Hands-On Assignment 2

 I would describe the term media as a means of mass communication. This mass communication involves news outlets, social media, newspapers, blogs, books, internet forums etc. There are so many different types of media available for consumption. Social networking is utilizing these avenues of mass communications and interacting with one another as opposed to interacting with the masses. 

I utilize a handful of social networking sites. I use Canvas, Microsoft Teams, Yahoo.com, LinkedIn and Microsoft Outlook for professional networking. This involves school, work and extracurriculars.Yahoo and Outlook are often used for sending and receiving emails daily. Canvas and Teams are used for more instant messaging and video chats between students during group projects or communication with professors. LinkedIn is more a platform for me to find jobs, opportunities and connect with individuals who have similar professional interests.
Additionally, I utilize Facebook, YouTube and Reddit. Facebook is used leisurely to stay updated with my friends and family by liking and commenting on their posts. I use Reddit solely to consume media based on my own interests, this is done by following certain subreddits. YouTube is also used to consume media but in a different way, to consume video media. I am a visual learner and YouTube aids in visual information and entertainment. 

I use each networking site listed above pretty much daily. Microsoft Outlook is used the most as I am always sending and receiving emails. Reddit is used the least as you can very easily get sucked into the blackhole that is Reddit. Similarly, there is the YouTube rabbit hole you may fall down into. This often happens daily especially since the introduction of YouTube Shorts. 

I feel good about the social media choices I have made for myself, they are generally quite informational and suit my needs as needed. I am not very fond of browsing absolute nonsense that may be on some of these platforms and sites. My friends utilize social media similarly however I see more Instagram and TikToks coming from there phones. I do not have accounts with these sites. My immediate family is even more scarce than me when it comes to social media. My utilization makes me feel good about the world, essentially I choose what I want to partake and see in. A lot of the nonsense is filtered out.