Social media apps are changing constantly, and users are divided on the downsides and benefits. As one of the biggest user groups of social media, college students have a variety of thoughts about the changes being made to their favorite applications.
Quincy Thomas, a sophomore studying animation, frequently uses Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube. She has noticed a series of changes in the apps she uses the most.
“I'm not shocked at the changes,” Thomas said. “I'm not too surprised. I feel like it was kind of inevitable that changes would happen. It seemed inevitable with everything happening. It's not welcome, I don't like it, but I'm not shocked.”
One change Thomas mentioned was the introduction of paid-for premium features in already free apps, such as X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
“Now having to pay for it, now having more ads, it's just very unwelcome and bugs me a little bit,” Thomas said.
Elon Musk bought out Twitter in October 2022 for $44 billion, following a long legal battle with the previous owners. Since the acquisition, Musk has made numerous controversial modifications to the app, most notably changing the name from Twitter to X.
Another change included the creation of X Premium, an opt-in, paid subscription service offering a variety of features, some previously free. Yet, X is not the only social media app undergoing changes.
Kiley Mack, a junior studying sports management, frequents TikTok, a popular social media app allowing users to create, interact and share short-form videos.
“I'm on (TikTok) 24/7,” Mack said. “Anytime I'm not having a good day, TikTok is always the app to cheer me up, or right after work, as soon as you're done with your homework, it’s relaxing.”
However, TikTok is facing a potential ban in the United States after spending years in hot water with U.S. officials.
The U.S. government has plans to ban TikTok because of national security concerns posed by potential user data leaks, according to TechTarget. Around 33% of U.S. adults use the app, with new data being collected everyday. Officials are concerned about possible breaches of U.S. citizen data by foreign countries.
President Joe Biden signed the TikTok-ban bill in April. The Chinese company “ByteDance," which owns TikTok, has until Jan. 24, 2025 to take action. If the company refuses to change ownership, TikTok will be banned from U.S. app stores and websites.
“I'd be sad if Tik Tok got banned,” Mack said, expressing the concern felt by thousands of other college students.
Although, there are plenty of other apps college students utilize daily, including Instagram, which seems to be a pick of choice for students.
Gillian Lintner, an undecided freshman, recently downloaded her first social media app, Instagram, after coming to college.
“(Instagram) was most popular, and my mom had been using it too for many years,” Lintner said. Lintner also said she had only been using the app for a week.
In 2021, 71% of adults aged 18 to 29 reported using Instagram, according to Pew Research Center. However, the photo-sharing site is not safe from the myriad social media changes. Although these may be mostly aesthetic or interface related for adults, users under 17 years old are now considered “Teen Accounts.”
This new system will place a series of restrictions on the accounts of anyone aged 13 to 17 (as Instagram is 13+). These include functions such as daily limits, a sleep mode and filters for offensive or inappropriate message requests. These settings can be overridden, but only with parent permission.
The social media world is constantly changing for a variety of reasons. Whether it’s to fit customer demands, or completely alter an app, it is unknown how users will react.
