.
- sakri 12y ago
  I remember reading something similar from a Korean kid 10 years ago, she said "email is for older people". I wonder if this kid uses email? The only time I see something Google+ related is occasional notifications on my gmail interface.
  - smackfu 12y ago
    It's 50/50 that I even have my friends email addresses. Facebook messaging covers 99% of the need.
    - mmphosis 12y ago
      But, don't you need an email address to sign up to these sites in the first place?
      - frik 12y ago
        Some allow you to register with an SMS token and some with an FB account.
      - Nagyman 12y ago
        Yes, but that doesn't mean one has shared that email address with one's friends or vice versa. People have email addresses to sign up. Once signed up, the social connections are made on the platform.
- this_user 12y ago
  Are there people who actively use G+? To me it seems to have turned into this weird thing that tries to offer a lot of functionality but doesn't really make it clear what it actually is. It was supposed to be a social network and now it's Google's "social layer" - whatever that may mean. I personally don't even know anyone who would describe G+ as relevant.
bluedino 12y ago
When I heard 'teenager' I was thinking 13/14. Like a middle school or young high schooler, not a college freshman.
jinushaun 12y ago
Pretty much nailed it on the head: If I could break down a party for you in social media terms, here’s how it would pan out: * On Snapchat, you post you getting ready for the party, going to the party, having fun at the party, the end of the party, and the morning after the party. * On Facebook you post the cute, posed pictures you took with your friends at the party with a few candids (definitely no alcohol in these photos). * On Instagram you pick the cutest one of the bunch to post to your network. I said it then and I'll say it now, FB screwed up when they pivoted to copy Twitter. FB was fun when it was more private. Zuck should've realised that once there was a critical mass of news reports of teens getting in trouble for stupid FB and Twitter posts, teens would dump the service.
paulhebert 12y ago
While an interesting article I'd take it with a grain of salt and not try to make generalizations about others' social media use. The author seems like he's on the high end of social media use. As a 22 year old male I check Facebook occasionally to see what my friends and family who live in different areas are doing, and that's about it.
eastbayjake 12y ago
> "I have yet to ever hear of a hot post on Secret that everyone’s talking about" I get the feeling Secret's redesign strategy is just being Yik-Yak for the post-college crowd. I'd imagine the location data is more valuable/marketable for working people in big metro areas than incomeless students.
k__ 12y ago
In Germany I got the feeling that most younger people rather use WhatsApp for its group functionality, than Facebook.
RandallBrown 12y ago
This kid doesn't even know that when he uses WhatsApp or Instagram, he's using Facebook.
- dntrkv 12y ago
  By that logic, if you're using an Oculus Rift, you're also using Facebook.
- smackfu 12y ago
  Facebook the product vs. Facebook the company.
krmboya 12y ago
> WhatsApp- You download it when you go abroad, you use it there for a bit before going back to iMessage and Facebook Messenger, you delete it. I know tons of people who use it to communicate with friends they made abroad, but I feel like Messenger is beginning to overshadow it. For international students, however, WhatsApp is a pivotal tool that I’ve heard is truly useful. Perhaps the title should have been 'A North American Teenager's view of Social Media' Edit: Minor re-wording
- irishloop 12y ago
  Fair, but probably true for predominantly all articles posted on HackerNews. Especially in the startup culture, I feel it's pretty much assumed.
VLM 12y ago
He uses facebook as a directory service occasionally, the same way us "old people" use linkedin. Observationally my kids are a little younger than him and facebook is dead to them. My wife is still addicted. They used to complain about family tagging them in pix (especially embarrassing-ish such as anything from when they were little) and now they don't even care, nobody uses it. "Not too many people talk about it." - thats not pinterest, thats reddit and 4chan. Everyone is on baconreader and clover, and just like fight club, rule one is no one talks about fight club (or 4chan or reddit).
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wastebook 12y ago
Facebook is for narcissistic people to post made up stories about their daily life to gain social acceptance, because they have no real friends. After multiple "how to make friends" posts in HN, this has become more and more obvious. Nowadays I value my real friends more and more.
tambourine_man 12y ago
I wonder if I'd have a Facebook if I was a teenager today. It's hard enough not having one now, and even though I was never one to give in to social pressure, I wonder if it would be simply unbearable.
- 12423gsd 12y ago
  I went through college without a Facebook, but I made one shortly after graduating and I've been using it more and more (about 3 years). I now realize that in retrospect it was a huge mistake as I missed out on a lot. I think on a certain level, if you don't have a FB, people won't make the extra effort to try and contact you. Its most important social function is turning acquaintances into friends So just as a PSA, please please use Facebook. Even if you don't like it and you think they're a horrible company, you won't appreciate how much you're hurting yourself till it's too late
  - jeffwass 12y ago
    I never had a FB account. I'm 39 and married. Exactly what am I missing out on? I use email and text message for most correspondence, and have LinkedIn mainly as a virtual Rolodex so I can get in touch with old friends and colleagues. I don't get what I'm missing. Maybe I'm just in the wrong demographic?
    - VLM 12y ago
      I made an account back when it was popular, and used it hard for about six months, then evaluated if it did anything for me. Answer, no, so deleted. The kids had a fad of facebook about a year ago, they guilt tripped me into rejoining, they used it hard for a couple months, now its dead. It was weird because all the people who used to use FB, stopped. Its very quiet...
    - prawn 12y ago
      I'm 37 and married, also never used Facebook. I think the difference is that we probably have established social circles and can also get drawn into more via a partner who may use Facebook. I think OP is referencing going through high school and tertiary study without Facebook and I can see their point.
revelation 12y ago
An American Teenager's View on Social Media There, much better now.
- Anthony-G 12y ago
  A North American Teenager's View on Social Media Even better. Though I'm sure someone from North America could improve on that title. FWIW, I thought it was a very well-written piece which outlined some of the subjective pros and cons of various social media. As someone who doesn't spend any time on any of the social network sites and who barely uses a smart-phone, I found it to be quite informative. Edit: After posting this comment, I used a search for the word "North" and saw that quite a few other commentators had already made the same observation.
  - falsestprophet 12y ago
    American is predominantly used to mean a US national or more generally "a person born, raised, or living in the U.S." Canadians, who are "North Americans," are predominantly culturally similar to Americans. Mexicans, who are also "North Americans", are not culturally so similar to Americans. So your deliberate "confusion" about the word American produced an even sillier result: "A North American (excluding Mexicans) Teenager's View on Social Media"
    - Anthony-G 12y ago
      Fair enough. I tend to consider Mexico as Central America so I was thinking of Canada and the US as North America. For what it's worth, I live on the other side of the Atlantic - and it's been a long time since I did geography in primary school.
onedev 12y ago
To be fair he did say these were all just anecdotes. He just phrased the descriptions in a way that seems "matter of fact" and everyone seems to be taking that and running with it. For example, as someone else in here mentioned, this is more like "A North American Teenager's View of Social Media". I bet he hasn't even heard of QQ, which has over 1 billion users. His lack of understanding of WhatsApp says a lot because as someone else mentioned WhatsApp has the least penetration in North America, but everywhere else it's the lifeblood of online social interactions.
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daigoba66 12y ago
> In this part Facebook shines- groups do not have the same complicated algorithms behind them that the Newsfeed does. It is very easy to just see the new information posted on the group without having to sift through tons of posts and advertising you don't really care about. That part resonates with me, and I'm not young. I was an early Facebook user (2003-2004 when I was a college freshman) way before the news feed existed, and way before it starting "algorithmically" filtering and sorting. I've always hated it.
- throwaway182734 12y ago
  Facebook wasn't even founded until February 2004, and at that time it was limited to only Harvard University. https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=when+was+facebook+created https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=when+was+facebook+creat...
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hellbanner 12y ago
Another anecdote for file: I spoke with an early-twenty business student, also studying in Texas. Snapchat and GroupMe were their preferred chat programs. I personally prefer WeChat for its Group Voice chat. This was developed in Shenzhen; Mandarin is notably tonal so voice is a selling point.
huangwei_chang 12y ago
I am curious that if they don't write things about them on FB, how could they find out who one is on FB?
