When it comes to social media, people either love it or hate it – there’s no in-between. Well, at least for me there isn’t. As a millennial, I have seen the huge transformations that each platform has gone through. I have also been (un)lucky enough to have been around for the birth and demise of some social media platforms that many Gen-Zs have never even heard of. I’m talking about Orcut, Myspace, Hi5, Tagged, Vine and everything in between.
So why is this even relevant? Well, just because I have seen them come around, that does not mean I know how to use them. I have always been a stubborn person and when it comes to things that do not add value, I will not bother to learn more. And like everything else in the world, it seems as though each social media platform has an unwritten expiration date. This adds to my reluctance to bother becoming a guru on their interface. If it can’t go on my CV, I don’t have time for it!

Here are the social media platforms that make my eyes roll.
This one might sound a little strange since Mark Zuckerberg didn’t quite rise to fame for creating Facebook yesterday. However, if you have been around for a while, then you might remember a time when Facebook had massive bumper stickers and no ads. If you are reading this and thinking “well they still have GIFs”, stop. GIFs are not the cartoon-like bumper stickers were very proud to drop on our friends’ pages. When I transitioned from Hi5 to Facebook, the transition came with the pride of stepping into the future of social media. I mean, bumpers! How cool was that? Little did I know, Facebook was going to be the king of transformation with its seemingly annual facelifts.
Thanks to all the changes, I no longer know where to locate the photos on my profile. I don’t even know how to update my profile information. I also don’t know how to categorise my ‘friends’ and limit the access that each group gets. Wait – they still do that, right?
The main reason why I can’t be bothered to brush up on my skills is simply because of the purpose of this site. Initially, it seemed like such a cool idea to be able to keep up with my friends from elementary school regardless of where in the world we lived. Now that I am much older and very selective of the people I let into my bubble, this doesn’t seem as attractive. Of course, I occasionally stalk the odd person here and there. It’s been very interesting to see who has had kids, who became a pilot, etc. But realistically speaking, Facebook has just become a gossip-based marketplace.
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Snapchat
I’ve heard such great things about the filters on this app. Apparently, there are millions of filters you can choose from that will take you from being a human-dog to a Disney character. How cute. And for that to happen in less than a second? Bless my old-school, millennial brain!
While I appreciate the intelligence that goes into creating such a complex software that is simple enough to use, I don’t see the relevance. Snapchat has always been one of the social media platforms that just never sat well with me… Ang now Instagram seems to be following suit with its selection of filters that seem to change seasonally. Let’s call it “the best of Snapchat” on a better app.
What I have never truly understood about Snapchat is that the videos – or snaps- of your life are only available for twenty-four hours. I get that you can save them and all, but what exactly is the point of sharing a few seconds of your life with the stalkers who basically have twenty-four hours to guess your location?
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TikTok
This one is a new addition to my list of addictions that came about accidentally. My younger sister introduced me to a mystery series that revealed the solutions in the comment section. Of course, without an account, you can’t quite see any comments, so I obliged.
If you are familiar with TikTok’s interface, you know that autoplay is something they use to their advantage. So I blindly walked into the black hole of never-ending videos. And to top it off, the videos are all very short – perfect for the magpies who have the attention span of a two-year-old.
I am on the fence about this platform because I have admittedly learned some valuable information from Tiktok. Yes, I, the educated millennial, have learned quite a lot from hours of mindless scrolling. But for every good video, there are about twenty bad ones. Would you thus consider such a platform to be a good use of time?
I’m sure there are ways to personalise what videos show up, but I haven’t made it past the “For You” page… ever. And quite frankly, I don’t think I want to.
If you religiously use these social media platforms, let me know what you actually like about them.
Wait! Since we are on the topic already, why don’t we link up on social media? Catch you on Pinterest, Twitter and the ‘Gram.
I’ve had facebook since 2011, but now I rarely use it, I don’t post anything, just chat with friends or read news,, I had tiktok for a short while, but I’ve never had and used snapchat 😅
News on Facebook? I didn’t know there was news on there! Wow I guess they are becoming the jack of all trades, huh?
yes, all the big news sites are in facebook,,at least in Armenia haha 😆
I have a Facebook page, just to share my blog posts there and I rarely ever log in there😂 then I never had interest in Tik-Tok and it’s even ban in India, so I know nothing about it 😁
Oh wow TikTok is banned? Lol that’s so weird and funny! I suppose there really isn’t any purpose of having it available anyway so call yourself lucky to be left out of the loop!
Yeah!
It was really annoying to see everyone making Tik Tok videos all the time, so I feel relieved 😂
Am much familiar with facebook though am not online regularly I use it to promote my work. As for tiktok am as clueless as a lost soul 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Lol at least you have found a way to use the platform to your advantage! I tried using it for blogging in my first two months and it just felt so wrong!
So on you with this! I don’t use any of these three either. I’ve never gotten the concept of Snapchat and TikTok. Never bothered to download them either. FB was fun a decade back – now it’s so commercial and a little scary with Mr. Zuckerberg selling all our data.
Honestly even IG is getting a little bit of a snooze fest now. 🙈
Lol I thought I was the only one getting bored of Instagram! I used to love being on there years ago but now it kinda feels redundant!
I am proud to say that I have never given in to the temptation that was snapchat. I saw my ex-coworkers on snapchat and bragging about this and that filter but I didn’t get the point of it. I still don’t & have not regrets.
