With smartphones becoming more prevalent, South students can pick and choose from a variety of apps for their cell phones.

A common application that students use revolves around social media.

According to an Oracle-conducted survey, the most frequently used applications are Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Facebook, the most popular application used among students, helps students like senior Maureen Anderson connect with other South students.

“Most kids in our school use Facebook, and it’s an easy way to connect with clubs, sports, or activities that a student may be involved in,” Anderson said.

Another popular social media app used by South students is Instagram, which is an online photo sharing network.

“It’s easy and it updates the fastest,” sophomore Casey Coletta said. “Plus, you can customize what you want to see and just follow people who do that. Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr are all great, but there are a lot more ads and such.”

Other applications like YouTube let students like junior Fiona Smialek listen to free music.

“I hate having to buy songs on iTunes,” Smialek said. “Plus, my phone connects to my car, so I can just play music off of YouTube and it’s like easier because you don’t have to pay for it like how you have to for Spotify. […] The only problem you have to worry about is the ads. Otherwise, it’s free.”

According to senior Alan Xenos, a Systems Administrator, other applications like Linkedln, which is a social networking application, are popular in the business world.

“Foursquare [location based social networking site] is losing some ground, as checking in everywhere gets rather tedious,” Xenos said. “LinkedIn is common among professionals.”

Students also pass their time by using game applications like Candy Crush, Clash of Clans and Temple Run.

According to Smialek, popular games like Temple Run are fun at first, but then they become boring.

“Temple Run was originally fun to everyone and then it got even more exciting because they made the second one with more power apps and ways to make your runner better, and there were a lot of more features that made it cooler,” Smialek said. “But now everyone’s used to it and not as excited anymore.”

According to junior Rachel Healy, more applications make students feel more socially connected.

“I think that South students use apps on their phones because certain apps can make you feel more connected to what is going on around you like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook,” Healy said. “Others like Candy Crush give you something to do when you are bored.”