THIS IS MY SOCIAL MEDIA TIMELINE
MY CELL PHONE HISTORY:
This was my first phone that I ever had. This “phone” allowed me to make two calls, one to my home phone & to my mom. I used this to make calls, but my parents needed to upload a certain amount of minutes every time I wanted to use it. I wanted this phone because I would get nervous at school and my parents were aware. It was for any emergencies that I had.
This phone was my first full functioning phone. It was previously one of my brother’s phone that I acquired after they wanted a new phone. This allowed me to make calls, text, play games, take videos and pictures, and gave me a sense of freedom that I previously did not have. My parents were aware that I was using this phone, but they did not have to power to mediate the actual activities that I performed on my new phone.
I loved having a Blackberry. This phone allowed me to text, make calls, play BrickBreaker, and take better quality photos overall. This phone was my first phone that had a full functioning keyboard, so it made it easier to communicate and text. I also had my email attached to this phone. My parents were aware that I had this phone, and I could communicate better with them.
After getting my first IPhone in 2013, I would receive the newer versions every two years. The IPhone changed the history and trajectory of cell phone communication forever. It was now easier than ever to make calls, text, take photos/ videos, play a wide array of games, Facetime, take selfies, and personalize your cell phone like never before. I do not believe that I am going to ever use another brand when purchasing cell phones in the future.
DEVICES:
The Tamagotchi was the first electronic, portable game that I played with all of the time. I named my Tamagotchi and got a bunch of them to bring around and keep me entertained when I was little. My parents knew about all of my Tamogotchis, and I remember going in waves of obsession with them.
I used to play all different types of games on my Gamecube. I would play games like Monkey Ball and Mario Kart on it. This device allowed me to play video games with my older brothers competitively and make special connections with them by playing this device. I wish this I still had a Gamecube because I would love to play those games today. The Gamecube acted as a unifying force in my family, initiating connections between my brothers and I.
This Dell desktop was the first computer that I interacted with to search the Web. This computer was located in my mom’s office, so she would always see what I was doing and could also look at the search history if needed. I used to play a bunch of computer games on this desktop, like Sims, and browse websites like Facebook and Miniclip Games. I would interact with others on the Web, making connections on Facebook at a young age to stay in touch with long distance friends, and I would play games like Club Penguin to talk with others and compete with others as well.
I absolutely loved my Nintendo DS. I used to play all different types of games on it, like Mario Cart and Nintendogs, in which I constantly competed against other players and made friendships through this platform. Also, there is a feature on this entitled ‘Pictochat’ in which users can chat with one another in different chat rooms, based on vicinity. This allowed me to communicate with my friends easily and establish a distinctive profile on this device.
I received my first Macbook computer in middle school, and it made doing my work and staying connected with friends way easier. I now had the access to the Internet on my lap and where I wanted to go, all on my own terms. With this Macbook, I also started to use more applications like IChat, IMovie, Garage Band, and iTunes. This laptop also changed my work habits in school, making it easier to do work anywhere at anytime. From having this laptop, I had a new aspect of freedom from my parents; they could not regulate or see exactly what I was doing on the Web anymore. This is my laptop, and I was so excited to expand my online presence.
I got this MacBook Pro when I was going into my Freshman year of college. I had used my old MacBook up until 2017, and it was definitely time for a new laptop. This laptop is significantly faster and in way better condition than the old MacBook. The basics of each are still the same, but this has a plethora of features that define this laptop as better and more high-tech. My laptop has a touch screen bar, new applications, better camera, lighter weighting laptop, and is more efficient overall. I do not know what I would do without this laptop, especially in regards to school work. I use a laptop in every class to take notes and do all of the homework, so I need my laptop for almost everything.
APPLICATIONS/ WEBSITES:
- AIM MESSENGER (2010)— AIM defined my childhood. Through this application, I would connect and chat with my friends from all over every single day. There did not go one day that I did not check AIM Messenger. My friendships were all maintained through this application. I had the ability to share messages, photos, videos and even video chat my friends from all over the world in an instant.
- FACEBOOK (2010)— I joined Facebook at a very young age, which took some convincing to my parents, because it was a platform that allowed me to easily talk to some friends that lived outside of California. I liked seeing their posts and pictures, making connections with them through this online platform. Facebook allowed me to also post updates about my life and share photos to my feed, continuously keeping my friends updated on what was going on in my life. I still use Facebook today, but not as religiously as I did when I was younger, because I solely used this platform. I now only post photos on Facebook, but I do not really use it everyday anymore.
- SNAPCHAT (2011)— I love Snapchat. Snapchat is an easy way to keep in touch with a wide array of friends and to send funny pictures/ videos instantaneously. Snapchat is more of a casual social media platform, allowing users to send content that only lasts a certain amount of screen time and then is deleted forever.
- INSTAGRAM (2011)— Instagram is a platform in which users participate by posting content to his/her followers and reposting/ sending others pictures/ videos. Instagram is a sharing, reposting, and liking culture, in which it is primarily based on posting objectively ‘artsy’ photos to a specific audience of followers. I use Instagram a lot, especially since being abroad, because I want to share the places I am traveling with my followers. My parents and my family follow me on Instagram, so it is a way for them to stay updated with my travels and my life.
- ICHAT (2012)— AIM Messenger transformed into IChat as people got MacBook laptops. IChat has the same function as AIM, allowing users to communicate easily with each other and participate in video chat conversations. These video chat’s could involve multiple people and constantly would be the prominent way I communicated with people my age. IChat defined my childhood and helped me stay connected socially.
- NETFLIX (2013)— I used Netflix previously for its DVD sector of the business. I would order a bunch of movies on Netflix, the DVD would come directly to my house, and after watching I would mail the DVD back. Now, I hardly watch cable television, rather I watch all of shows and movies on Netflix. Netflix produces its own content, but also its platform is filled with previously released popular television shows and movies. I watch something on Netflix every single day, and this platform is transforming the entertainment industry to become increasingly digitized overall.
- SPOTIFY (2015)— Spotify is the only music platform that I consistently use to listen to music. I am constantly listening to music, searching for new music, and curating playlists for myself and my followers throughout the years. Spotify is extremely easy to use and download music that premium users are listen to at any time. I listen to music every time I walk to/from school, on every airplane I take, and anytime I need to put a smile on my face. I am obsessed with music, and I truly believe that this music platform is the best compared to all others in this industry.
REFLECTION:
Overall, I believe that I am increasingly reliant on all of my technological devices, and I have been working on decreasing my social media use. Today I own around four personal devices, and I believe that I have around twenty online profiles, ranging from social media platforms to email accounts. My daily phone screen time is very high, usually being around six hours per day, so I had placed limits on my application use for platforms like Instagram and Snapchat. Additionally, I probably spend about two to three hours per day on my computer, doing work, responding to emails, listening to music, and streaming the Web. In the future, I wish to decline my social media use all together, spend less time online, and take moments during to day to focus on being disconnected from the Internet. Due to this class, I have learned more about the possible violation of my privacy rights online, so I have been more aware when clicking accept to cookies on websites. I also have become more aware to the terms and conditions of websites due to the information I have learned in this class. I wish to have more privacy and an opt-in system, controlling all of my virtual interactions online. I hope you enjoy my digital biography!
