Social media has become a major aspect of everyday life and is continuously growing. As Governor J.B Pritzker passed the stay at home order last spring, social media sites saw a major increase in the number of their platform users. 

According to a survey given to a variety of CHS students, it is safe to say that the quarantine did affect the amount of time students spend on their phones each day. In fact, 66.7 percent of students answered that they now spend more time on their social media accounts than ever before. Evie Aschemann (11) said, “Social media became the main source of communication in a time when we could not see each other, so it sort of infiltrated into my life in a bigger way.” Many students agree that social media has become the easiest way of communicating with their friends and family. 

Among the many different platforms, 54.8 percent of students answered that they find themselves on Snapchat the most, followed by Tik Tok at 26.2 percent. Ella Horn (9) said, “I definitely find Snapchat the easiest to communicate on. I feel like all of my close friends are always on it and checking it so they will respond quick!” 

Additionally, as social media continues to grow, more and more of the information people hear comes from social media itself. That information can include anything from the weather to top news such as COVID- 19, or even the gossip on different celebrities. Amanda Howerton (11) said, “I look to social media more than any other outside source because it is the most convenient. Everyone has it.” More than half the surveyed students at CHS agreed and said that the majority if not all of the information they hear about today’s world comes from one form of social media or another.

Overall, social media platforms continue to dominate today’s society as they grow all across the world. Now more than ever people rely on social media to get through their day to day lives, and provide them with a collected source of information and easy form of communication.