For this assignment I wanted to involve photoshop and an iconic photograph so naturally I chose our lovely quad, and placed it in a different context by editing in a UFO. Unfortunately, this week I was not able to be active on my social media so I asked my friend Alyssa who goes to James Madison University and my friend from Lafayette, Will, to post it on social media. I told Alyssa to post it on Instagram, and Will to post it on Facebook. Although this photoshop is obviously unrealistic, I really wanted to see who’s attention it would grab and analyze the peoples’ reactions while also comparing the two  social media platforms.

When analyzing the reaction of this photo, I was able to express an argument about social media that has been an ongoing issue. In class we have already talked about how easy it is to edit your photos so much so that the final product is extremely unrealistic. Going off of this argument, I have also realized how easy it is to comment whatever is on your mind almost instantaneously. This is a very dangerous thing, and has gotten many people in trouble.  On Instagram, the comments were unnecessary such as “Hm?” or “hahahah wtf.” These comments were written only just moments after the photo was released, and then after about an hour the photo was forgotten and replaced by new posts.

Although the photo was a bit too unrealistic, the comments replicated the sad fact that the majority of the generation on social media will abuse what is being posted, and not think more into the images than needed to be. I did find a slight difference between Facebook and Instagram comments. On Instagram it was a bunch of static comments that felt like primary thoughts in ones’ mind when looking at the photo. On Facebook, the comments were a little more thought out and crafted.

I believe this seems to reflect the case between the two social platforms overall. On Instagram, comments are just another number. On Facebook, I believe that the comments and posts are becoming more thoughtful and meaningful. People are able to express their beliefs and decisions through Facebook, accepting criticism or growing supporters for whatever you post. I got out of this assignment that although there may be the same photo posted on Instagram and Facebook, the reactions and comments between the two social media platforms differ, the usage of the two social media platforms differ, and the seriousness one may view the photo on Instagram versus Facebook may differ as well

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