[Omkar]

We live in a world that’s ever-evolving. Social media especially has become a part of our day-to-day lives. Of course, there’s a lot of junk on social media, but there’s also a lot of useful information that is available on social media. More than half the world (62.3%) now uses social media. The average daily time spent on various platforms is 2 hours and 23 minutes. Cutting out social media from our lives is almost impossible considering work and social commitments.



In the past few years, the way people use social media has changed drastically. Let’s take Instagram as an example. Something that started as a picture-sharing platform now has content creators for numerous genres. You even have stores on Instagram where people can sell directly to the customer. People have started branding themselves on Instagram and it even has become a platform for sharing information. I end up using Instagram for entertainment, news and sometimes, even for shopping.



We recently had a thread on how LinkedIn has changed and how people use it differently. It’s no longer just a platform to publish your resume and it has become a social media platform where people are spending more and more time. There are even LinkedIn celebrities now whose posts gather a lot of likes and engagement.

I have moved away from Facebook and don’t even have the app on my phone. I don’t even remember the last time I checked my account. I am sure a lot of people are like me, but the platform still has one of the highest numbers of users. However, it isn’t one of the fastest-growing platforms. Other platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Twitch, LinkedIn and even Twitter have registered growth in the last year.



So, in this ever-evolving world of social media, how has your usage changed in the past few years? Which social media platform do you spend most of your time on and how much?

Images source

[GTO]

Great thread & an extremely pertinent discussion in this continually evolving landscape.

- Facebook: Total junk, trolls, horribly cluttered interface. I don't even visit Facebook unless I'm asked to check out something.

- Instagram: I have to admit, if I open up Insta reels, I'm there for 20- 30 minutes. Based on my interests, Instagram shows me a lot of car reels (50% of what I see) and funny reels (they are hilarious!). I also like seeing the creativity of some brands, and new places / events in Mumbai.

- Twitter: Trollfest & junk. I only visit when someone on Team-BHP links to a Twitter thread.

- LinkedIn: Like a ritual, once a week, I go and accept / decline invitations to connect. Sole reason is, it leads to a great connection or two every year which makes the effort worth it. In fact, Omkar, you & me also connected on LinkedIn itself back in October 2015! LinkedIn has also led to connects with some great advertisers.

[saket77]

Quite relevant thread in today's times.

1. FB- I rarely check or post; sometimes I even deactivate my account.
2. LinkedIn- Could give even Bill Gates an identity crisis. I deactivated long back; didn't see any benefit of using esp when people starting posting stuff which belonged to FB and instagram.
3. Instagram- Avoid using but sometimes get into comedy reels.
4. YouTube- Best of the lot. Watch it for news, some stand up comedy, some enlightenment by words of wise people, some car reviews. So, in all, one stop destination for entertainment and information.

Not using any other social media platform; that is enough of screen time anyway.

[PaddleShifter]

Facebook & Messenger:
- dont have their apps installed.
- I open FB many times/ day in my phone browser out of hahit but I dont check out content/ posts except top 3-4 items on the feed.

Twitter: Only for posting about companies that cheat me. Zero usage otherwise.

Instagram:
- Dont have its app. Dont have an account BUT
- Have its app and account in an old android phone so they can not mint my data.
- I open that app once every 2-3 days but spend an hour or so once opened. More than 50% comprises of cats/dogs/animal world; 25-30% funny reels; rest is dictated by the algorithm coz I am a male.

Youtube:
- addicted to the shorts section that is full of animal related videos (cats/dogs etc).

LinkedIn:
- I open its app once every few days and I am a recent joinee.

Researchgate:
- Social media platform for scientists/ researchers to showcase their research and connect with fellow researchers for research related activities. I open it many times a day out of habit but rarely actually browse its feed.

This is what my app usage looks like in the last 10 days:

There is no point checking the list once you reach less used apps such as SMS/messages so posting only those above it.

