When waiting for the bus in the morning, walking in the halls during passing time, or taking breaks while doing homework, many Staples’ students tap and scroll away on their iPhones. Recently, they may have been looking through pictures of Starbucks drinks and selfies instead of new profile pictures and wall posts.
“I use Instagram more than Facebook because it’s not as annoying with posts and notifications, and I find it more entertaining,” Amanda Zager ’17 said.
Instagram may be the “new Facebook” for some teens, but both social networking platforms still have their unique features that satisfy different people.
“They are both good for different reasons,” Gabby Perry ’16 said.
According to Digital Marketing Ramblings, Instagram now has 150 million monthly active users, in comparison to the 1.19 billion monthly active users on Facebook.
The two media sites both allow users to post photos and videos, which Facebook friends or Instagram followers can then like and comment on. Users can also change their profile on both.
However, the similarities stop there.
“I like Instagram better. With Facebook you can get sucked into spending so much time on it, but that isn’t really the case with Instagram,” Malin Hovstadius ’15 said.
Zager and Perry both agree that Facebook is more personal, while Instagram can be more connected with the rest of the world.
“I just use Facebook for clubs and sports,” Zager said. Almost all clubs, sports teams, and even classes have groups on Facebook. These groups are used to alert members of meetings or tests, for members to ask questions, and many other things.
“I like how Facebook is for my friends at school and family, while Instagram is a more worldwide use,” Perry said.
However, the personal connection that Facebook provides also causes people to prefer Facebook over Instagram.
“I like the chats on Facebook. There are still a lot of people who don’t have Instagram, and Facebook applies for different things you want to do,” Sam Ahlgrim ’16 said.
The similarities and differences between the two social platforms are what make them unique, even if Instagram is replacing Facebook in some teens’ lives.
“If Instagram became anymore like Facebook, I would begin to like it less because there is already Facebook,” Perry said.
Whether it’s followers or friends, pictures or statuses, accounts or profiles, both Instagram and Facebook have something for everyone.
