Computational Literacies Lab

Story 19

All right this is my story. So in middle school, sixth grade, is when I got my first phone except I didn't get any social media yet and like every student around me had social media and I hadn't gotten Instagram till freshman year of high school and then snapchat till senior year of high school and like mainly all the students like their main form of communication is snapchat and like because of that like I don't even know why I just didn't have it I just didn't. Was there like a desire to have it? Not really because like obviously I have text messages and like I didn't feel the need to like send I felt like it was stupid to send a picture of my face back and forth like I don't know I just didn't feel a need for it. Did you ever ask your parents about it? No. Or was it more of like a you just didn't even want it? But in a way I also felt like they like snapchat specifically I felt like they would have been said no. Did your siblings have it though? My brother did but not Druana which I think Druana is my twin sister and like she's very anti social media yeah so then in a way I guess I felt like I had to be the same way. That makes sense. So I didn't have it but then like senior year like closer like as it started like getting closer to like junior year I was like kind of felt left out in a way yeah because like that's where everyone was communicating from and like sometimes it's like you don't really text someone all the time but like with snapchat you do send a picture like back and forth and it could seem like you're still like friends and like communicating and especially like over the summer and stuff like when you're not in school like it's better. Do you think there's a level of intimacy that you get from giving like say like do you have snapchat? Yeah. So like giving someone your snap is low-key like not a big deal but there's a level of like intimacy that like giving your phone number does like you know what I mean? It takes a lot more effort to text somebody because you actually have to have a conversation. Or to call someone who shared the location like even the same day with snap they also share with the location. Yeah like I only share my location with one person like my best friend. Yeah I don't know. Like it's interesting I don't know. It's like interesting to me that like everything's changed to now like be like what's your snap? Yeah or like also like normally with like text messages like you don't respond to someone that fast but like with snapchat it's like pressurized that like because it says like how long you've been on delivered like having a number like physically like people get more upset about that type of thing. Yeah. And it's like well if you were texting is it really like that fast? Do you think now that you have social media has that changed your like mode of communication? Do you change now to snapchat and text more that way? Or are you still a text message like dominant person? Certain people I definitely like I used to just only text them but now I snap them. Yeah. Or like text over snapchat. Which like I also don't really like how it like fades away after 24 hours. Like you can't see messages. Right. Because there's a level of like you don't aren't held accountable for what you say. Exactly yeah. And um but there's some people I still text over like text messages. I feel like we snap but we do not text over snap. Yeah. We text. We text. Yeah. Like I don't know. Yeah it's just I it's all so complicated. Yeah I am not a text snapchat person. Once I got it like I was like I actually was like happy that I got it and like like I had fun with it like all the filters and stuff. Yeah. And like I was like okay became addicted to my phone a lot more. Yeah. And like I was like very like became that person like oh they're leaving me on delivered like. Oh we've been there. They're leaving me on delivered like I'm mad. There's a level of dopamine. And it's like yeah. I'm not gonna reply to that person. Yeah. Exactly. And it's like I shouldn't care but then I started to care like a lot. I was like wow like what the hell. Or looking at the snapchat score. Yes I was victim to that. I was victim to that because I got that snap. Yeah I got like that year when I got snapchat I was like the first like guy added me on snapchat. Yeah. And then like. You're addicted. I'm addicted to like or when are they gonna send me back. Like they're leaving me on delivered or whatever. But then like you realize like it's not that serious like. It's not. Then you're mad at yourself. Yeah I got mad at myself. I was like it's not that serious like we've never even spoken in person but like it's like a one snap a day like why. Why do you care so much. But it's like that kind of like you're getting that. It's a dopamine like oh I got that notification from them. And you're also getting kind of like it's so stupid. Like they chose to add me on. Yeah the validation that you're getting from oh they snapped me back. When it's literally like it's like what the side of their face. But it's stupid. It's stupid. Because there's no conversation. Yeah. But it makes you think like it feels like there's a connection. You're like annoyed at the fact that the person isn't like snapping you back after like you like pay attention to them about that like how long is it bad. Yeah. And then you become even more addicted to being on my phone then you're like yeah especially then I was like kept looking at my phone like I want to keep looking. Yeah it's such an unhealthy relationship. And then like because because Snapchat's literally like you send your face then it's like now I'm like thinking like how do I look like constantly. And like I need to like look a certain way. I need to find out like I need to find the right angle or something like. I almost sent a picture of my face. I'd be like I'd be like I can't get ready for bed. Yeah. So it's like we're not snapping anymore like crazy. But then like now like now I don't care. Now I don't like I honestly like but I do have Snapchat in a way where like like it's so much energy and like effort for like yeah to send a picture of your face like it's I'm like a real connection. Like now. So now I like don't really use it that much to be honest. And I guess kind of flipped around like I was addicted to it for a while and then I'm like now I could do without it. I think I'm going to be honest. Let's give it up. Let's do it. I don't know if I can give it up. I'm doing it. I'm doing it. Are we done or. That's so short. No it's not. Do you want to keep talking. No I don't have anything else to say. All right.