Social Media Through the Eyes of a Teen: How Society’s Obsession of the Future Impacts Youth Today
Students and youth today view the world from a perspective unlike any we have experienced before. They barely remember a time before constant technology. Their first phones were touch screens and iPhones. They have experienced life unlike any generation before them. A life where technology has been a given and the ways that we use it are ever evolving. As technology grows, we need to grow with it and the best way to do that is to follow the kids. They constantly are on top of new apps and websites that can be used in new and innovative ways. With all the intriguing pieces of how youth today use technology, I chose to interview a 17 year old female so that I could gain insight into the world and minds of today’s teens. The goal of this interview is to examine and understand the ways that teens use technology, how they view it, how they stay safe using it, and to get a general understanding for the importance of technology in our lives. Subject X is a senior in high school and falls age wise at the beginning of Generation Z. Her insight, as shared below, sheds a little light on the world of technology through the eyes of a modern day teen.
My first question to subject X was a simple one. How much time do you spend on Social Media and technology per day? I expected an extreme number. 12 hours, 10 hours, even 8 hours. Her response? “I have currently spent 2 hours and 50 minutes on social media today but I average about 5 hours per week. If I have more homework and school assignments, I have less time to spend on social media, but will increase my time using technology because we use laptops and iPads for the majority of our work.” For some reason, this shocked me. I had expected someone her age to spend an exorbitant amount of time on social media. I even expected that amount of time to distract from her school work. When it comes to how she accessed the technology, subject X says she mainly uses her phone unless its school related. Subject X went on to say that her most used apps are Instagram — for looking at photos and sharing photos and music, Facebook — to stay connected to her work and older family, Twitter — for news and memes, Snapchat — for staying connected to friends, and TikTok — for comic relief and a break from daily stress. These apps are some of the most used with kids, teens, and young adults currently. Like many teens now days, TikTok is the reigning favorite of Subject X’s. She acknowledges that while it can be funny, she often loses track of time and feels as though it can be a waste of time she could be using more productively. Over all, I have found that her uses of technology are very similar to most people’s uses. She uses her technology to stay connected to people just like all of us do. But those connections can and do have consequences.
As we all know, social media can have as many negative consequences as it does benefits. We have learned a lot about digital privacy and the ways that safety on the internet can be misconstrued. Along with the dangers of social media and technology, it can also diminish our interpersonal skills. I have seen this happen between myself and people in my life. It is not something I often pay attention to and was only brought to the front of my mind by Subject X. When asked about how social media impacts her day to day life, Subject X said “I think social media is really unhealthy because it gives us a false sense of comparison and it ruins self image. I play in to it because I use social media even when it not best for my mental health. [Other than the previous example] I would say its just there and doesn’t super impact each day. I am pretty good about not letting it affect my life negatively.” I believe this statement is one that many people agree with. Social media influences the way we feel about ourselves and, especially for younger children, can effectively damage mental health. Subject X went on to say that the impact social media has on culture is a “double edged sword”. She believes that the positives and negatives come hand in hand. Generation Z had never seen the world before technology. They grew up at the same time as the technology around them. They are what we described in our class as Digital Natives. They are the future of technology because they have never known any different. But the lack of knowledge of a world prior to technology has also led to a lack of interpersonal skills. Subject X said “I feel like we are less connected than ever before, because it is easy to talk through a screen but social skills in person lack greatly. The internet creates more barriers to social interaction in person. Social media is the only way to communicate with some people. So it connects you to others (family, distant friends, etc) but it is a false sense of connection and relationships.” The lack of in person connection and lack of skills to create those connections has been an overwhelming issue for many people. This issue is often exacerbated by technology and the ease of creating friendships online.
Online relationships have been constant since the days of AIM, Omegele, and other chat websites. The dangers in these are ever present and often are not explained to children. Many kids around the world learn of the dangers of these chat sites by experiencing it first hand. When asked about these sites and the safety of the internet, Subject X noted that while she avoids Omegele and other chat sites, she has been reached out to by strangers due to her budding music career. Usually she is contacted by people around her age. However, when she shares her music on Facebook, older adults reach out as well. Subject X went on to talk about how her parents taught about online safety and how those around her have tried to keep them safe. She explained that her parents didn’t put many limits on her internet access. Instead they focused on keeping an open line of communication about the dangers of the internet. She said this allowed for her to feel comfortable speaking to them about things she happened to come upon and also helped her to know what to avoid on the internet. Personally, I believe this is the best possible way to introduce kids to the internet. This approach is helpful because it allows kids to make mistakes without fear of punishment. Open lines of communication teach children that adults want to help and ensure that they learn proper safety precautions on their own time. We need to encourage kids to take a hold of their own responsibilities and teach them that they are capable of deciphering right and wrong.
Subject X detailed a lot about the life of a teenager during the era of technology. But it wasn’t until the end of our interview that we really dug deep into what life would be like without technology and how it impacts every day. Subject X said “In a day without technology I would definitely have more free time. I would struggle a little without social media, but would struggle more with lack of immediate access to news and google. Lack of access to information would be challenging for me as I tend to google any question that comes to mind in order to learn more. I would definitely be more productive without social media, but I would have lots of wasted time. Honestly, I probably would be happier without social media because I know how it can affect mental health. Sometimes I see mean or trolling comments and have to remind myself that cyber bullying is real even when its not frequent.” She reminded me of the way that people her age see trolling as funny even when it can be harmful. She says that she often takes time to defend people when she sees trolls and mean comments. She says that technology is an undeniable fact of the lives we live and that we must all do our part to make the internet a safe and welcoming world. I believe that we should follow these words of hers and take educating about technology one of the forefronts of our education. This interview has shown me that kids and teens have more access to the internet and world around them than any of us have ever had. Children know that technology is the future and if we follow in their footsteps, while guiding them towards safety, we can, together build a future where technology connects us regardless of a generational divide.