efa 12y ago
"Facebook is dead to us but we use it for X,Y, and Z." I found this kinda funny. Obviously it's not dead to you if you use it for a variety of purposes. Seems like friends I have with teenage kids are mostly on Facebook. Now it may not be their primary outlet. But "dead" seems to be a bit of an exaggeration.
- danw3 12y ago
  "its dead to us (as a means of expressing ourselves)" is how I read that particular quote, and it certainly resonates with me as a twenty something male. I'm sure it's even more true for younger people. It's necessary because of how ubiquitous it is but I'm not sure that (in the context of social media) is necessarily good news for Facebook.
balls187 12y ago
Am I in the minority by thinking a 19 year old college student is not what people think of when they hear "teens?"
- vxNsr 12y ago
  I felt the same way but his take seems pretty spot on for me, in Chicago all college students use yik yak and groupme when I mention whatsapp they don't understand why I'd want to use it over text or groupme.
supercanuck 12y ago
Why is everyone seemingly falling over themselves in a rush to discredit this guy?
- puredemo 12y ago
  Most people on here refuse to incorporate any non-objective knowledge into their world view. An anecdotal article like this causes malfunction.
rorydh 12y ago
> "Another point: tagging. I don't have to constantly check Instagram to make sure I wasn't tagged in any awkward or bad photos. That’s because you can't see them on my profile, making the whole experience seem way more private." The fourth tab on every Instagram profile allows you to see just this...
- betenoire 12y ago
  That's true. They do give you more control than Facebook though. More privacy settings, and restrictions on who can tag. https://help.instagram.com/186952328121982/ https://help.instagram.com/186952328121982/
0942v8653 12y ago
Here's another teenager's view on social media. I don't have an account for any of these, and I don't want one. I have, let's see, HN, GitHub, and Stack Exchange. Those accounts are my online identity, which I make sure is separate from my real identity. If you want to contact me, you can email me, or if you know me in real life, you can text me. I don't feel smug about not having those accounts, but I'm not embarrassed either. Maybe it's just because I don't socialize with the "normal" people my age, or something else, but more people than you might expect understand when I say I don't have an account. I don't want them because they would be more of a time suck than the Internet already is, and no one really has trouble finding me.
- xvedejas 12y ago
  I mean, you sound like a pretty typical hacker kid... which is to say, not a typical kid that people care about when discussing things like market share or teen trends.
- stanleee 12y ago
  I am the same age as the OP but also have different experiences. I've never used Instagram, and frankly don't see the point in people posting useless pictures of themselves or showing friends what they are eating now. It makes me sick when I see people smiling for their smartphones and then desperately refreshing the page/app in hope of satisfaction in the form of likes. This summarizes that perfectly: "If I don’t get any likes on my Instagram photo or Facebook post within 15 minutes you can sure bet I'll delete it." This also makes it clear to me that those social platforms are not about sharing your life with others, they are about validation and a need to be seen/recognized. Even using Snapchat, which apparently has no likes or comments, does not make sense to me then. If you use Snapchat to post pictures about how bored you are, why bother in the first place. Find something interesting to do and be done with it. There are so many important and much more valuable things that one can do than to waste time on social platforms. One thing did make me smile, though: "I only know a handful of people (myself included) that believe Snapchat does delete your photos.". Of course they delete them. It's not as if those pictures had some kind of value, right? Also: "[...] when photos are “leaked” or when there’s controversy about security on the app, we honestly do not really care.". That's the right attitude. Don't care what happens to your data and you might as well find yourself in Airstrip One some day.
chki 12y ago
It is interesting to see that for example in Germany WhatsApp is really the most important chat and group discussion instrument -- ahead of all other messengers. I wonder where this difference comes from...?
- frik 12y ago
  For teenagers in Europe, WhatsApp is #1. As FB is used by their parents and grandparents, it got uncool. But recently Snapchat is heading to get #1 as now their parents are using WhatsApp too. The same happened with MySpace. FB is like the late MySpace, everyone is on it, mainly some late adopters still regularly post new baby & cat pics - the difference is FB might be too big to fail, and can innovate or buy new services (Instagram, WhatsApp).
harisamin 12y ago
This is actually a really refreshing post. I have to give Yik Yak another try. Secret didn’t do much for me. But its always important and interesting for peeps to see what’s going on, even if we’re getting old :)
hnriot 12y ago
Just shows how shrewd Zuck was in acquiring Instagram. This post is exactly in line with what I see my daughter and her peers doing.
omg_ketchup 12y ago
I'm 30 and I use GChat/Google Talk/Hangouts (they're all the same thing) all the time. So does almost everyone I know. Haven't seen it mentioned here. We don't really care if that data gets exposed to/by the NSA. It's mostly like "I'm off today whats up" or "Want to hit the bar after work?" type stuff.
dgcoffman 12y ago
Just tried Yik Yak after reading this. In SF's FiDi, appears to be mostly dudes looking for gay hookups. Am I doing it wrong?
- bgun 12y ago
  Trying a social app because you read about it on HN? Yes, you are definitely doing it wrong.
- nosequel 12y ago
  It just takes posts from 10 miles around your location. If you are in a location with primarily homosexual population, I'd imagine you'd get mostly posts like you did. I live near a university, so all I see is drinking, smoking, classes, roommate drama, and hookups.
  - azinman2 12y ago
    SF doesn't have a "primarily" gay population. It might be higher than other cities on average, but it's by no means the majority and certainly not in the financial district. My guess is here there's isn't much for office workers to be sharing with strangers -- it's kind of a weird premise unless there's some specific city wide event like a parade or a terrorist attack. Thus the next logical reason for (gay male) strangers to interact is to hookup.
0xCMP 12y ago
Models most of my use, however I like WhatsApp a lot. I used it when I still had a Windows Phone (iPhone 6 now) and I needed a better messaging app that went over the web than facebook because I had horrible service on campus. It's a very capable, simple, reliable (or used to be anyways), and feature filled messaging app which I wish more people used. iMessage does most of what WhatsApp does though for talking to iOS users and it has a desktop app so I use that more now. I almost refuse to use facebook except to share select photos/videos privately (only me + tagged people) and message people who I haven't talked to in a while. Groups are usually never useful and I use other things. Twitter is great, tumblr is good but not for me, snapchat isn't for me (too obvious you're taking a photo of your self), and instagram still makes me feel the facebook "it'll never die on the internet once uploaded" scary feeling.
fideloper 12y ago
People's take on Twitter is always fascinating. I didn't really get it at all either, until I followed people relevant to my interests. Now I can't live without it - it's an amazing source of material. Not sure if that translates to industries outside of tech or not. It's both a source of learning and revenue. Having an audience on twitter literally™ makes me money on eBook sales and other things I do. It's a great place for "organic targeted marketing", so to speak.
neue 12y ago
The Twitter point doesn't make much sense. As a senior in high school, I see nearly everyone having a twitter account and using it pretty often. It's pretty popular.
javajosh 12y ago
I find this all exceedingly strange - why should we care about a teenager's opinions, right or wrong? Kids don't make money, and they spend relatively small amounts of parent/student-loan money. Moreover, all signs point to a difficult job market for new graduates, kids moving back home for extended periods, etc, so the argument that they will soon spend money doesn't resonate. Why then is this demographic so coveted? Heck why do these kids have smartphones at all? I begin to suspect that youth-obsessed culture is actually a temporary phenomena. The reason it happened in the 90's and 00's was that this was the dawn of the consumer internet, and college kids were the first adopters (a fact that is itself a confluence of educational theory and the enthusiasm/capability of computer science academics) Against this, we could say that college kids are a better demo for this stuff because they are so pure, in the sense that they aren't constrained by jobs or other income production - so they are at a magical junction between articulate and irresponsible, like having a society of our own "id"s running around. If we can please them in their primordial state, then surely that will have resonance in the hearts of the middle-aged who's youthful lusts still exist under rocky layers of life's harsh requirements.
ajcarpy2005 12y ago
I'm surprised that with all those less popular social networks listed, Google+ was not. I'm pretty sure Google+ has a higher user 'population' than YikYak, WhatsApp, GroupMe, etc.
- koyote 12y ago
  WhatsApp has over 700 million users and I'd bet a much higher percentage of active users than G+ (although that is just a guess). I have not even heard of the others though until now.
