Blog #3 - The Perfect Time to Post


            For this week’s blog post I wanted to look at the time people spend in deciding what they post and when they post it on Social Media. I have included a link to an interesting article I found titled “Is There Really a ‘Best Time to Post’ Social Media Updates?” which discusses the algorithms behind a few of the more popular platforms that I am sure many of you are familiar with.
Link to article: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/is-there-a-best-time-to-post-social-media-updates/272507/
            I find this relevant to a lot of the material discussed in class, specifically some of the videos/movies that we have watched where we see people’s lives revolve around their social media and the attention they receive on the things they post. This article starts by saying how we all want to know the perfect time to post. I think this is relatable as there are many times I have waited to post a photo on Instagram because I knew if I posted it at the current time that people probably would be less likely to see it. At the bottom of this article are some graphics with the universal best times to post on these different platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
            We have looked at different ways that technology shapes us versus the ways that culture shapes technology. I think that paying attention to algorithms like this and caring this much about when to post something strictly to get more likes emphasizes the narcissism that is present in society today but also the fact that we are allowing these technologies and their algorithms to control so many of our actions. In the article about Katherine that we read for class she talked about wanting to get good at Social Media and the importance of posting the perfect photo. I think the article that I have shared relates to this and emphasizes how many people care about getting good at Social Media in the sense of knowing what to post and when to post it. Overall, I think this article highlights how much we use Social Media to receive gratification from others and essentially are posting for an audience rather than for ourselves. People want the content they post to reach as many of their followers or ‘friends’ as possible which is why the algorithms discussed in this article have been put into place on many platforms.

Have any of you ever looked into or posted on Social Media according to what times are recommended?

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 20, 2018 at 10:42 AM

    Great post Olivia and I can certainly relate! Having worked in branding in the past, I was taught to post during "prime times" on Instagram and send emails on certain days to increase open rates. It's uncanny to see how personal social media use, is similar. People operate as if they're individual businesses and actions are dictated by social media schedules. It follows a similar formula every time: pictures are taken for the intention of Instagram, thinking up the "perfect caption", using appropriate hashtags and posting them at certain periods in order to increase engagement and interactions. Lives are lived according to these metrics. In this way, social media also holds power in our everyday actions.

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  2. UnknownOctober 20, 2018 at 6:52 PM

    Nice post Olivia, I liked how you related it to the article we read about Katherine and her social media use as well as new material. It is clear through her example as well as looking at other individuals posts that almost all social media users "follow the rules" when on their social media accounts. We all know that posting multiple photos at once as well as posting too late at night or too early in the morning has a negative impact on the number of people seeing and interacting with our content. It's fascinating that we are taking the time out of our day to edit this post, have it approved by multiple friends and go through the thought process for when it the best possible time to post in order to get the most likes. Much effort is put into a post that most people mindlessly like while scrolling through our feed, most of the time with the hopes that we will like the next photo/video they post.
    We can also use this idea of "the perfect time to post" and see that many social media users are clearly posting for their followers rather than themselves. Rather than posting when and what they want, they are posting during the times that are at the convenience of other social media users and content that they may not even necessary enjoy or want to post, but think is in or popular. This is a reflection of the desperate need to fit in with the crowd that our society has created.

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