DGTL12002 Week 1

Choose a social media site that you are a member of and say why you engage with it and what you get out of it.

The social media site I chose was Facebook, primarily because it is the one site I interact with day in and day out without fail. I originally joined Facebook as it seemed that everyone was moving there from MySpace, so, frustrated at how difficult MySpace was to customize and control, I moved on with the crowd and joined up to Facebook.
I was greeted with the now familiar white and blue interface and while at first I was annoyed at the lack of customization, I soon reveled in the fact that I could go to a friends page without getting jealous of their theme or their layout and then try hopelessly trying to customize my own to be just as 'cool' as theirs.

Within a short time everyone was using Facebook, and this meant I no longer had to go to MySpace to talk to all of my online friends. 

I continue to this day to engage on Facebook because strangely enough, knowing what everyone else has to say, even if it's annoying or boring, becomes addictive.

It comes with it's perks as well. Many of my friends have moved away, and Facebook is excellent for keeping in touch with them on a day to day basis. I can easily go to their wall and post a picture, or send a private message directly to their inbox . I can tag them in statuses and engage with them in the chat. In short, I can continue interacting with them in a close way even thou they now live miles away. 

I've also gained networking benefits from using Facebook. Being able to find others with similar interests to my own has been extremely beneficial. I have made new friends I never would have made without Facebook, and have even scored the odd job or two here and there, just for being able to get in contact with the right people. 

I will definitely continue to use Facebook, because while you do get the scum of the earth on there occasionally, it is almost too simple to delete and block them from your life for good. :)