Life is the social network
Ever wondered why your teenage daughter or son spend lesser time on Facebook than you? Maybe that is precisely why – because you are always there, checking on their status updates!
So then the question – if they are not on Facebook, where are they? Well, they are most likely frequenting 5 new sites. The first which is a rage all over USA is Snapchat. Do not even think of getting onto that as this site has an app which self destructs – users can send “Snaps” — photos or videos — that last between 1 and 10 seconds, depending on the limit set by the sender. It already has 100 million users and 350 million snaps sent daily. According one research agency – 26% of its users are between the age group of 18-29.
Then there is Pheed – a mobile app which allows users to create and share videos, photos and voice tracks, plus make live broadcasts and share posts of 420 characters or less. Around 84% of its users are ages 18 to 25. Third on the list is PicsArt but more than a social network for all, it brings together a community of art lovers. It is a ree photo-editing app and drawing tool. Approximately 20% of users are between 13 and 17 years of age, and over 40% are between 18 and 24. Another very popular site is Tumblr – a microblogging site, owned today by Yahoo. It blends blogging and social media where users can post photos and videos. Over 60% of teenagers ages 13 to 18 use Tumblr, while 57% of 19- to 25-year-olds use the service. Another relatively new entrant is Vine, launched by Twitter – a video sharing app. Here, less is more; so videos must be six seconds or less.
As more and more teens and youngsters get onto one or the other type of social network, their communication in the real world is reducing, where even smiling at someone in the elevator or greeting a guest at home is a task. Weird generation we are raising – all have scores of friends on the social network but their social skills are bad and the entire world is the network. Their every move in life is about capturing a picture and putting it on the network- forgetting to live the real moments.