[SmartCat]

If we broaden the definition, the following can be classified as social media:

- Web forums like Team-BHP
- Reddit communities
- Whatsapp groups
- Telegram channels (they usually have an active comments section)

[anandhsub]

My social media usage hadnt changed much from 2013-2023, but has changed massively in the past 3-6 months.

Ever since tweetdeck ended, my twitter usage has dropped drastically and I spend more time on Insta than twitter these days.

There used to be a time twitter was where I got my regular news, followed cricket, movie reviews and all gossip but that is now impossible without tweetdeck.

Still in 2 minds whether to go for the pro subscription or not..

[d.w.w.]

Around 2017-18, I somehow became too much privacy conscious and deleted all personal stuff I ever posted and stopped using social media completely. And then in 2020, I was advised to create and maintain an Instagram account to share my work.(which turned out to be a very good decision).

Here is my current social media usage

Personal Use: Zero! don't even remember the last time i logged in to Facebook. Don't log in to LinkedIn either even though I'm a professional. I somehow find linkedin to be too demotivating, may be related to the kind of people I'm connected there; too much showoff for nothing. No twitter, X account so far.

Maker account: I have a maker account in Instagram, regularly use it and post my work(woodwork) there.I make sure I don't put anything personal there or show my face. The account helps me follow and support other makers, learn new things, get tips, ask doubts, take expert advice and most importantly discover likeminded Indians who are otherwise hard to find(woodwork as a hobby is not so popular here). It helped me a lot to improve my craft, procure rare tools, get unbiased feedback on many tools etc. The account also helped me connect with so many potential buyers too as people use hashtags to find makers + social media referrals by others. The account also serves as a quick place to display my work to someone who is interested. I often send people a link to my account to check out what I make/can make when they come for a discussion on turning their ideas to reality.

However I am very careful on the time spent on social media. I have a timer set to 30 minutes on my phone and don't go beyond until and unless I am having a serious discussion with someone that brings value.

[Jaggu]

Hello where are the dating app users... Bumble, Hinge, Aisle Tinder??!! lol

WhatsApp has even taken over work life these days.

1 - Facebook is for posting all the collected meme's from other mediums and post, and to wish birthdays.

2 - Insta is totally for getting stalked and stalk back while enjoying those yummies (live and not so live).

3 - Linkedin has become a total nonsense and pretty useless for professional use for an individual.

4 - Finally the dating apps, lesser said the better

[ex-innova-guy]

- Instagram: My account is deactivated for 11 months in a year and only time it is active is because I don’t want to lose my account and the unique username. Have been doing this since 2020. Quite funny but my tryst with TBHP began because of Instagram when a post landed up as a suggestion and soon started reading hot threads on the web and so on. Also, was going to use the same unique username for TBHP but would have been hilarious.

- Facebook: Just for birthdays if at all I forget someone’s. Have made it a habit to save close friend’s birthdays in their contacts so a notification naturally acts as a reminder.

- WhatsApp: For the usual banter in the groups I am part of and at times for work.

- Snapchat: Streaks were fun until they really aren’t. Stopped using it a year back.

Most of my friends find it surprising that I am off Instagram. It’s good to catch up with people but if you really are interested in that then high chances of you having his/her number.

Agree fully with @SmartCat about TBHP also being a social media platform. Have spent considerable amount of time daily while the others hardly see 30 mins screen time.

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Hello where are the dating app users... Bumble, Hinge, Aisle Tinder??!!

Add Schmooze to the list. ;-)

[DicKy]

Facebook - After Orkut era, this took up much of our time. But it was a great platform to connect with old friends and distant relatives, especially before the infamous Whatsapp groups became popular. Started to dislike it since political vitriol became rampant from the mid 2010s and I started to spend more time in Youtube. Still checks it out daily, though the time spend is only a few minutes.

