Upcoming Smartphones of 2017

With a new year comes new flagships to look forward to. So what can we expect from the shiny new smartphones of 2017?

Instagram: Facebook of the Youths

Like it or not, you have got to admit: This is the Instagram era. Because of the diaspora of millennials from Facebook, Instagram has taken the crown as the crowd's favourite (together with Snapchat). Gone are the days when couples used Facebook to announce their relationship status; as well as the days when students used Facebook to announce their choice of university. Instagram is the new place to be, with many using a single photo to make announcements. Facebook only has the outdated information; check their Instagram accounts for new (or usually deleted, if the couple broke up) photos just to avoid any embarrassing moments.

Review of EZBlocker (Spotify Desktop Adblocker)

Tired of listening to terribly long and frequent ads on Spotify but not willing to pay $9.99 a month? Well, this may just be the solution for you!

So I recently stumbled upon this piece of software called EZBlocker. Having abandoned Spotify ever since my Premium trial ran out, I decided to give it a go.

After downloading the program, make sure to start Spotify before starting EZBlocker. You should be seeing something like this:

Apple Vs Samsung

One of the greatest battle of the 21st century is probably between Apple and Samsung. Is an iphone or a Samsung Galaxy better? Having used Samsung for 5 years before switching to iPhone 2 years back, I shall give my two cents worth of the advantages and disadvantages of each phone brands.

Reasons why iPhone triumphs over Samsung Galaxy

Facebook

In case you don't already know, most of the late 90s children don't use Facebook anymore. It's a known fact that except for those in Raffles, most of our Facebook accounts are not as updated as our Instagram accounts. Maybe it has got to do with newer social media platforms like Instagram being in trend, maybe it has got to do with parents and bosses getting onto Facebook as well, but in any case, it has to be acknowledged that its attraction has decreased significantly since the early 2010s. For instance, it's easy to see that I haven't added my upper secondary or JC classmates. But the interesting thing is, Facebook has made a comeback in my University life. In my opinion, this has got to do with Facebook's comprehensive functions like groups and polls, which Instagram is still unable to accomplish. In addition, it has to be admitted that there are more Facebook users than Instagram users. Therefore, it's easy to understand why organizers would prefer Facebook to coordinate large groups.

The Politics of Snapchat

I use Snapchat frequently. Perhaps a little too frequently. As social media finds its way into our lives, little trivial things seem to be more important than ever as people start to care about the tiniest details. I like using Snapchat because unlike Whatsapp, it doesn't save the photo or video that you've taken and flood your camera roll with it. Of course, the self-destruction timer is fantastic for that double-chin wide-eyed selfie you've sent your best friend. However, I find my friends and I getting hyped over Snapchat politics. In Snapchat, you can have a maximum of 7 best friends (marked by 😊). However, amongst those, there is a #1 Best Friend (marked by (💛, ❤, or 💕). This causes problems when your real-life best friend doesn't Snap often enough and you actually have a #1 Best Friend in someone else. Cue jealous glances or snide remarks. On the other end of the spectrum, there are people you just want to kick off your best friend list. It's a tricky political situation that requires more thinking than necessary.

Today, I was reminded of the vulnerability of Snapchat friendships. It's sad when you watch the emojis beside a contact name change and eventually it disappears. So many friends have fallen off the best friend list and eventually, the emoji disappeared. The rise is quick, but so is the fall.

But why are we cracking our heads and fretting about this problem? Has social media taken over our lives?