Trending worldwide, cellular apps were created to allow a glimpse into one’s personal life and have taken over this generation. Although some people may argue that this new obsession with smartphone applications and their ability to reach millions of people in a matter of seconds is a nuisance, the more positive outlook on the capability of data-enabled phones is one viewed by many, including myself.

In today’s society, technology and the media have a significant power in influencing the general public, specifically pertaining to our generation. With new apps and products being released every day, consumers find overwhelming satisfaction in buying the latest, most updated version of technological products and applications. 

This includes the most downloaded and recent social trending apps for phones with data and Internet access.

Most apps that are both online and on cellphones consume teenagers’, young adults’ and even most adults’ days. Any free time is spent with a phone in hand and a social media page open on the screen.

In the past two years, Instagram and Vine, cellular applications used to document users’ lives by recording videos or posting pictures, have become increasingly popular. As an easy way to keep friends and followers up to date, people seek these photo apps to display their day to day activities, special events and even what the user bought at Starbucks.

Using these apps to document individuals’ lives is viewed as a convenient and fun way to keep friends interested in and informed on users’ daily activities. Although seen as a disturbance to some people, due to the lack of focus of the real world when glued to an iPhone screen, the majority of consumers enjoy the ability to show followers the fun aspects of their lives on a timeline, designed much like the popular Facebook or Twitter pages.

Instagram and Vine allow members of society to demonstrate a “day in the life” kind of aspect. Whether it is a Vine of friends jumping off a diving board in the pool or a picture of the neighbor’s puppy, these apps have added a new level to social media, creating a popular way to connect with others.

Fans of Instagram and Vine benefit from the easy ability to view friends’ pictures and short videos. Like an online scrapbook, Instagram gives users the ability to scroll through friends’ photos, “liking” the ones they appreciate. Similarly to consumers’ pleasure, Vine is a user-friendly, easy-to-use camera installed on phones that is able to quickly upload videos for followers to view.

The benefits of these apps are endless.

Documenting the lives of millions of people, this form of recording one’s life is the trend in this day. Fun social media sites, conveniently installed on smartphones, Instagram and Vine are some of the easiest ways to share and detail the aspects of individuals’ lives.

A quick snap of the camera or an approximate six-second video set to play on repeat causes potentially no distractions from everyday life, allowing the consumers to contribute to their schooling, jobs and families, while benefiting from the short distraction of this social site.

These apps are fun to use and won’t cause stress or serve as a distraction to the user. While viewers scroll through their phones, speculating various pictures and videos of the friends and celebrities they follow, consumers have a better time keeping up with their friends’ documentations of their lives.

With the ability to protect your account and keep it private, this enables users to post pictures and videos on the Internet without fear of public exposure. In every situation, there is always a risk to putting information, especially pictures of oneself, on the web; however, these apps allow consumers to act in a safer manner when posting on the sites. Thus, these apps document lives much like in a scrapbook or journal; users have the protected ability to virtually record their daily activities.

Accounts that are private allow only those who have been accepted to view their profiles to gain access to it. With this privacy setting, users can post pictures and videos for only their friends to see, as long as they refrain from posting vulgar images or nudity.

Ultimately, Instagram and Vine pose as great sources to upload pictures and videos, documenting individuals’ lives. This generation is so focused on social media trends and cellular devices that these applications work as a great means of communication and allow followers to view constant updates on the people in their lives.

With more and more updates and apps becoming readily available, the Internet and the usage of smartphones is the prevailing form of documenting the lives of millions of people. This new social trend of using Instagram and Vine as the primary source of detailing the lives of many benefits the vast majority of people, creating online photo albums and video recordings for everyone to view.