Zac Silber
"I don't even know what girls look like anymore"
Zac and I have been friends since middle school and we've had very similar social groups from high school to college so I decided to ask him to do this interview with me. He's known that I was going to interview him and what it is about so we also jumped right into conversation.
Me: Hi, lets talk about social media. How often are you on it?
Zac: All the time, every second of the day. Areeta, come on, you know me...when I am never checking my phone?
Me: So why? Why do you feel the need to always be on it?
Zac: Everything that I'm looking at - Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Vine, Yik Yak or Snapchat - it's all really funny and I love going through all of it.
Me: What do you think about the people that you see on social media?
Zac: I think they are funny. I think Vine is my favorite because it makes me laugh. Instagram is just for me to see what people are up to but all the girls look fake on it and Snapchat now also has filters so I don't even know what some people actually look like in the moment so I get annoyed with those two sometimes. Facebook is just everyone put in one because I think almost every single one of my friends have Facebook. Yik Yak is also just to laugh because it's interesting to see what is the gossip on campus.
Me: Do you ever think about what your life would be without social media?
Zac: Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm actually really dependent on it and I really don't know what I would do to entertain myself or figure out what everyone else is up to. I hate missing out on things; I have severe FOMO. I don't think I can do anything that the generation before us did on their own like socialize, find a job, get entertained, meet people, do homework or study without social media or the internet.
Me: Zac what about going out and socializing with people?
Zac: Eh, I'm too lazy to do that. I'd rather just video chat or text them from my bed.
Me: I see that(as I am sitting on his chair and he is in his bed answering all these questions). I want to hear what you think of the people you see on Instagram and snapchat.
Zac: I think girls are having lower and lower self confidence because they just compare themselves to everything that they see online. I hear more and more that a girl wants a nose job or to be tanner just because they saw another girl on Instagram with more likes that looked like that. It's incredible to see girls cry over their weight or the things they don't have in comparison to another girl. I don't even know what girls look like anymore. I don't think guys do it as often but there are definitely boys that do the same thing as well. However, although there are people who can connect negatively with things that they see, there are also people who can relate or better themselves. One of our friends from home was able to get a job just because she put herself singing on social media and then so many people noticed her and she became huge thing.
Me: Do you think social media is going to be a good or bad thing in the future?
Zac: I think that it will be more good than bad because I think that it spreads information everywhere so much quicker and faster and it's essential to have connections to succeed these days. I think it's becoming equally important to know people as much as it is important to be worthy of the job.
Me: So to sum up this interview - what are the top three uses for why you use social media(in no particular order)?
Zac: 1. To laugh 2. To stay connected 3. To share my life with the one's that I care about
Me: What exactly do you mean with the third the point? You didn't seem to bring that up when we were talking.
Zac: Nothing really but I don't just have social media to see what every one is doing, I also want people to know what I'm up to. For example, I'm not the kind to tell mention to people what college I'm going to and what my accomplishments are so the pictures and posts that they see about me do the job for me.
Me: Wow you're so humble( I said this in a joking manner and I lightened up the mood to end the interview).
Me: Hi, lets talk about social media. How often are you on it?
Zac: All the time, every second of the day. Areeta, come on, you know me...when I am never checking my phone?
Me: So why? Why do you feel the need to always be on it?
Zac: Everything that I'm looking at - Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Vine, Yik Yak or Snapchat - it's all really funny and I love going through all of it.
Me: What do you think about the people that you see on social media?
Zac: I think they are funny. I think Vine is my favorite because it makes me laugh. Instagram is just for me to see what people are up to but all the girls look fake on it and Snapchat now also has filters so I don't even know what some people actually look like in the moment so I get annoyed with those two sometimes. Facebook is just everyone put in one because I think almost every single one of my friends have Facebook. Yik Yak is also just to laugh because it's interesting to see what is the gossip on campus.
Me: Do you ever think about what your life would be without social media?
Zac: Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm actually really dependent on it and I really don't know what I would do to entertain myself or figure out what everyone else is up to. I hate missing out on things; I have severe FOMO. I don't think I can do anything that the generation before us did on their own like socialize, find a job, get entertained, meet people, do homework or study without social media or the internet.
Me: Zac what about going out and socializing with people?
Zac: Eh, I'm too lazy to do that. I'd rather just video chat or text them from my bed.
Me: I see that(as I am sitting on his chair and he is in his bed answering all these questions). I want to hear what you think of the people you see on Instagram and snapchat.
Zac: I think girls are having lower and lower self confidence because they just compare themselves to everything that they see online. I hear more and more that a girl wants a nose job or to be tanner just because they saw another girl on Instagram with more likes that looked like that. It's incredible to see girls cry over their weight or the things they don't have in comparison to another girl. I don't even know what girls look like anymore. I don't think guys do it as often but there are definitely boys that do the same thing as well. However, although there are people who can connect negatively with things that they see, there are also people who can relate or better themselves. One of our friends from home was able to get a job just because she put herself singing on social media and then so many people noticed her and she became huge thing.
Me: Do you think social media is going to be a good or bad thing in the future?
Zac: I think that it will be more good than bad because I think that it spreads information everywhere so much quicker and faster and it's essential to have connections to succeed these days. I think it's becoming equally important to know people as much as it is important to be worthy of the job.
Me: So to sum up this interview - what are the top three uses for why you use social media(in no particular order)?
Zac: 1. To laugh 2. To stay connected 3. To share my life with the one's that I care about
Me: What exactly do you mean with the third the point? You didn't seem to bring that up when we were talking.
Zac: Nothing really but I don't just have social media to see what every one is doing, I also want people to know what I'm up to. For example, I'm not the kind to tell mention to people what college I'm going to and what my accomplishments are so the pictures and posts that they see about me do the job for me.
Me: Wow you're so humble( I said this in a joking manner and I lightened up the mood to end the interview).