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Tommy Peterson Professor Rounsaville ENC 1102H 12 October 2013 Integrative Memo Writing Prompt After these weeks of investigative research, I would have to say that my results were surprising and eye opening. I did not expect to find what I did. Because my general premise for my project is to analyze social media websites (Tumblr, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter), I feel as though I had a much easier time pulling together my field notes into comprehendible and cohesive arguments that will evolve into general claims I will present my audience in the final research paper. There were many different trends that I took note of in my virtual observations as well as the interviews I conducted. In the interviews, I noticed several things that I feel are necessary to note for my project. First and foremost, I asked these individuals (four in total) which social media sites that they had themselves of the four I am considering. All of the students of UCF had three of the four sites and interestingly enough, each said that they considered a different particular site as his/her favorite. Because the students I interviewed came with their own differences (hometown, ethnicity, and sex) it was not surprising that not everyone chose one site as his/her favorite. However, three of the four interviewees said a reason as to why they use his/her favorite social media forum is due to an easiness they felt the sites had to them. From this, one consideration I would like to make for my paper is that UCF students do value easiness in their social networking. If it was difficult to establish a community in an online

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setting, I would think that face-to-face interaction would be an option that more students opt for over the internet. Another aspect to the easiness claim that solidifies my argument in social networking being ubiquitous is that it is so readily available for students. There is no doubt that when walking to classes on a daily basis, you will see a myriad of students (the vast majority of them) holding and/or using their cellphones that have access to these websites. Another interesting tidbit that I gleaned from the interviews is that the students stated common feature of their favorite social media site; this specific facet was the use of multimedia, chiefly photographs and short video clips. What this has suggested to me is that the communication has taken a new turn when in an online setting. This idea of new forms or rather norms of communication in the realm of the internet, specific to social media websites, is what my research will hopefully elaborate on for other scholars as well as future generations. The reason as to why I view this avenue of communication as integral to know more about is because the world today, especially the current generation, is becoming increasingly dependent upon electronics for nearly everything, including how they communicate and create a community with one another. Earlier this year, I had read an introduction for a book that discussed the types of social capital that can be created, both bridging and bonding, and how it is more prevalent to see bonding capital, but even that, in addition to bridging capital, has been on a decline with the advent of hand-held devices that an extension of ourselves in a way. Years from now, communication could become solely based on the internet and it would behoove the current and future generations to understand how to communicate effectively online.

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Switching to my findings, one of the most important findings I made while conducting my research is about the communication or rather, the lack of communication within social media I am exploring. On almost every single occasion I took field notes directly from the sites themselves, there was not much interaction. The only website that had true interaction as one would expect for social media was Facebook. One of the main reasons I believe that this is idiosyncratic of Facebook is because I chose to observe the UCF Class of 2017 (Official Group) which consists of mainly freshman at the university with some older students who want to instill their own wisdom upon the new Knights. Because one will typically make a text post, more often than not a question, on the Facebook group, it is logical that someone will respond with an answer. What has become more commonplace across the spectrum of UCF affiliated social media is something so simple, yet so invaluable to the integrity of these sites. This noncommunicative form of communication that is the basis of social media comes in the form of a like. For Tumblr, Facebook and Instagram, the postings people put out into the public domain can be liked by others; the Twitter equivalent can be seen as a favorite. There is plenty of room for speculation on the true purpose of a like or favorite, but from what I have witnessed thus far, it seems as though, they serve as a validation for the poster/blogger. To be put bluntly, a lot of people now a days are attention whores who post things to get the consideration they think they deserve. While it was not a part of my actual field notes, I eavesdropped on several conversations in past weeks in which the individual involved were discussing their pictures (on Instagram) and how many likes it got. It seemed as though getting a certain number of people who liked the photo made the poster very happy and gave them a sense of pride. While this is likely not to be the only reason (satisfaction/validation in relation to likes/favorites) why

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people post or what they get out of making seemingly trivial posts, it is an explanation that can be supported through some of the discussions that have been circulating around the UCF campus. Originally, I was interested in analyzing the differences between the forms of social media sites in order to find out what specific personalities can be personified on the given sites, but after careful consideration, I changed my framework. What I did find to be very interesting is that there are more commonalities between the sites than I ever expected. From a purely technical and physiological standpoint, all have capabilities for interaction in the form of posting as well as following/friending; furthermore, they all utilize the color blue, most for their icons (the blue for Instagram is in the heading on a given page). Something else worth noting is that there are some events that every student at UCF can relate to and therefore, they transcend every website and can be seen everywhere. These types of events can include, but are certainly not limited to, UCF football games, horrid MALL war stories and the act of studying. This finding made me realize that while there are many different types of students enrolled at UCF, at the end of the day, we are more similar to one another in our values, interests and struggles. One other interesting point I would like to make is that there is one site that is seemingly at the epicenter of social media; this specific site being Instagram. What I discovered is that many people who post pictures, will have that picture linked to their Instagram account so that when people click on the photo from Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr, it will take them that person to the posters Instagram. It is ingenious really, in making connections between the sites and allowing for the possibility of other follows/friends. While there is not much in my findings

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that could lead me to why people do it, I would think that what I just stated is a good reason why people link all of their social media together. People want a large social network and by connecting their sites together can make more social capital and create a stronger and closer community even with more individuals being involved.

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