YouTube - Used to consume Youtube content even before signing up for any social media platform, but usage shot up considerably in the mid 2010s. Used to watch videos that would be even an hour long and the recommmended section always ends up being a rabbit hole for sleep deprivation. Currently the adverts have become a real pain and my usage is less now. All thanks to the short attention span I developed my starting an account in the wretched....

...Instagram - Started using it only an year before the pandemic, so can say I am a pretty late adopter among my peers. I started using Instagram when it started became popular for reels than pictures. But gawd is it a blackhole for time wastage. Started it to connect with friends and to be frank, after TeamBHP and Youtube, Instagram has been the biggest eye opener for me automobile wise. Guess I am following most of the "Parked in <insert city/state> pages around the world and car collectors in India. (Secretly pursuing to see an elusive decent condition RX60 Cressida in India) Add to that have a whole system of Reels forwarding in friends and family circles, where reels/jokes/posts are forwarded after carefully curating their humour taste and background. Cars, movie tributes, food videos, 'fact' tidbits, funny videos, thirst traps fill my feeds and take away hours of my life that I am not proud of. And has seriously affected my ability to even start to watch a 60min Youtube video or read a book.

Linkedin - Should be spending more time there, but guess the last time I logged in was before the pandemic.

Not sure if Snapchat comes under social media, but Gen-Z has embraced it. Even my kid bro feels out of place in Snapchat and checking it out gave me "too new n young" vibes. No interest in creating or using a Snapchat account, so i guess Instagram would be the latest social media account for me for now.

[Raghu M]

Direct bang on answer to the question - social media usage has changed and it's wasting a lot of my productive time. I choose to read books now instead. Have to admit that social media is highly addictive. You want to watch one video but end up watching a whole bunch of content for hours together.

[parik_ind]

Interestingly, I was having a similar discussion with my colleagues. Since I work in Public Relations and therefore social media tools are an important part of the campaigns we run, I was curious to know how much people used them for work and how much for personal use. Younger colleagues prefer Instagram and YouTube for personal use and older ones called out LinkedIn and YouTube. Many also consume a lot of information on forums and of course, the usage of WhatsApp is pretty high.

For me personally, YouTube is the most important SM tool. I would probably spend about 3 hours on it every day, cumulatively. I deleted my Facebook account many years ago and only access LinkedIn to make professional connections. I find most discussions on the platform inane and therefore hardly read any of them. I have a X and Instagram account but probably access them once every few months.

WhatsApp usage is very high, but that's mostly because of work. I don't want to get started on the number of groups that I am forced to be a part of

Team BHP and a couple of other forums keep me going mainly because of my interests in cars and motor racing.

Parikshith

[Aakarsh Gupta]

No social media for me. Nada. I stopped using it since around a decade ago and I've been the better for it. Instead, I've opted to use and become a member of bounded communities on the internet. I'm a lifelong FC Barcelona fan so I'm a part of an online culér community. I'm an automobile enthusiast so I'm a part of Team BHP. Compartmentalization in today's vast and overwhelming online world is so necessary in my opinion. This saves me from unnecessarily comparing my stuff to others and helps me draw a line with what I want and don't want.

[UD17]

For me:

YouTube (News, useful stuff, comedy etc.), WhatsApp (Day to day messaging) and Team-BHP are go to social media platforms.

Facebook, Instagram, X and all other: i don't even have an account.

[atnyia]

My rituals by order of use:
Team-bhp and X: First or second thing in the morning and evenings. This is where I spend most of the time reading through all types of stuff. I am surprised by under representation of X. I believed it's would be the social media of choice for our finer taste buds than Facebook or Instagram. Varied and great content with nowadays excellent control on your feed.

YouTube: Love the long form MotorInc, Nitin Kamath etc. shorts about cars, geography are good too.

Insta: Mostly gym related. Otherwise I find it very juvenile with people play acting their lives.

Linkedin : only for connections and tech stuff.

Facebook: may not login for months. Only for memes and ICCA confessions which are hilarious and relatable as I started the career there.