Facebook — I honestly see the demise of facebook in the very near future. I honestly feel as if it started going downhill the moment that they opened it up for everyone to use. Remember when FB was just for college /university students? They should have just kept it like that ; it could have evolved into something more professional instead of the often negative sphere it perpetrates now.
As for TikTok — I probably will get one later. Maybe. I’m using IG reels and adding another platform just is enough to put me into a tailspin lol
Hahah we are definitely on the same page! TikTok is pretty funny but it is like nice stuff drowning in a sea of nonsense! You’re better off without any of them to be honest.
As for the demise of FB, I also think it’s basically becoming redundant and a bit aimless. It scares me so much that they collect so much personal data!
Yeah but then again all of the platforms collect data… so I’m used to all of my info being out there. doesn’t mean I like it but it is the way it is.
And that is how I feel about IG reels when I get sucked in lol don’t need something else lol
You’re not alone…I’m only familiar with Facebook (out of the 3). I briefly had Snapchat when I was dating a guy who used it, and was annoyed at the fact that you couldn’t look at the pictures/videos again. Pain in the butt.
I was a late adopter of Facebook but I’m still on there. I have a Snapchat account but I NEVER use it. As for TikTok…not going there. LOL
Oh wow do you use Facebook to speak to family or for your blog? You really don’t need the other two, especially when there are better things to be doing 😅
I use Facebook primarily to keep in touch with family and friends. I do share my blog posts there, and recently set up a page for my blog. I agree – I’m in no hurry to embrace Snapchat or TikTok.
Facebook is the basic platform still to help bridge the young people and the older generations… I don’t use Snapchat but TikTok I use constantly….. it’s a great tool to help promote small businesses!!
I don’t understand TikTok and Discord. I used to be addicted to FB but apparently a lot has changed on that platform. It looks very different from what I remember from 2017 when I stopped using it. I only use Snapchat for filters which I sometimes use for this blog – I can’t explain how the platform works because it seems like a big waste of time and I haven’t been bothered to spend my precious hours hooked on snapchat.
There’s dating on Facebook now. It turned into a dating site…. let that sink in. There’s also FB marketplace which I admit is actually useful. That’s what I use my husband’s FB account for.
“Seemingly annual facelifts” 😂😂I can’t😂That’s too funny!!
Good thing I don’t use any of those. I have always been quite curious about snapchat —it was the quite the thing in my school days. Don’t even start with Facebook, after helping me find 2 of my school boyfriends —it’s out of my life for better I think!
Wait what? You used Facebook to find boyfriends? Hahaha wow I suppose you were too young for a tinder or something.
It keeps changing so much and it’s annoying!
We were 14, I think, and it was so cool to be going out with boys from other school and the great way to meet them was via facebook😂
I can’t😂😬too embarrassing
See I thought you might say Twitter.
Twitter is not a fave platform for me.
Facebook is a easy platform for me to use.
Snap chat, I hear you, I don’t use it regularly. I only pop on it now and again to check out the new filters. I would say TikTok is a fun and easy app to use
You are the queen of TikTok! It always amazes me how you come up with videos and keep them coming so frequently! I don’t think I have ever attempted to even make one lol
Just think of it similar to making a reels videos on Instagram, but more music and filters to choose from.
I have Facebook for my blog but I honestly don’t have a clue what I’m meant to do with it 🤦♀️ I basically just share stuff on group chats! Snapchat was good when Insta was just pictures & when I was younger for class projects and whatnot but it uses up so much of my battery & I’ve been wanting to go on my phone less so I deleted that 🙂 I’ve never really understood tiktok so I was much happier when Insta brought in reels because I could never figure out how to make a video on Tiktok. Not that best at reels either but it’s a lot easier than the former! x
Hahaha the Facebook sounds just like me! I think you’re meant to create a page and invite people to like it and obviously join group chats. Insta reels is pretty convenient. Isn’t it the same concept as TikTok though?
Yeah I think so, I could just never figure out how to create a vid on TikTok 🤷♀️
I remember being the last of my friends to join the Facebook bandwagon back in the day. I had MySpace, why would I need another social media platform? Now I only seem to keep it to keep up with what’s going on in my friends’ lives as I rarely post anything.
I briefly tried Snapchat to keep up with younger dance friends who left for college, but now the app sits unused on my phone.
Since we’ve been there from the beginning, I totally get the eye roll. I do it every time I hear there’s another social media platform out there. To me, the world is starting to look a little too similar to ‘Extras’ by Scott Westerfield.
Gosh it’s too much! I always wonder why new ones pop up of the old ones work just fine… but that’s the old lady in me speaking. Extras? I’ve never read it, so hopping into Google to check out the synopsis!
It’s been a minute since the book came out 😂 I remember my friend asking me if I, too, thought it was creepy how similar Facebook was to the book.
I was the exact same about Tik Tok. I stopped myself being on there for as long as I could but I gave in. The for you page is the main thing really. It goes off an algorithm and tailors your FYP for you. So if you like alot of the same kind of videos, you’ll see more of those videos! Its really clever!
Oh ok then I guess I’m a pro at TikTok!
Here’s a challenge… delete the app and don’t search for TikTok on the web 😈
I could totally live without Tik Tok. I probably go on there once a day at most. I don’t even have my notifications turned on!
I have a Facebook account but not that active on it, though I’m hoping to get more involved eventually. Tried Snapchat for a while but deleted. Never tried Tic Tok, idk if I want too. Instagram is more than enough for now.
Too many platforms for my part. Sigh. I can’t keep up and I don’t really want too.
Lol yeah I get you. The social world is a whole new beast!
I use Facebook to keep in touch with family