FeaturesDecember 5, 2013
Area students use variety of social media to keep in touch
Whether it's to keep up with relatives who live far away or stay connected with friends, students around Cape Girardeau County are fluent in social media. The Southeast Missourian asked students from Jackson High School, Scott City High School and Cape Girardeau Central High School what their favorite form of social media is and what appeals to them about it...
Whether it's to keep up with relatives who live far away or stay connected with friends, students around Cape Girardeau County are fluent in social media. The Southeast Missourian asked students from Jackson High School, Scott City High School and Cape Girardeau Central High School what their favorite form of social media is and what appeals to them about it.
Some started with MySpace when they were young, but mostly it's Facebook, Twitter, Vine and Snapchat, from which postings are said to disappear in mere seconds.
For more immediate communication, texting or calling is the way to go.
Central High School
Clayton Reynolds, 16, sophomore
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine, Snapchat and the Chive are the social networks Reynolds uses.
The appeal: "I like that you can connect with people like family members and friends. You can learn what's going on in their lives."
Reynolds' favorite sites -- in order -- are Twitter, Instagram, Chive and Snapchat, which he says he uses many times a day.
When he just wants to get in touch with friends, Reynolds uses a variety of methods. "It depends on what kind of mood I'm in. I'll either call them or text them or Snapchat them."
Trevon McClard, 16, sophomore
McClard enjoys Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine and Snapchat.
He uses the networks "just to keep up with people; what they're doing and what's going on." His preferences are Snapchat, Instagram and Vine.
If he's communicating with friends, he'll phone or text, because it's simpler than other methods.
Nick Wiggs, 15, sophomore
Wiggs uses Instagram and Snapchat.
"I just like them because you can stay connected to people and see what they're doing and stuff."
His favorites are Snapchat and Instagram, in that order.
"They're just useful. With Instagram, you get to see what everyone's doing and Snapchat you can talk to people like you're face to face," he said.
When communicating with friends, he phones or texts.
Megan Westcott, 15, sophomore
Westcott uses Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr and Snapchat.
"I have a lot of friends who live in different states and it's a fun way to stay connected."
Her favorite is Tumblr, because it's like a mix of sites where you can post pictures, videos and blog.
She and the other students like Snapchat because you can draw on people's faces. "You can make ugly faces and nobody gets to see them again," Westcott said.
Texting or calling is her choice when contacting friends.
Alexus Walker, 16, sophomore
Walker's sites are Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat. She uses the sites to keep up with friends and relatives. Twitter and Instagram are her top picks because she's on them more than the other sites.
Walker texts her friends.
Jackson High School
Leticia Flores, 17, senior
Flores just uses Facebook "because I work a lot and I don't really have time for anything else. I have family that lives in Texas and all over. I just get on Facebook and see what they're up to."
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The appeal: "It's just convenient," Flores said, adding she uses it to communicate with her "older family." She said she uses Facebook about once a week.
Shad Wren, 17, senior
Wren uses Facebook and Twitter "basically to keep in touch with people I don't talk to on a daily basis."
He prefers Twitter "because Facebook's kind of boring because it's mostly ads now instead of information. ... I follow like KFVS and stuff like that."
He uses social media two to three times a week, because he doesn't have time to use it more. If he wants to communicate with a friend, he calls them. "I hate texting," Wren said. " ... It's just quicker to do it that way instead of not understanding the text. You can't get tone through a text."
Taylor Balogh, 16, sophomore
Balogh uses Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Vine, which she enjoys for the funny videos.
She likes Instagram to view photos and uses Facebook to keep up with family members who live far away.
"I like Vine the best. It has funny videos. It's fun to watch them."
For friends, she uses the phone. "It [texting] takes too long unless I have something short to tell them, then I'll text them. If it's long, I'll call them."
She uses social media every other day, but mostly on weekends.
Tommy Tran, 16, junior
Twitter and Instagram are Tran's social media of choice "just to see people that I don't see every day and try and keep in touch with people that are far away."
If he had to select one, he prefers Twitter over Instagram, because you can post photos and text. "I just think it's funny to see what people have to say sometimes [on Twitter]," Tran said.
Like his peers, Tran calls his friends instead of texting. "It takes too much time. Then you have to wait for a response instead of them immediately giving you a response," he said.
Scott City High School
Levi Buckner, 16, junior
Buckner uses Facebook, Vine and Twitter. He likes Vine and Facebook best.
Taylor Raines, 17, senior
Raines uses Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and Vine. He had a Facebook page "way back" when he was 12 or 13. He likes Facebook and Snapchat best and said Facebook is where he gets his news.
To communicate with friends, Raines prefers texting to calling. "I hardly ever call," he said.
Aimee Lathum, 17, senior
Latham likes Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter and Vine, and a friend got her into those sites.
She would choose Facebook and Instagram over Twitter.
"I use Facebook to keep up with people. Snapchat is more just a form of communication."
"I don't ever put anything on Facebook, except pictures. Then I kind of creep on people."
Like Raines, she gets her news from Facebook. "Instagram's more just teeny boppers," she said.
Bella Bowers, 16, sophomore
Bowers enjoys Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter and Vine. She said a friend got her started on Vine, Twitter and Snapchat. Instagram and Twitter are her favorites, but she'd choose Instagram first.
"It's like texting, but with faces," she said of Snapchat. "You can draw on them. ... That's pretty cool."
Twitter is something Bowers uses a lot to tweet her emotions. "My parents don't have Twitter."
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