dysoco 12y ago
17/M/Argentina I'm not really into Social Networks, I guess you can tell by the fact that I'm on HackerNews. However I can provide some insight in what's the panorama in the other half of the world. Facebook is still king, everyone uses it, everyone has it. I use it exclusively for groups (school group, friends group) since it's easy to post questions or info in there and make sure everyone reads it. I also use it to chat with people (although via Pidgin, I barely go to facebook.com). I do see however a huge ammount of traffic in my feed. So I guess it's not going anytime soon. Whatsapp is hugely popular. Everyone uses it, even for work related stuff. I'm not sure why it's not as popular in the US/Europe (I guess because of iMessage?) But calls/SMS are barely a thing, everything is Whatsapp now. Sadly, I'm not a big fan of it, it's great for sending quick messages and talk something in a group, but people here use it for everything which means I have to get my hands off the keyboard and type in a tiny touch screen to talk with someone. You usually get randomly added to Whatsapp groups too, where you get invited to parties and stuff like that, I'm not a big fan of this either, since it's really easy to miss a message. However, I reckon my social life has improved considerably since I got Whatsapp because of all the invites I get now. Twitter has gotten very big lately too, I started using Twitter about 3 years ago, and I mostly use it to follow tech people and get news, probably the same way most of you use it. However, my friends use it as some kind of Facebook. They tweet everything they are doing, and they also maintain conversations using it. I think this is silly, I don't know why they do it, you can know everything about someone by just reading his Twitter feed. Instagram is not huge but it's catching up. It's mostly used by girls and hipster/cool/popular guys (not sure how to describe them). I never go there and I really don't care. Snapchat/Tumblr/YikYak are not even thing, heck, I don't even know what YikYak is supposed to be. I wish more people would start using IRC, but well, I guess that's not happening.
sozh 12y ago
Is NOT sharing even an option with a dozen social networks to chose from? I wrote a response to bring up some important questions that Andrew's article brought up. https://medium.com/@sozh/the-sunset-question-1855a3ed80d https://medium.com/@sozh/the-sunset-question-1855a3ed80d
zeeshanm 12y ago
I can see why group service is popular among teenage crowd these days. One of my friends who is in school has college wide fb group to ask questions about classes, etc. I have seen her mostly being active in groups when logged into fb.
the_duck 12y ago
>The only time I ever hear this application is for the joke, “Aye you got Kik?”, normally seen as someone trying to “spit game” to attract a partner. It’s really difficult for me to describe it here but it isn't super relevant. This paragraph is mystifying. Can someone explain what he's talking about here?
- krallja 12y ago
  The only time the author hears about Kik is in the quoted joke. In the joke, the admirer asks the object of their affection if they are a user of Kik, rather than asking directly for their contact information. Kik is really difficult for the author to describe on Medium. Luckily, Kik isn't super relevant to the author.
niksethi 12y ago
As a slightly younger teen (17), I have a completely different view of Twitter. I'm not sure if it's unique to my specific area, but quite a significant number of the people around me are on Twitter and use it to communicate funny things they see, or just share opinions (I guess the author approaches this with "complain/express yourself"). To me, I go on twitter to see what people are saying about any given event, especially sporting events. At other times, I will find memes or jokes or just anything that is somewhat funny. Overall, the three groups that Andrew brings up aren't really complete.
X-combinator 12y ago
Many of those younger than me (10–16 years old) who I've talked to about this matter don’t even have a Facebook — Instagram is all that they need. As a 15 year I totally agree, but Hacker News is one my favorites site because I just love discovering new things on the web(That's the only reason I visit HN) Also Facebook simply "Stinks"
experimentsin 12y ago
I wonder if the teens who favour Instagram and Snapchat today will nevertheless age into people who get more out of Facebook as they get older. When you're young, most of the people you know and think about are still right there around you and you see them almost every day. You haven't left too many people behind yet. But that changes quickly over time and an increasing proportion of the people you know and care about, the ones you met at a particular place and time in your life, are no longer close by. Being able to keep in touch with those people's comings and goings and relationships and family lives to the (relative) depth afforded by Facebook probably becomes more attractive and more valuable. So although Facebook may be losing its original stomping ground to simpler, more targeted alternatives, perhaps both Facebook and its active user base are maturing together.
ergl 12y ago
22/m/europe here - Facebook Everyone uses it and there is peer pressure for you to have it. Everyone talks about deleting their account but never does. I rarely use the website or the app but I use Messenger everyday to talk with foreign friends (mostly in the US) - Twitter Used to have an account a few years ago, but it just wasn't my thing. Extremely popular though its ux seems to have dropped a lot - Snapchat Not really a thing, most people I know barely know it exists. Used it for a while a year ago but it was a fad for me. - Tumblr Not really a thing anymore for me, but it seems to be really popular for people between 12-16 - Instagram I might be the minority here but I mainly use it for photography. Has replaced Flickr and Tumblr for me - Whatsapp #1. SMS charges were too expensive until a few years ago so it exploded (I think we are the biggest market in europe now, so you might guess where I'm from). Biggest downside is the lack of group control, you can get added to any group without your permission and it is 'poor form' to leave. I have a couple of them on mute and rarely read them. - Telegram Seems to be gaining some use since Whatsapp got acquired by Facebook though I personally don't use it. Seems redundant to have two IM apps when everyone is on Whatsapp anyway
FollowSteph3 12y ago
I wonder how the usage progresses as you age. What's important at 15,20,25, and beyond are different. Not different demographics but the same people as they age through the different demographics. In other words how consistent would the diffeent media options change with time....
Maken 12y ago
Reading this article makes me feel old. I'm just on my twenties and the only service mentioned in that article in which I have an account is WhatsApp.
thomasfoster96 12y ago
I really don't like these "Teenager's view of social media' type posts. All of them make the mistake that teens only have time for two or three apps and that the teen demographic is very homogenous. I get a little disappointed when a post like this then gets reported as the demise of Facebook, because that's not really an accurate observation. Looks like I better write a response post.
kmicklas 12y ago
20 year old college student in the US here. He got a lot of things very right, but also from my experience some things very wrong: Instagram: No one uses it. Maybe 10% of students have one and those that do spend little time on it. Facebook: It's not as uncool as it sounds. If anything it's had a resurgence lately. Maybe people post less content to their profile these days, but post on each other's timelines and use the messaging system more than ever. As smartphones and connectivity continue to improve, there's less and less incentive to use texting over Facebook. Also, I don't know what he's talking about with groups. No one uses those. Snapchat: I would say it is currently the biggest one. (People spend more time on Facebook but care more about Snapchat.) However it seems to be losing momentum at this point. Since introducing the story feature, there has been a constant and continuous shift away from the original, more personal uses and towards a more Twitter like document of daily occurrences through stories. Less back and forth dialogue, less creative art, etc. People are also fed up with ads and gimmicks like messaging and sending money (???). GroupMe: Never heard of anyone using anything but Facebook for this purpose. Venmo: Not sure if it really qualifies as a social network but it's trying to and it deserves mention. Everyone loves documenting their restaurant expenditures and there seems to be a strong culture of wittiness in generating the captions.
warp_ 12y ago
I'm amazed how many people here say "everyone is on facebook". Edit: Maybe it's like that because you've molded your social circles to fit those of your own socioeconomic status? From my closest 20 friends (all of them I've known for 5+ years), 7 use facebook, most of them use IRC and the rest are on WhatsApp. I've never made any new friends through facebook, as a matter of fact, the posts made by people on facebook push them further away from me, because I'm a cynical bastard and their shameless self-promotion is disgusting to me and I see through their bullshit. To me, facebook always seemed like a public display window of your life, to show off those old high school classmates that nowadays you live in the cool downtown hipster district and you've gotten laid. Nothing to do with actual friendships or socializing. 24/m/finland
deleted 12y ago
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brianstorms 12y ago
My response: A 1980 Teenager's View on Social Media https://medium.com/@brianstorms/a-1980-teenagers-view-of-social-media-eaf8a5fdbf6c https://medium.com/@brianstorms/a-1980-teenagers-view-of-soc...

