Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and VSCO are the most popular social media apps on Williston’s campus, despite what a nationwide report indicates.
On Dec. 11., Pew Research Center, a nonprofit think tank based in Washington, D.C., released its report on what social media platforms teenagers are using the most. They have released reports since 2015 on social media use in teens based on platform, age, gender, and social class.
Social media has only grown in popularity since Facebook was first introduced in 2004. There are a wide range of platforms which cater to specific user needs, but the main similarity is that they work to bring connection among their users.
According to the Pew study titled “Teens, Social Media and Technology 2023,” the main social media platforms used were YouTube, Snapchat, and Instagram. Other platforms included in the results were X, (formally known as Twitter), BeReal, Facebook, and TikTok.
There have been debates since the beginning of social media about its impact on people’s mental health. Recently, the focus has shifted to teenagers because of their rampant daily use.
Keirstyn Camiolo, a junior from Redondo Beach, Calif., uses Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and VSCO.
Keirstyn does not feel social media negatively affects her life because she uses it mainly for communication. She uses Snapchat the most.
Will Vachet, a user of Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter, knows social media impacts his life.
“I think social media certainly controls part of my life,” Will said. “I think it’s not the most controlling thing in my life, although social media impacts how I think about certain things.”
Unlike the report’s findings, many teenagers at Williston use a social media platform called VSCO. VSCO is a more casual version of Instagram, where a person’s followers and reposts or favorites are only known to the person who posted them. To most people, it is used like a camera dump for photos they want to share, but in more casual way.
Jake Henry, a senior from Boxborough, Mass., uses Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, and VSCO. Jake thinks social media has changed the way he lives his life.
“It really changes the way people view themselves, as they feel the need to live up to the standards that are seen in society,” he said. “Also, they always need everyone else’s approval instead of being themselves.”
Despite whether or not they think it impacts their lives, it’s clear social media is an integral component of teen life at Williston.
A junior from Falmouth, Sadie Crampton, uses TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, VSCO, Pinterest, and BeReal. She does not think she could live without social media, but the negative side also exists.
“Social media definitely controls a part of my life,” Sadie said. “I don’t really know how; I just like to look at it a lot and compare myself to other people on it. But I love social media. I’d be so bored without it.”
This double-edged sword of social media exists for most teenagers, Sadie explains. As teens, we’ve all grown up with social media, and the thought of a life without it seems impossible.
