mkt2656

Sites and Applications

Digital media and social platforms play a large role in my work and schooling, but it also takes up a lot of my free time. My job requires access to many different sites and applications to fulfill my work duties. I also frequent the same school sites and resources to advance my education. Outside of necessity, social media platforms often draw my attention.

Familiar sites and applications that I regularly use for work include Teams and GroupMe. Both of these applications enable easy, organized communication with coworkers and team management. For educational necessity, I regularly use the Southern New Hampshire University sites, Brightspace or D2L, Shapiro Library, Proquest, and more. These sites allow for easy access to schoolwork and feedback, research, and organized educational resources. In my free time, I regularly scroll through apps like Instagram and Facebook. Both applications offer unlimited entertainment and a sense of connection with peers.

Digital Media: Good or Bad

When I think about digital media, I have very mixed feelings. I find it generally positive because information is constantly at our fingertips and tasks are easier thanks to functional applications. However, most of my negative feelings toward digital media stem from social media. Above, I mentioned a “sense of connection”; this wording was intentional. What might feel like connection isn’t really connection at all. Social media has allowed us to substitute real communication and relationships with a like or a comment. If someone likes your post but you haven’t had a conversation in months or years, is that really a connection?

My negative feelings toward social media are also more personal. As previously mentioned, much of my free time is spent on social media platforms. That is primarily because I often struggle to put my phone down. Once I start scrolling, it’s easy to lose track of time. The term dopamine-scrolling describes a habitual behavior caused by the brain’s reward-seeking system and the constant release of dopamine from quick entertainment (Sharpe & Spooner, 2025). This is a habit I find myself engaging in often, especially when faced with a task I don’t want to do. I believe social media can be positive and negative.

Digital Media Marketing

From my experience with digital media, digital media marketing is the new norm. No matter what site or application you use, you will see advertisements, influencer marketing, promotions, and more. Most companies and brands have a social media page and brand ambassadors to reach their audiences. Although digital media marketing is not free, it is easily accessible to everyone and offers wider consumer reach. Many consumers use social media, regardless of demographics. It makes sense that digital media marketing would be widely used.

References

Sharpe, B.T., & Spooner, R.A. (2025, April 12). Dopamine-Scrolling: A Modern Public Health Challenge Requiring Urgent Attention. Perspect Public Health. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12322333/