488 points by nicksergeant 12y ago

Okay, I'm 22, that's not much older than this guy. I know a lot of 18 and 19 year olds. How does it look to me? Facebook: most people use this primarily, but about 1 in 5 people does not because they object to pervasive surveillance/got frustrated by the newsfeed reordering/dislike Zuckerburg personally/are just asocial. Facebook Messenger is the main way of communicating with people who have it. You also use it to communicate with people who don't have Facebook Messenger by the indirection of using Facebook Messenger to talk to someone who might have their phone number. Instagram: I know a total of maybe two people that use this at all, and they have their content copying to Facebook which is where most people see it I think. Twitter: Not a lot of people use this, with the curious exception of the Facebook objectors, who mostly use this. Snapchat: I know a few people who use Snapchat but I don't think anyone takes it seriously. Of course that's kind of the point. General assumption is that snapchat users are trading dickpics and just not sharing with the rest of us. Tumblr: A lot of people are tumblr users but in sort of a "guilty pleasure" way, you don't discuss it with people you're trying to win the respect of. Perception is that it's mostly [furry]porn and SJWs. Admittedly this is roughly correct. Yik Yak: Took the campus by storm. Most people use it exclusively to either complain about faculty, ineffectively try to find a date, or to make fun of the former two. Openly mocked, but in the way that makes other people install the app just to see what's being joked about, so I guess that's a social strategy. Medium: Maybe a handful of CS majors even know what it is. Yeah, I go to a small engineering school and my social group is primarily in CS. I'm sure this impacts my experience a lot. This is exactly my point: I think social media/application/etc usage is far too specific to social groups, institutions, and even geographical areas for it to be remotely useful to work off of anecdotes. Here Facebook is absolutely king, but I can imagine a "trendier" population (not Engineering students) might have a certain ire for it. I think Instagram isn't widely used just for lack of having achieved critical mass in this particular student body, there may (and probably will) come a day when that changes. This is probably part of why "what teens are into" reporting seems so ridiculous. It's based on a shallow look at one group of people, and behavior varies far too much between groups. Broad statistical data would be far more useful for marketing purposes, but the results would still ring hollow for many specific peer groups.

intellegacy 12y ago
Not surprised insta isn't popular among your engineering group. It's like twitter but for photos.. it's very visual-based. a lot of artists and celebs are on it. also seems to be the home of pretty girls posting selfies and getting validation from that. it's like a cooler, more upscale version of facebook. Insta is hugely popular from what I'm seeing

arethuza 12y ago

For another single data point I asked my 15 year old son a few months back about what social media platforms he uses and was rather surprised to have him answer "Facebook is for old people" - which probably means over 20.

richsinn 12y ago
What else did he say?
- arethuza 12y ago
  Some evasive mutterings about Snapchat.

simbilou 12y ago

> I only know a handful of people (myself included) that believe Snapchat does delete your photos. Everyone else I know believes that Snapchat has some secret database somewhere with all of your photos on it. It takes a special kind of stupid to even consider the idea that the photos are _really_ deleted.

aridiculous 12y ago
Well, then I guess you're calling a majority of the population (including doctors, lawyers, artist, musicians, etc) "stupid". What you really mean is someone who doesn't understand how technology (and tech companies) work. This could easily be mitigated if we enforced privacy laws saying that if you tell someone something is deleted, then it must actually be securely deleted. They might even be on the books already, just enforce them.
- pestaa 12y ago
  If something goes online, it stays online. Proxies, long term caches, archives, you name it. Relying on privacy laws of secure deletion would be the same mistake. Delete buttons should really be labelled as "hide stuff from everybody except us."
- simbilou 12y ago
  First of all, my comment was meant in the context of the article which is the use of technology by _teenagers_, not the general part of the population. And even so, yes people should know better, privacy has a big place in the public debate nowdays.

jolid 12y ago

I like that he's less concerned with a company storing his Social Security Number (or credit card, name, address... things governments/companies ALREADY HAVE) than the photos and thoughts he's choosing to share only with his closest friends. Dunno how to quote: I only know a handful of people (myself included) that believe Snapchat does delete your photos. Everyone else I know believes that Snapchat has some secret database somewhere with all of your photos on it. While I will save that debate for another day, it is safe to say that when photos are “leaked” or when there’s controversy about security on the app, we honestly do not really care. We aren't sending pictures of our Social Security Cards here, we're sending selfies and photos with us having 5 chins

bcRIPster 12y ago

While it's an interesting article, I think he's being a bit hyperbolic in translating his local experience out to a generalization. This isn't simply a 19 year olds experience. It is a white, suburban, middle-class, male attending a conservative university in a culturally regressive state. If nothing else, he's about as radically distant from an urban minority as you could get to the point where I'd imagine it is really impossible for him to have any perspective into other demographics and how they use these tools. I value his opinion, but it's important to take it into context. Atleast he attempts to hedge his lack of experience in his opening statement.

AndrewKemendo 12y ago
It is a white, suburban, middle-class, male attending a conservative university in a culturally regressive state. Which is the demographic that all of the services in question care about (except whatsapp) - which kind of proves the point.
- bcRIPster 12y ago
  I'm going to argue that. Many of these services are targeting a more diverse crowd. If they were only targeting this kids demographic, they would be limiting their growth potential out the door. Especially given that the growing base of users of these tools are international users. Also, I'm going to argue just against my experience with urban teens living in more diverse communities which doesn't really align with this kids experience.
  - AndrewKemendo 12y ago
    Agree in principle, disagree in execution. Pretty much any app maker (whatsapp aside) starts with a skewed market: people with smartphones. iOS makers even moreso. These people trend toward being white and middle/upper class. Now you need to narrow to who buys shit on their phones. Again that demographic skews younger. [1] [2] So right away, if you want a successful smartphone app in the U.S. then you need to target, urban white men between 18-29 with at least some college and 75000+ a year in income. I think as you say more people should target international etc... but people build toward the problems they have and the language they know. Whatsapp is killing it because they broke out of the mold. So yes, they should for many reasons, but if you just follow the money then who you target looks very homogenous. [1] http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/mobile-technology-fact-sheet/ http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/mobile-technology-fac... [2] http://www.voxburner.com/publications/6766-who-makes-in-app-purchases http://www.voxburner.com/publications/6766-who-makes-in-app-...

AndrewKemendo 12y ago

This is filled with gems that old farts like me (I'm 30) don't have any idea about. If I don’t get any likes on my Instagram photo or Facebook post within 15 minutes you can sure bet I'll delete it. Super interesting take - it's as though they are posting not to show people stuff but to get people's approval for what they are posting. Simple but critically different in my opinion. Facebook is often used by us mainly for its group functionality. Got it, so make a better group service and bring everyone to that. One big thing I took away is that, assuming this is representative of the demographic, they seem to not mind using multiple applications for communications. So there really is the ability to pretty narrowly specialize with functions - something I think the older generation does backwards; we want to consolidate and make services a "one stop shop."

dominic2 12y ago
I think Whatsapp has emerged as the better group service that everyone is using. It's a little too easily brushed aside in this article.
- joshstrange 12y ago
  I disagree, none of my friends use WhatsApp and I've never heard them mention it. It's all about group texts or FB chat groups. (I am 23)
  - zild3d 12y ago
    WhatsApp I only use for when friends/family are out of the country. GroupMe gets used for any persistent groups, such as "roommates" (I am 22)
    - joshstrange 12y ago
      GroupMe was awesome when group SMS was shit but it's gotten much better and since everyone is one FB chat that's used more in my circle of friends. I have a few GroupMe conversations but a number have moved to FB Chat and the ones left are just a few holdouts.

jff 12y ago

* You post you getting ready for the party, going to the party, having fun at the party, the end of the party, and the morning after the party on Snapchat. * On Facebook you post the cute, posed pictures you took with your friends at the party with a few candids (definitely no alcohol in these photos). * On Instagram you pick the cutest one of the bunch to post to your network. Oh my god, just kill them all before it spreads.

