2023-08-19 14:37:13
Early last year, a curious remark made by teenage film star Anikha Surendran regarding the social media usage of Malayalis became a topic of discussion. A then seventeen-year-old Anikha mentioned that the social media platform she uses most is Instagram and several of her uncles use Facebook. Although Anikha probably didn’t mean it that way, her words were a reminder that the first generation of Internet users are getting old. It also contained an indication of changes in generational choices and preferences over time.
When Mark Zuckerberg started Facebook in 2004 with his fellow students at Harvard University in the United States, the world was not as advanced as it is today. The Internet was a luxury only available to a very small minority of the world. Many things that have become a part of our daily life today were not even dreamed of then. But as we sit in 2023, the world has witnessed thousands of years of change in the last two decades. The Internet and related technologies have made huge leaps and bounds every year. Not only the world, but also the people living in it have undergone great changes. The difference between the Facebook and Instagram generations is just one of them.
Facebook initially attracted college students and gradually spread to all age groups. Underneath the posts on Facebook, there are still stories that cannot be put to full stop. Ten years ago, 20 years ago, the teenage years of current Facebook users are embedded in it.
Social media has been a part of people’s lives for ages. Social media platforms have also undergone major changes. Starting from Orkut, through Facebook and Twitter, social media is now reaching Snapchat and Kik. Along with this, there have been major changes in the mentality, priorities and preferences of social media users. While Facebook and Twitter are platforms for serious discussions, the situation is different on Instagram.
If the method of Facebook is to post and discuss with comments below it, it is the other way around on Instagram. It can be said that there are no comment box wars on Instagram like on Facebook. Perhaps because there is a generation gap due to the age difference, the two groups approach the same subject differently. While Facebook is discussing world-class things, Insta is going ahead with cover songs, pop songs, dances, collaborations and partnerships.
Facebook’s earliest users were millennials, or those born between 1981 and 1996. The experiences and comments written on Facebook were longer because there was a little more Onam. All the joys and sorrows experienced during that time were also reflected on Facebook. All the songs and books they chose went with it. Facebook initially attracted college students and gradually spread to all age groups. Underneath the posts on Facebook, there are still stories that cannot be put to full stop. Ten years ago, 20 years ago, the teenage years of current Facebook users are embedded in it.
In terms of birth, Instagram is only six years younger than Facebook. Launched in 2010 as a photo sharing app, Insta quickly caught the attention of the new generation. It was also the era of the growth of mobile cameras that might take photos at will. In 2014, Facebook bought Insta for a whopping $1 billion.
Ease of use and ease of use of first-generation social media platforms like Facebook must have made Instagram a favorite of the new generation. Apart from world affairs, personal moments, joys and sorrows and celebrations are shared there. Whereas on Facebook, serious and deeply knowledgeable topics were given importance, on Instagram, things that are simpler and touch human emotions are popular. While adults engage in heated debates on Facebook including politics, religion and international issues, the younger generation can’t be blamed for switching to a colorful platform without its fuss.
Facebook and Instagram are not the only two platforms that have changed the attitudes of generations. The involvement of many on Instagram confirms the complaint that the new generation does not take life seriously. However, there are many who correct that perception through the same platform. The Insta generation is also raising the question whether life should be taken so seriously.
The lacks and limitations of the era in which they grew up may have prompted the millennials to seek refuge and stay on a platform like Facebook. On the contrary, it is natural for a new generation who grew up in a good environment and easily mastered technology and gadgets to like platforms like Insta. Growing up with more new apps, the next generation of Insta generation will also be seen as having an old mentality. It is a fact of life that a green leaf laughs when a ripe leaf falls.
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#Facebook #Instagram #generations
