Ranking popular social media apps
By Hank McSheehy, Reporter
The internet connects us to a wide range of resources and different types of online communication. There have been many advantages to these platforms, but they can also be hurtful and detrimental to student mental health. Here’s our list of popular social media apps ranked from worst to best, as well as how VHS students view some of these polarizing apps.
4. Snapchat
This social media app that is regularly used by young social media users was created in 2011 by founders Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown. This app is one of the most popularly used apps with around three billion “snaps” (photos or videos) a day. Snapchat is a platform where you send and receive snaps and you keep up streaks with friends and has led to 20 percent of VHS students disliking it the most. This app can be toxic and damaging to someone’s mental health. This is because it’s a really addicting app where people try to keep up a streak which can then make someone become over obsessive. Messages can disappear after being opened so bullying and other dangerous messages can go under the radar and could lead to trouble with the law. There’s a page within the app called “Snapmap” where people can see where someone used Snapchat last and it can become an invasion of privacy, but you can privatize your location. Since this feature lets others know where they are, people can feel left out that they weren’t invited and it can hurt their mental health.
3. Twitter
This popular social media app was created in 2006 by creators Jack Dorsey, Biz Stone, Evan Williams, and Noah Glass. Twitter helps users get the quick scoop of all sorts of different news and is an easy way to get information. Most teens that use this app are interested in the different fandoms that Twitter holds, but others use it to keep up with their favorite creators. This app is also a great way to publicize work that publishers want to share, and get your information out there. These sound like nice things, but there’s also some big problem with this app, which according to a poll conducted on the Riptide Instagram account, 53 percent of VHS disliking this social media app the most. Different stories and “tweets” (posts) will sometimes get out of proportion really easily and create a lot of controversy. This app can also get really stressful because of either bad news or an overstimulating amount of hatred that is almost always being tossed around.
2. Tik Tok
This universal and most recently launched social media app has attracted many teens across the globe. The app was created in 2016 by founder Zhang Yiming, and gained an immense amount of popularity in 2020 when Covid-19 first hit and many were in lockdown. According to a poll at VHS, 45 percent of students spend their time on Tik Tok and this newer form of social media has created a whole different way of consuming online entertainment. Tik Tok has a wide range of videos, which means you can create almost anything you want on it. The videos that are liked will make the “For You” page incorporate things that they also may be interested in. The videos are very easy to watch but that can lead to being swept up into a huge time waste. Just like every social media app, it’s also an easy way to create hate and sometimes content can become hurtful. There have also been allegations of Tik Tok censoring people of color and LGBTQ+ users who try to make helpful content. Still, there’s helpful and useful info people can get from this app like a new cooking recipe, or anything they may want to learn.
1. Instagram
This widely popular social media app consisting of a diverse demographic was released in 2010 by creators Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. This has to be the most creative social media app where you can post pictures and videos of anything that you like. According to a poll, 52 percent of VHS chose this as their favorite social media app. There are many entertaining features such as the “Explore page” where it matches things that you may like based on previous viewings. Even though it does have pros, it has some cons as well. Hate that is spread through comments and reposting is definitely prominent, and people can become over obsessive of having a large amount of followers and a high amount of likes. That being said, Instagram does promote a lot of good movements and tries to be inclusive of everyone. It’s the safest place to express yourself in any way that you like.