swalsh 12y ago

I have never felt so old reading a post :D What I find interesting is the stark contrast to people's predictions from years ago. I can recall the speculation about how in a world of facebook our lives will be documented forever, and the problems that will cause. That very real concern seems to not only have been well received, but they seem to be taking precautions. Unexpected, but very encouraging!

bcRIPster 12y ago
And just how did you come to that conclusion when he specifically said he doesn't care if someone like Snapchat keeps his photos forever?!? Will he care when his photos start showing up in advertisements? Will he care when a prospective employer with a data sharing agreement with Snapchat's future owner accesses his document/activity history and he can't get a job? Sigh.
- organsnyder 12y ago
  They don't care, because they're operating under the assumption that it's true. According to his account, they're not putting their most private photos there—they assume that anything they post may be made public in the future.
  - bcRIPster 12y ago
    I'm feeling like we read different articles. I never once got that concept that he was somehow protecting his privacy. He just stated that his perceptions were that some sites were more private than others. I get the feeling that his friends are still posting compromising content online, they just don't think they're be accountable for it.
    - organsnyder 12y ago
      From the article: While I will save that debate for another day, it is safe to say that when photos are “leaked” or when there’s controversy about security on the app, we honestly do not really care. We aren't sending pictures of our Social Security Cards here, we're sending selfies and photos with us having 5 chins.

stinos 12y ago

The content on Instagram is usually a higher quality. People take time to edit their photos with filters, different brightness/contrast settings, etc. ... This means the content on Instagram is normally “better” (photo-wise) That's the OP's personal experience of course, mine is sort of the opposite: facebook has all sorts of crappy pictures, instagram has those as well but made even worse by having applied all kinds of filters most of which appeal ugly to me. Tumblr on the other hand I consider as a source for decent/pro material (as in, actually beautiful pictures taken with proper cameras). Maybe all this is because of who I'm following though.

bgun 12y ago

many have nailed this on the head. It’s dead to us. The next few paragraphs then go on to describe Facebook as essential social plumbing. I think an FB product manager would be delighted to hear that Facebook is "dead" in this way. This is precisely why the most successful social network of its generation was built, first and foremost, to be a platform rather than a cocktail party.

josu 12y ago
So were Yahoo and AOL. If specialized apps start to show up, people may start ditching FB altogether.
- Chronic30 12y ago
  You can be sure Facebook will acquire any threatening social networks.
  - billions 12y ago
    Except Snapchat which refused acquisition so far
    - crazypyro 12y ago
      Probably because Facebook hasn't offered them enough billions yet. This article and author certainly seems to be promoting Snapchat well though.
      - josephpmay 12y ago
        Facebook could offer Snapchat 20B and Evan Spiegel wouldn't take it
        manticore_alpha 12y ago
        He's an idiot, then.

Anechoic 12y ago

Piggybacking off bcRIPster (now down voted) post, I'd be curious to know the race of the teen author and if the preferences he observed are the same across others with different ethnic and racial background. Among my 30-something and 40-something circle I've noticed that most of my white and Asian friends tend to utilize Facebook more while most of my black friends tend to use Twitter more. Instagram seems more evenly split.

eastbayjake 12y ago
This is only anecdotal of course, but I taught in a 99% African-American public high school and it seemed like most students were on Twitter. Most of those former students are obsessed with Snapchat now -- I do get a lot of the "I'm so bored" messages from them via My Story. I guess when you have to opt-in to see someone's Story it doesn't feel like you're spamming someone if you post a bunch -- your friends control the spigot.
bcRIPster 12y ago
If you look at the end of the article there is a short bio and his photo. He's a blond, white boy who's the spitting image of a young Mark Zuckerberg. To the "separated at birth" level of looking like him. Kinda freaky. :)

Rainymood 12y ago

20/m/europe >In short, many have nailed this on the head. It’s dead to us. Facebook is something we all got in middle school because it was cool but now is seen as an awkward family dinner party we can't really leave. What? >Snapchat is where we can really be ourselves while being attached to our social identity. Without the constant social pressure of a follower count or Facebook friends, I am not constantly having these random people shoved in front of me. Instead, Snapchat is a somewhat intimate network of friends who I don't care if they see me at a party having fun. I use snapchat to send funny images of myself to my girlfriend >WhatsApp- You download it when you go abroad, you use it there for a bit before going back to iMessage and Facebook Messenger, you delete it. I know tons of people who use it to communicate with friends they made abroad, but I feel like Messenger is beginning to overshadow it. For international students, however, WhatsApp is a pivotal tool that I’ve heard is truly useful. Back here we use WhatsApp exclusively almost, fb messenger when we must >Tumblr is like a secret society that everyone is in, but no one talks about. Tumblr is where you are your true self and surround yourself (through who you follow) with people who have similar interests. To me, tumblr is a place where hipsters post images from the internet, back on the internet edit: added location, might be very relevant

dublinben 12y ago
WhatsApp has far fewer users in North America than every other region of the world. It's not surprising that an American teenager studying at an American college would have no use for it. http://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2014/24497/whatsapp-by-the-numbers-where-its-used-most http://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2014/24497/whatsapp-by-...
- mst 12y ago
  I now know quite a few whatsapp users put I was patient zero for the local epidemic - and I only noticed its existence because a friend of mine from .sg introduced me to it. (disclaimer: am in UK, am 31, don't have a lawn)
dethstar 12y ago
>>In short, many have nailed this on the head. It’s dead to us. Facebook is something we all got in middle school because it was cool but now is seen as an awkward family dinner party we can't really leave. >What? The author is talking about how their grandma is on fb now and on their friendlist. They don't feel as comfortable posting certain content there.

themodelplumber 12y ago

This is weird; the author possibly met with the CEO of Snapchat more than once recently: https://twitter.com/thatswattsup/status/546018511902867456 https://twitter.com/thatswattsup/status/546018511902867456 > Can't wait to visit my friends at @Snapchat again tomorrow :D https://twitter.com/thatswattsup/status/545326840940740608 https://twitter.com/thatswattsup/status/545326840940740608 > Loved hanging out with @evanspiegel yesterday, he's one of the nicest and more genuine guys I've met. Thanks for having me @Snapchat! ...influencer? Hope not :(

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- drzaiusapelord 12y ago
  Something I noticed growing up, even when I was a teen, was stuff like "what teens think today" seemed bullshity and something certain adults wanted to hear, which often never reflected my experiences. In this case, the HN-friendly Facebook bashing. Now as a middle-aged adult, its obvious its questionable writing. Its either PR of some kind or a half-assed article by someone with a teenage daughter and a deadline. A proper survey or data about app store habits say a lot more than a questionable testimonial. Yet somehow, this little sub-genre of reporting still exists. Its like there's this constant adult neurosis about what teenagers and college students think, especially if your paycheck stems from the spending habits of that demographic. This neurosis lets us overlook a lot of things, the same way people looking for spiritual answers will sometimes flock to a known conman, cult, or abusive religion. Funny how a lot of us were bright young kids, like you, but have become milquetoast adults falling for the same old tricks. Sounds like you're on the right path though. Don't become us.
  - crazypyro 12y ago
    Sorry I deleted my comment. I felt it might have been perceived as a little harsh or quick to judgement. Funny, I guess the author did get one thing right, most of our generation is quick to delete anything that may be controversial for fear it'll be enshrined on the Internet forever....

scottmwinters 12y ago

Really interesting views on people disliking but still using Facebook. I was walking around my college's campus a few years ago and overheard a girl saying "well, he doesn't have a facebook, so thats kind of a huge red flag to me. I dont think I'm going to keep talking to him" Funny what an animal social media has become...

