Digital platforms haven’t always played the same role in my life that they currently do. Before I was in ninth grade, I didn’t have a Facebook account, and I never had a MySpace or an AOL account. The Internet was mostly used in my house to do research for school projects, sometimes order things online, and occasionally play games.

Now, hardly a day goes by where I am not using the Internet, and many of the ‘platforms’ that come with it. I use Amazon to buy my textbooks for school and to purchase other things I might need or want. I use Google for research and YouTube to watch videos for class as well as for fun. I check Facebook multiple times a day, both from the desire to know what is going on with my friends and from boredom. Going online and using these platforms has become a habit for me, for better or for worse.

Without these platforms, I can easily see my life becoming drastically different. For one thing, my life would definitely become harder, simply in terms of managing everything I have to do. For example, without Amazon it would have been difficult for me to have ordered my textbooks in time for classes this semester. Also, without the Internet in general I wouldn’t be able to access many of my assignments for school. Some of this convenience is part of having a personal laptop; when my laptop broke at the beginning of the fall semester, I found it more difficult to keep up with things in general, mostly because I didn’t have access to the Internet and its platforms at my fingertips. However, I was still able to access my schoolwork on the computers at the library, and even check Facebook and Twitter through apps on my phone. While that period of time was difficult for me in that I had to schedule time to go to the library to get my work done, it also demonstrates my heavy use of social media platforms, in that I would squint at my phone in order to check on updates rather than simply going without social media for a few weeks.

This reliance isn’t something I’m proud of, but it is something that, in my opinion, has been perpetuated by the platforms addressed in the reading. With its constantly updated timeline, segment for news headlines, and options to add pictures and videos, Facebook can keep its users worried that they’re missing out on new updates from their friends. As mentioned in the readings, Amazon employs purposeful methods to keep its customers interested and to keep them coming back (“The Age of the Platform,” pages 50-55). While these methods are arguably good business tactics for Amazon, they also contribute to its users reliance on the platform in general.

I don’t necessarily wish I could go back to the time in my life before I was so connected to these platforms, and I don’t think it is practical to wish for that either. At this point, human beings will continue to be connected to and interact with the Internet and its platforms. However, I think it is important for us to be aware of the tactics used by these platforms, such as Amazon, to keep us interested, and to be able to walk away from platforms like Facebook and interact in the real world as well.