The Early Days of Social Media
Back in the days of the early internet, when social media was limited to forums and bulletin boards, people did not rely on images or videos to tell their stories. Instead, they penned down their thoughts. And given that the text was the only way to get their messages across, they often went into detail, whether they were starting a discussion or adding to it.
Those whose writing styles stood out would gain popularity on the platforms, and people would associate their usernames with expertise, credibility, or notoriety. And in these small and big ways, people connected at a deep level.
The Rise of Visual Content
As technology evolved to allow people to take digital photographs and videos on their phones, so did social media. Soon enough, platforms like Instagram and Snapchat entered the social media scene, allowing people to interact through pictures and videos. With just one photo or video, people were able to communicate how they felt to other people. This visual content also allowed people to showcase their identities much more easily than back when people would write down their thoughts.
Instagram, for example, centered on photos, enabling users to showcase their identities and lifestyles through curated feeds. Users who loved immediacy and authenticity turned to Snapchat, where they could share photos and messages both privately and publicly. And platforms like BeReal encouraged users to share their real-time and unfiltered photographs, thus creating a community where people could show up just as they were.
Over time, social media became less about lengthy written discussions and gravitated more towards connection around shared identities. People could easily understand what other users looked like, who they were, what they liked doing, and what their passions were just by scrolling through their profiles. Of course, writing was still part of the picture, but it was no longer as centered as it had been in the past.
In the present age, most platforms have integrated both text and visuals, such that while texts are still in use, the visual posts tend to get the most priority.
Did Visual Content Change Social Media?
It did not take long before social media users noted that visual content was changing their interactions. How so? Well, for starters, users started curating their lives through images. From sharing pictures of their meals or vacations, pictures became a symbol of one’s identity. To add to that, communities started forming over shared aesthetics such that users leaned towards the visuals that fit them best, from fashion to lifestyle, and so on. While most of the changes were good, some users became performative by coming up with personas that looked good on social media yet did not reflect who they were in real life.
The Privacy Considerations
With writing, users never had to worry about their privacy, as people only got to know them based on their usernames and thoughts. But with visual content, users were essentially sharing their identities with the world. And like we have all come to know, the internet is permanent, such that once the content is public, deleting it does not get rid of it. Users are still learning to navigate this permanence as we become even more aware of its long-term consequences.