Matth3wMarshall 12y ago

Wow, this is the truth! I hope the product guys at these places are reading.

hugs 12y ago

Also noteworthy that Google+ didn't even get a mention, even if to mock it.

sakri 12y ago
I remember reading something similar from a Korean kid 10 years ago, she said "email is for older people". I wonder if this kid uses email? The only time I see something Google+ related is occasional notifications on my gmail interface.
- smackfu 12y ago
  It's 50/50 that I even have my friends email addresses. Facebook messaging covers 99% of the need.
  - mmphosis 12y ago
    But, don't you need an email address to sign up to these sites in the first place?
    - frik 12y ago
      Some allow you to register with an SMS token and some with an FB account.
    - Nagyman 12y ago
      Yes, but that doesn't mean one has shared that email address with one's friends or vice versa. People have email addresses to sign up. Once signed up, the social connections are made on the platform.
this_user 12y ago
Are there people who actively use G+? To me it seems to have turned into this weird thing that tries to offer a lot of functionality but doesn't really make it clear what it actually is. It was supposed to be a social network and now it's Google's "social layer" - whatever that may mean. I personally don't even know anyone who would describe G+ as relevant.

bluedino 12y ago

When I heard 'teenager' I was thinking 13/14. Like a middle school or young high schooler, not a college freshman.

jinushaun 12y ago

Pretty much nailed it on the head: If I could break down a party for you in social media terms, here’s how it would pan out: * On Snapchat, you post you getting ready for the party, going to the party, having fun at the party, the end of the party, and the morning after the party. * On Facebook you post the cute, posed pictures you took with your friends at the party with a few candids (definitely no alcohol in these photos). * On Instagram you pick the cutest one of the bunch to post to your network. I said it then and I'll say it now, FB screwed up when they pivoted to copy Twitter. FB was fun when it was more private. Zuck should've realised that once there was a critical mass of news reports of teens getting in trouble for stupid FB and Twitter posts, teens would dump the service.

paulhebert 12y ago

While an interesting article I'd take it with a grain of salt and not try to make generalizations about others' social media use. The author seems like he's on the high end of social media use. As a 22 year old male I check Facebook occasionally to see what my friends and family who live in different areas are doing, and that's about it.

eastbayjake 12y ago

> "I have yet to ever hear of a hot post on Secret that everyone’s talking about" I get the feeling Secret's redesign strategy is just being Yik-Yak for the post-college crowd. I'd imagine the location data is more valuable/marketable for working people in big metro areas than incomeless students.

k__ 12y ago

In Germany I got the feeling that most younger people rather use WhatsApp for its group functionality, than Facebook.

RandallBrown 12y ago

This kid doesn't even know that when he uses WhatsApp or Instagram, he's using Facebook.

dntrkv 12y ago
By that logic, if you're using an Oculus Rift, you're also using Facebook.
smackfu 12y ago
Facebook the product vs. Facebook the company.

krmboya 12y ago

> WhatsApp- You download it when you go abroad, you use it there for a bit before going back to iMessage and Facebook Messenger, you delete it. I know tons of people who use it to communicate with friends they made abroad, but I feel like Messenger is beginning to overshadow it. For international students, however, WhatsApp is a pivotal tool that I’ve heard is truly useful. Perhaps the title should have been 'A North American Teenager's view of Social Media' Edit: Minor re-wording

irishloop 12y ago
Fair, but probably true for predominantly all articles posted on HackerNews. Especially in the startup culture, I feel it's pretty much assumed.

VLM 12y ago

He uses facebook as a directory service occasionally, the same way us "old people" use linkedin. Observationally my kids are a little younger than him and facebook is dead to them. My wife is still addicted. They used to complain about family tagging them in pix (especially embarrassing-ish such as anything from when they were little) and now they don't even care, nobody uses it. "Not too many people talk about it." - thats not pinterest, thats reddit and 4chan. Everyone is on baconreader and clover, and just like fight club, rule one is no one talks about fight club (or 4chan or reddit).

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wastebook 12y ago

Facebook is for narcissistic people to post made up stories about their daily life to gain social acceptance, because they have no real friends. After multiple "how to make friends" posts in HN, this has become more and more obvious. Nowadays I value my real friends more and more.

tambourine_man 12y ago

I wonder if I'd have a Facebook if I was a teenager today. It's hard enough not having one now, and even though I was never one to give in to social pressure, I wonder if it would be simply unbearable.

12423gsd 12y ago
I went through college without a Facebook, but I made one shortly after graduating and I've been using it more and more (about 3 years). I now realize that in retrospect it was a huge mistake as I missed out on a lot. I think on a certain level, if you don't have a FB, people won't make the extra effort to try and contact you. Its most important social function is turning acquaintances into friends So just as a PSA, please please use Facebook. Even if you don't like it and you think they're a horrible company, you won't appreciate how much you're hurting yourself till it's too late
- jeffwass 12y ago
  I never had a FB account. I'm 39 and married. Exactly what am I missing out on? I use email and text message for most correspondence, and have LinkedIn mainly as a virtual Rolodex so I can get in touch with old friends and colleagues. I don't get what I'm missing. Maybe I'm just in the wrong demographic?
  - VLM 12y ago
    I made an account back when it was popular, and used it hard for about six months, then evaluated if it did anything for me. Answer, no, so deleted. The kids had a fad of facebook about a year ago, they guilt tripped me into rejoining, they used it hard for a couple months, now its dead. It was weird because all the people who used to use FB, stopped. Its very quiet...
  - prawn 12y ago
    I'm 37 and married, also never used Facebook. I think the difference is that we probably have established social circles and can also get drawn into more via a partner who may use Facebook. I think OP is referencing going through high school and tertiary study without Facebook and I can see their point.

revelation 12y ago

An American Teenager's View on Social Media There, much better now.

Anthony-G 12y ago
A North American Teenager's View on Social Media Even better. Though I'm sure someone from North America could improve on that title. FWIW, I thought it was a very well-written piece which outlined some of the subjective pros and cons of various social media. As someone who doesn't spend any time on any of the social network sites and who barely uses a smart-phone, I found it to be quite informative. Edit: After posting this comment, I used a search for the word "North" and saw that quite a few other commentators had already made the same observation.
- falsestprophet 12y ago
  American is predominantly used to mean a US national or more generally "a person born, raised, or living in the U.S." Canadians, who are "North Americans," are predominantly culturally similar to Americans. Mexicans, who are also "North Americans", are not culturally so similar to Americans. So your deliberate "confusion" about the word American produced an even sillier result: "A North American (excluding Mexicans) Teenager's View on Social Media"
  - Anthony-G 12y ago
    Fair enough. I tend to consider Mexico as Central America so I was thinking of Canada and the US as North America. For what it's worth, I live on the other side of the Atlantic - and it's been a long time since I did geography in primary school.

onedev 12y ago

To be fair he did say these were all just anecdotes. He just phrased the descriptions in a way that seems "matter of fact" and everyone seems to be taking that and running with it. For example, as someone else in here mentioned, this is more like "A North American Teenager's View of Social Media". I bet he hasn't even heard of QQ, which has over 1 billion users. His lack of understanding of WhatsApp says a lot because as someone else mentioned WhatsApp has the least penetration in North America, but everywhere else it's the lifeblood of online social interactions.

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daigoba66 12y ago

> In this part Facebook shines- groups do not have the same complicated algorithms behind them that the Newsfeed does. It is very easy to just see the new information posted on the group without having to sift through tons of posts and advertising you don't really care about. That part resonates with me, and I'm not young. I was an early Facebook user (2003-2004 when I was a college freshman) way before the news feed existed, and way before it starting "algorithmically" filtering and sorting. I've always hated it.

throwaway182734 12y ago
Facebook wasn't even founded until February 2004, and at that time it was limited to only Harvard University. https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=when+was+facebook+created https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=when+was+facebook+creat...

