Social Media: Twenty Twenty-Three (2023)
- December 27, 2023
- Milvin Joseph Raj
- No Comment
2+0+2+3=7 #Thala for a reason. Thala means M.S. Dhoni; M.S. Dhoni means victory. Hence the year 2023 is a victory for us. The year 2023 started with new hopes, and people around the world believe that when a new year begins, we should strive to live peacefully without dwelling on the negative events of the past year. The trauma of COVID-19 has now faded from people’s minds, and everyone has started to work productively to earn a living. Now, as we come to the end of 2023, it’s time to reflect on the various events that occurred throughout the year, both positive and negative. Some of the highlights of the year include the increase in GDP of the Indian economy, the fascinating Budget 2023, the successful launch of Chandrayaan-3, the massive victory of the Chennai Super Kings as they lifted the trophy for the fifth time, the introduction of Threads, the change of Twitter to X, the memes that circulated on social media platforms with AI voice changers, and the clash between Gen-Z and Millennials in social media. If we take a look at the calendar year, we can see a sudden increase in the number of social media users. Everyone in a home has an account on Instagram and they get every update related to their daily life on the social media. This article discusses how social media has become a ubiquitous platform for daily updates and reaching audiences of all ages.
Average Usage Rate:
Social media was originally designed to connect people who are far apart, but it has increasingly become a platform for others to keep tabs on each other’s lives. In 2023, social media seems to be dominated by young people setting trends. Among the various social media apps, Instagram has become the most popular one, with more usage rates than other apps. Facebook, on the other hand, has experienced a decline in its average usage rate, from 47 minutes to 38 minutes, and it peaked at 54 minutes in 2019. This is due to people switching to other social media accounts. In the case of Instagram, the average usage rate per person is 2 hours and 33 minutes per day, and in the case of teenagers, it goes up to 3 hours and 37 minutes per day. This is because they spend a lot of time scrolling down their feed, sharing and posting reels, posts, and stories, and writing comments. Instagram has 2.35 billion registered users as of now. The millennial generation will own Twitter in 2023. Research indicates that a mere 3% of youngsters belonging to Generation Z claim Twitter as their preferred or most used social media platform. Interestingly, only 31.5% of Twitter users are female, whereas 68.5% of users are male at the moment. The typical individual watches 41.9 minutes of YouTube content per day, and mobile devices account for 70% of all views, with desktop and laptop computers accounting for 30%. Compared to other social media platforms, YouTube is the most “actively used” website, indicating that registered users frequently visit the site daily.
Most Loved Contents of 2023:
The quality of the content you provide determines whether your post or reel stands out among others. This year, many memes, videos, posts, hashtags, reels, and stories have been most liked by users on social media platforms. Let’s take a look at what was most loved, liked, and viewed. The post of Lionel Messi holding the FIFA World Cup by @leomessi received 75.7 million likes on Instagram and was posted on December 18, 2022. “Baby Shark doo,” the video of the Baby Shark song, crossed 13.4 billion views on YouTube and was posted on June 17, 2016. The song “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi with 8.9 billion views received the most likes on YouTube, with 52 million. The wedding picture of Kiara Advani and Sidharth Malhotra, which was posted on Instagram, has received 13.49 million likes. The live telecast of the landing of Chandrayaan 3 is the most viewed video in India.
Influence of Social Media among Indians:
The younger generation in India, known as Gen Z, has a strong affinity for social media. Their activities on platforms like Instagram have often resulted in controversies, making them go viral. Previously, social media was used mainly for entertainment, but nowadays, it has become a crucial tool for small-scale businesses and start-ups as well.
This year, Instagram has launched a broadcasting channel and a feature called “notes” for its users. Through the broadcasting channel, an admin can post daily updates for their followers and grant access to other users to post on the channel. Indians are particularly keen on creating new trends in music by producing content reels. They also engage in promoting movies, but it’s not entirely clear whether they are doing it independently or in collaboration with others. Songs such as “Chaleya” from Jawan, “Jamal Kudu” from Animal, “Unakku Than” from Chitha, “Anbenum” from Leo, “Naan Gaali” from Good Night, “Time Traveler”, and “Khalasi” have become very popular on Instagram reels. These are just a few examples, as many more songs have been used by Indians. There are so many that it would require a separate blog post to cover all of them. There is a popular audio clip that has been trending lately, which features a dialogue where a lady describes something as “so beautiful, so elegant, just looking like a wow”. This particular dialogue has been used as a caption by many companies to attract their audience. Moreover, the lady who originally spoke this dialogue has also made a promotional video in collaboration with Sunfeast Yippee Noodles.
Conclusion:
There is a limit to everything, and exceeding that limit can have negative impacts. Instagram is now promoting racism, adult content, not adhering to copyright laws, and posting deepfakes. YouTube removes videos that violate guidelines, making it the best social media platform. X provided crucial updates and aid during Cyclone Michaung, reporting on Chennai’s weather status and providing assistance to flood-prone areas. Social media can be used positively or negatively. It can create a lot of commotion if used negatively. For instance, the Deepfakes that surfaced on the internet caused a huge controversy in India. Similarly, the use of AI voice changers, which imitate the voices of famous personalities and politicians, also caused a lot of commotion. It’s important to use social media responsibly to avoid causing harm to others. It is our responsibility to create a better environment for the upcoming generation. Therefore, we must be socially responsible and mindful of what we post.