By offering a variety of information according to user needs, these two platforms give users a distinctive experience.I have been using and enjoying Pinterest for almost six years now.I think the app has greatly influenced my personality, including my style of fashion, my taste in food, my travels, and my personal tastes in designs.However, before beginning this digilife module, I was unaware of Pocket.After using Pocket I do think it’s very helpful and fascinating platform to use.

I found that Pocket and Pinterest shared a lot of similarities.Similar to Pinterest, its purpose as a platform is to share content according to the preferences and needs of its users.But unlike Pinterest, Pocket gives its users access to articles, videos, and webpages.Users are then able to store and save these videos and articles for later reading.Additionally, they provide a clutter-free space for readers to read their articles, which is fantastic because I tend to become distracted when looking at multiple things at once.This element of of Pocket then minimises distractions for their users.

On the other hand as I said before I have used Pinterest for many years now.Pinterest is amazing for exploring and finding inspiration on different topics. For instance, anytime I go and get my nails done I always go onto pinterest to find inspiration on what is trending at the moment. Pinterest, unlike Pocket, likes to use vibrant colours to attract attention from their users.The users then have the chance to create their own digital storyboard .In my opinion,I believe it enables them to use it as a means of expressing who they are.

I believe these two platforms show many similarities but also contrasts at the same time.I believe Pocket is more of a platform which allows users to wind down as it allows them to save articles and videos with no distractions.While on the other hand I believe Pinterest is more about vibrant picture and sharing pins with your friends.Sharing storyboards and pins with friends makes it much more social.

The different social media platforms that we talked about the most were Linkedin , Snapchat, Pinterest, Pocket, Twitter ,Instagram and Tiktok.All of these platforms have unique ways in which they allow users to share and connect with others.I came across a quote from Amy Jo Martin which really caught my attention “Social media is more like a telephone than a television”(Mattroyse, 2022).Once more, this is a fantastic quote of how social media allows connecting with others.Personally my favourite are Snapchat and Instagram.These platforms in my opinion would be the most popular for my age group. Instagram and Snapchat, both emphasise photo sharing and visual content.They both allow easy access to connect and share information instantly with friends and family.In terms of digital citizenship its “ the ability to navigate our digital environments in a way that's safe and responsible and to actively and respectfully engage in these spaces” (MediaSmarts n.d.-a).Although I know we are not always conscious of our actions online, even though we live and interact in the digital world similarly to the offline world.I believe we can sometimes act in a way that can ruin our reputation and safety as digital citizens.We all have a role to play as involved digital citizens, and our actions online can truly have an impact, so it's important to always act morally when we're online (MediaSmarts n.d.-a).

There are many strategies that I believe help users find relevant and reliable information online.Unfortunately, I encounter a great deal of disinformation and misinformation every day.To help prevent this from happening, I employ a number of strategies we discussed in class.Firstly using search engines is one of the easiest ways that I find relevant and reliable information online.By utilising filters like date, language, location, and source, search engines it helps me in emphasising my search.Using filters is another method I use for locating relevant and high-quality content on social media platforms. Filters let you arrange and personalise your feed or results according to a number of criteria, including category, popularity, and relevance(Spivek 2023).These strategies that we discussed in class have really helped me in finding more reliable and relevant information.

Social media platforms offer effective tools for creating and spreading informative content.I believe at the moment Tik Tok is the most effective platform which is effective for creating and spreading information.Since its 2016 launch, TikTok has grown to become one of the most widely used social media platforms worldwide, with over one billion monthly active users.This popularity is important because it gives the information a wide audience to be shared.Users of TikTok can make and share video clips, which were first intended for amusement but are now being used for instructional purposes, including videos covering health-related topics.Both users and medical professionals have realised TikTok's potential as a platform for exchanging health-related information.Users using the hashtag tool on Tiktok is allowing the videos to gain billions of views.With more doctors and medical experts joining the app it will allow the users to become more and more knowledgeable with health related topics(Lahooti et al., 2023).I had this conversation with a few of my digilife classmates, and we all agreed that Tik Tok is the most widely used app for rapidly sharing information, and that the app's content is getting more and more informative.

Pinterest and Pocket are the two social media platforms that we discussed in class as organising data and curating tools.I've been using Pinterest for more than six years now, and I think it's the best app for organising the inspiration photos I save.Since 2010, Pinterest has grown quickly, resembling an online scrapbook(Hambrick & Kang, 2015). Users can make "boards" with themes on which they "pin" images, videos, and stories from the internet(Hambrick & Kang, 2015).Users can also "repin" content from other boards to their own boards, leave comments on other users pins, and subscribe to boards made by other Pinterest users(Hambrick & Kang, 2015).Information sharing is encouraged on Pinterest among users who express themselves through thoughtfully selected pins.I find my pinterest boards reflect on who I am as a person.My boards include my style in clothing, beauty looks, inspiration quotes, jewellery, fashion, and bucket lists.For instance, I always check my Pinterest account to see what colours are popular before getting my nails done.I find it very useful to have a social media platform that helps me organise my interests.During one of our classes we discussed the platforms pinterest and pocket. The articles I found on Pocket were captivating, but very brief. This suited me, as I typically struggle to maintain focus when reading long articles and books.

“Research and practice have mostly focused on the ‘bright side’ of social media, aiming to understand and help in leveraging the manifold opportunities afforded by this technology”(Baccarella, Wagner, Kietzmann, & McCarthy, 2018).It's critical that we maintain a positive atmosphere on social media.Social media platforms, in my opinion, can positively impact how we share, create, and manage the information we have online.In order to be good digital citizens, we must use social media platforms appropriately.As I reflect back on all my classes so far I have most definitely learnt so many new things from social media that I never knew before.I am looking forward to learning more about the different ways social media has impacted and changed our society

References

What is Digital Citizenship?. MediaSmarts. (n.d.-a). https://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy/general-information/digital-media-literacy-fundamentals/what-digital-citizenship

Spivek, M. (2023, November 9). What are the best strategies for finding relevant and high-quality information on social media platforms?. How to Find Relevant and High-Quality Information on Social Media. https://www.linkedin.com/advice/0/what-best-strategies-finding-relevant-high-quality-mo9ec

Mattroyse. (2022, January 15). 10 memorable quotes about social media that will make you think. Knowledge Enthusiast. https://knowledgeenthusiast.com/2022/03/03/10-memorable-quotes-about-social-media-that-make-you-think/

Lahooti, A., Hassan, A., Critelli, B. et al. Quality and Popularity Trends of Weight Loss Procedure Videos on TikTok. OBES SURG 33, 714–719 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-022-06409-x

Hambrick, M. E., & Kang, S. J. (2015). Pin it: Exploring how professional sports organisations use pinterest as a communications and relationship-marketing tool.Communication and Sport, 3(4), 434-457. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167479513518044

Baccarella, C. V., Wagner, T. F., Kietzmann, J. H., & McCarthy, I. P. (2018). Social media? it's serious! understanding the dark side of social media. European Management Journal, 36(4), 431-438. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2018.07.002