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hellbanner 12y ago

Another anecdote for file: I spoke with an early-twenty business student, also studying in Texas. Snapchat and GroupMe were their preferred chat programs. I personally prefer WeChat for its Group Voice chat. This was developed in Shenzhen; Mandarin is notably tonal so voice is a selling point.

huangwei_chang 12y ago

I am curious that if they don't write things about them on FB, how could they find out who one is on FB?

efa 12y ago

"Facebook is dead to us but we use it for X,Y, and Z." I found this kinda funny. Obviously it's not dead to you if you use it for a variety of purposes. Seems like friends I have with teenage kids are mostly on Facebook. Now it may not be their primary outlet. But "dead" seems to be a bit of an exaggeration.

danw3 12y ago
"its dead to us (as a means of expressing ourselves)" is how I read that particular quote, and it certainly resonates with me as a twenty something male. I'm sure it's even more true for younger people. It's necessary because of how ubiquitous it is but I'm not sure that (in the context of social media) is necessarily good news for Facebook.

balls187 12y ago

Am I in the minority by thinking a 19 year old college student is not what people think of when they hear "teens?"

vxNsr 12y ago
I felt the same way but his take seems pretty spot on for me, in Chicago all college students use yik yak and groupme when I mention whatsapp they don't understand why I'd want to use it over text or groupme.

supercanuck 12y ago

Why is everyone seemingly falling over themselves in a rush to discredit this guy?

puredemo 12y ago
Most people on here refuse to incorporate any non-objective knowledge into their world view. An anecdotal article like this causes malfunction.

rorydh 12y ago

> "Another point: tagging. I don't have to constantly check Instagram to make sure I wasn't tagged in any awkward or bad photos. That’s because you can't see them on my profile, making the whole experience seem way more private." The fourth tab on every Instagram profile allows you to see just this...

betenoire 12y ago
That's true. They do give you more control than Facebook though. More privacy settings, and restrictions on who can tag. https://help.instagram.com/186952328121982/ https://help.instagram.com/186952328121982/

0942v8653 12y ago

Here's another teenager's view on social media. I don't have an account for any of these, and I don't want one. I have, let's see, HN, GitHub, and Stack Exchange. Those accounts are my online identity, which I make sure is separate from my real identity. If you want to contact me, you can email me, or if you know me in real life, you can text me. I don't feel smug about not having those accounts, but I'm not embarrassed either. Maybe it's just because I don't socialize with the "normal" people my age, or something else, but more people than you might expect understand when I say I don't have an account. I don't want them because they would be more of a time suck than the Internet already is, and no one really has trouble finding me.

xvedejas 12y ago
I mean, you sound like a pretty typical hacker kid... which is to say, not a typical kid that people care about when discussing things like market share or teen trends.
stanleee 12y ago
I am the same age as the OP but also have different experiences. I've never used Instagram, and frankly don't see the point in people posting useless pictures of themselves or showing friends what they are eating now. It makes me sick when I see people smiling for their smartphones and then desperately refreshing the page/app in hope of satisfaction in the form of likes. This summarizes that perfectly: "If I don’t get any likes on my Instagram photo or Facebook post within 15 minutes you can sure bet I'll delete it." This also makes it clear to me that those social platforms are not about sharing your life with others, they are about validation and a need to be seen/recognized. Even using Snapchat, which apparently has no likes or comments, does not make sense to me then. If you use Snapchat to post pictures about how bored you are, why bother in the first place. Find something interesting to do and be done with it. There are so many important and much more valuable things that one can do than to waste time on social platforms. One thing did make me smile, though: "I only know a handful of people (myself included) that believe Snapchat does delete your photos.". Of course they delete them. It's not as if those pictures had some kind of value, right? Also: "[...] when photos are “leaked” or when there’s controversy about security on the app, we honestly do not really care.". That's the right attitude. Don't care what happens to your data and you might as well find yourself in Airstrip One some day.

chki 12y ago

It is interesting to see that for example in Germany WhatsApp is really the most important chat and group discussion instrument -- ahead of all other messengers. I wonder where this difference comes from...?

frik 12y ago
For teenagers in Europe, WhatsApp is #1. As FB is used by their parents and grandparents, it got uncool. But recently Snapchat is heading to get #1 as now their parents are using WhatsApp too. The same happened with MySpace. FB is like the late MySpace, everyone is on it, mainly some late adopters still regularly post new baby & cat pics - the difference is FB might be too big to fail, and can innovate or buy new services (Instagram, WhatsApp).

harisamin 12y ago

This is actually a really refreshing post. I have to give Yik Yak another try. Secret didn’t do much for me. But its always important and interesting for peeps to see what’s going on, even if we’re getting old :)

hnriot 12y ago

Just shows how shrewd Zuck was in acquiring Instagram. This post is exactly in line with what I see my daughter and her peers doing.

omg_ketchup 12y ago

I'm 30 and I use GChat/Google Talk/Hangouts (they're all the same thing) all the time. So does almost everyone I know. Haven't seen it mentioned here. We don't really care if that data gets exposed to/by the NSA. It's mostly like "I'm off today whats up" or "Want to hit the bar after work?" type stuff.

dgcoffman 12y ago

Just tried Yik Yak after reading this. In SF's FiDi, appears to be mostly dudes looking for gay hookups. Am I doing it wrong?

bgun 12y ago
Trying a social app because you read about it on HN? Yes, you are definitely doing it wrong.
nosequel 12y ago
It just takes posts from 10 miles around your location. If you are in a location with primarily homosexual population, I'd imagine you'd get mostly posts like you did. I live near a university, so all I see is drinking, smoking, classes, roommate drama, and hookups.
- azinman2 12y ago
  SF doesn't have a "primarily" gay population. It might be higher than other cities on average, but it's by no means the majority and certainly not in the financial district. My guess is here there's isn't much for office workers to be sharing with strangers -- it's kind of a weird premise unless there's some specific city wide event like a parade or a terrorist attack. Thus the next logical reason for (gay male) strangers to interact is to hookup.

0xCMP 12y ago

Models most of my use, however I like WhatsApp a lot. I used it when I still had a Windows Phone (iPhone 6 now) and I needed a better messaging app that went over the web than facebook because I had horrible service on campus. It's a very capable, simple, reliable (or used to be anyways), and feature filled messaging app which I wish more people used. iMessage does most of what WhatsApp does though for talking to iOS users and it has a desktop app so I use that more now. I almost refuse to use facebook except to share select photos/videos privately (only me + tagged people) and message people who I haven't talked to in a while. Groups are usually never useful and I use other things. Twitter is great, tumblr is good but not for me, snapchat isn't for me (too obvious you're taking a photo of your self), and instagram still makes me feel the facebook "it'll never die on the internet once uploaded" scary feeling.

fideloper 12y ago

People's take on Twitter is always fascinating. I didn't really get it at all either, until I followed people relevant to my interests. Now I can't live without it - it's an amazing source of material. Not sure if that translates to industries outside of tech or not. It's both a source of learning and revenue. Having an audience on twitter literally™ makes me money on eBook sales and other things I do. It's a great place for "organic targeted marketing", so to speak.

neue 12y ago

The Twitter point doesn't make much sense. As a senior in high school, I see nearly everyone having a twitter account and using it pretty often. It's pretty popular.

javajosh 12y ago

I find this all exceedingly strange - why should we care about a teenager's opinions, right or wrong? Kids don't make money, and they spend relatively small amounts of parent/student-loan money. Moreover, all signs point to a difficult job market for new graduates, kids moving back home for extended periods, etc, so the argument that they will soon spend money doesn't resonate. Why then is this demographic so coveted? Heck why do these kids have smartphones at all? I begin to suspect that youth-obsessed culture is actually a temporary phenomena. The reason it happened in the 90's and 00's was that this was the dawn of the consumer internet, and college kids were the first adopters (a fact that is itself a confluence of educational theory and the enthusiasm/capability of computer science academics) Against this, we could say that college kids are a better demo for this stuff because they are so pure, in the sense that they aren't constrained by jobs or other income production - so they are at a magical junction between articulate and irresponsible, like having a society of our own "id"s running around. If we can please them in their primordial state, then surely that will have resonance in the hearts of the middle-aged who's youthful lusts still exist under rocky layers of life's harsh requirements.

ajcarpy2005 12y ago

I'm surprised that with all those less popular social networks listed, Google+ was not. I'm pretty sure Google+ has a higher user 'population' than YikYak, WhatsApp, GroupMe, etc.

koyote 12y ago
WhatsApp has over 700 million users and I'd bet a much higher percentage of active users than G+ (although that is just a guess). I have not even heard of the others though until now.

dysoco 12y ago

17/M/Argentina I'm not really into Social Networks, I guess you can tell by the fact that I'm on HackerNews. However I can provide some insight in what's the panorama in the other half of the world. Facebook is still king, everyone uses it, everyone has it. I use it exclusively for groups (school group, friends group) since it's easy to post questions or info in there and make sure everyone reads it. I also use it to chat with people (although via Pidgin, I barely go to facebook.com). I do see however a huge ammount of traffic in my feed. So I guess it's not going anytime soon. Whatsapp is hugely popular. Everyone uses it, even for work related stuff. I'm not sure why it's not as popular in the US/Europe (I guess because of iMessage?) But calls/SMS are barely a thing, everything is Whatsapp now. Sadly, I'm not a big fan of it, it's great for sending quick messages and talk something in a group, but people here use it for everything which means I have to get my hands off the keyboard and type in a tiny touch screen to talk with someone. You usually get randomly added to Whatsapp groups too, where you get invited to parties and stuff like that, I'm not a big fan of this either, since it's really easy to miss a message. However, I reckon my social life has improved considerably since I got Whatsapp because of all the invites I get now. Twitter has gotten very big lately too, I started using Twitter about 3 years ago, and I mostly use it to follow tech people and get news, probably the same way most of you use it. However, my friends use it as some kind of Facebook. They tweet everything they are doing, and they also maintain conversations using it. I think this is silly, I don't know why they do it, you can know everything about someone by just reading his Twitter feed. Instagram is not huge but it's catching up. It's mostly used by girls and hipster/cool/popular guys (not sure how to describe them). I never go there and I really don't care. Snapchat/Tumblr/YikYak are not even thing, heck, I don't even know what YikYak is supposed to be. I wish more people would start using IRC, but well, I guess that's not happening.

sozh 12y ago

Is NOT sharing even an option with a dozen social networks to chose from? I wrote a response to bring up some important questions that Andrew's article brought up. https://medium.com/@sozh/the-sunset-question-1855a3ed80d https://medium.com/@sozh/the-sunset-question-1855a3ed80d

zeeshanm 12y ago

I can see why group service is popular among teenage crowd these days. One of my friends who is in school has college wide fb group to ask questions about classes, etc. I have seen her mostly being active in groups when logged into fb.

the_duck 12y ago

>The only time I ever hear this application is for the joke, “Aye you got Kik?”, normally seen as someone trying to “spit game” to attract a partner. It’s really difficult for me to describe it here but it isn't super relevant. This paragraph is mystifying. Can someone explain what he's talking about here?

krallja 12y ago
The only time the author hears about Kik is in the quoted joke. In the joke, the admirer asks the object of their affection if they are a user of Kik, rather than asking directly for their contact information. Kik is really difficult for the author to describe on Medium. Luckily, Kik isn't super relevant to the author.

niksethi 12y ago

As a slightly younger teen (17), I have a completely different view of Twitter. I'm not sure if it's unique to my specific area, but quite a significant number of the people around me are on Twitter and use it to communicate funny things they see, or just share opinions (I guess the author approaches this with "complain/express yourself"). To me, I go on twitter to see what people are saying about any given event, especially sporting events. At other times, I will find memes or jokes or just anything that is somewhat funny. Overall, the three groups that Andrew brings up aren't really complete.

X-combinator 12y ago

Many of those younger than me (10–16 years old) who I've talked to about this matter don’t even have a Facebook — Instagram is all that they need. As a 15 year I totally agree, but Hacker News is one my favorites site because I just love discovering new things on the web(That's the only reason I visit HN) Also Facebook simply "Stinks"

experimentsin 12y ago

I wonder if the teens who favour Instagram and Snapchat today will nevertheless age into people who get more out of Facebook as they get older. When you're young, most of the people you know and think about are still right there around you and you see them almost every day. You haven't left too many people behind yet. But that changes quickly over time and an increasing proportion of the people you know and care about, the ones you met at a particular place and time in your life, are no longer close by. Being able to keep in touch with those people's comings and goings and relationships and family lives to the (relative) depth afforded by Facebook probably becomes more attractive and more valuable. So although Facebook may be losing its original stomping ground to simpler, more targeted alternatives, perhaps both Facebook and its active user base are maturing together.

ergl 12y ago

22/m/europe here - Facebook Everyone uses it and there is peer pressure for you to have it. Everyone talks about deleting their account but never does. I rarely use the website or the app but I use Messenger everyday to talk with foreign friends (mostly in the US) - Twitter Used to have an account a few years ago, but it just wasn't my thing. Extremely popular though its ux seems to have dropped a lot - Snapchat Not really a thing, most people I know barely know it exists. Used it for a while a year ago but it was a fad for me. - Tumblr Not really a thing anymore for me, but it seems to be really popular for people between 12-16 - Instagram I might be the minority here but I mainly use it for photography. Has replaced Flickr and Tumblr for me - Whatsapp #1. SMS charges were too expensive until a few years ago so it exploded (I think we are the biggest market in europe now, so you might guess where I'm from). Biggest downside is the lack of group control, you can get added to any group without your permission and it is 'poor form' to leave. I have a couple of them on mute and rarely read them. - Telegram Seems to be gaining some use since Whatsapp got acquired by Facebook though I personally don't use it. Seems redundant to have two IM apps when everyone is on Whatsapp anyway

FollowSteph3 12y ago

I wonder how the usage progresses as you age. What's important at 15,20,25, and beyond are different. Not different demographics but the same people as they age through the different demographics. In other words how consistent would the diffeent media options change with time....

Maken 12y ago

Reading this article makes me feel old. I'm just on my twenties and the only service mentioned in that article in which I have an account is WhatsApp.

thomasfoster96 12y ago

I really don't like these "Teenager's view of social media' type posts. All of them make the mistake that teens only have time for two or three apps and that the teen demographic is very homogenous. I get a little disappointed when a post like this then gets reported as the demise of Facebook, because that's not really an accurate observation. Looks like I better write a response post.

kmicklas 12y ago

20 year old college student in the US here. He got a lot of things very right, but also from my experience some things very wrong: Instagram: No one uses it. Maybe 10% of students have one and those that do spend little time on it. Facebook: It's not as uncool as it sounds. If anything it's had a resurgence lately. Maybe people post less content to their profile these days, but post on each other's timelines and use the messaging system more than ever. As smartphones and connectivity continue to improve, there's less and less incentive to use texting over Facebook. Also, I don't know what he's talking about with groups. No one uses those. Snapchat: I would say it is currently the biggest one. (People spend more time on Facebook but care more about Snapchat.) However it seems to be losing momentum at this point. Since introducing the story feature, there has been a constant and continuous shift away from the original, more personal uses and towards a more Twitter like document of daily occurrences through stories. Less back and forth dialogue, less creative art, etc. People are also fed up with ads and gimmicks like messaging and sending money (???). GroupMe: Never heard of anyone using anything but Facebook for this purpose. Venmo: Not sure if it really qualifies as a social network but it's trying to and it deserves mention. Everyone loves documenting their restaurant expenditures and there seems to be a strong culture of wittiness in generating the captions.

warp_ 12y ago

I'm amazed how many people here say "everyone is on facebook". Edit: Maybe it's like that because you've molded your social circles to fit those of your own socioeconomic status? From my closest 20 friends (all of them I've known for 5+ years), 7 use facebook, most of them use IRC and the rest are on WhatsApp. I've never made any new friends through facebook, as a matter of fact, the posts made by people on facebook push them further away from me, because I'm a cynical bastard and their shameless self-promotion is disgusting to me and I see through their bullshit. To me, facebook always seemed like a public display window of your life, to show off those old high school classmates that nowadays you live in the cool downtown hipster district and you've gotten laid. Nothing to do with actual friendships or socializing. 24/m/finland

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brianstorms 12y ago

My response: A 1980 Teenager's View on Social Media https://medium.com/@brianstorms/a-1980-teenagers-view-of-social-media-eaf8a5fdbf6c https://medium.com/@brianstorms/a-1980-teenagers-view-of-soc...