Who are the Kids behind the Screen? by Eric Reese

Author:Eric Reese [Reese, Eric]
Language: eng
Format: epub

Why are my kids using social media?

The million-dollar question to all parents in the millennial age is why are our kids using social media? What do they get out of it? Why is my son or daughter stuck on their smartphones instead of going out and making new friends? Geez!!!!

Welcome to the new era of friendship. Gone are the days when youth would meet up at ice cream shops, skating rinks, and county fairs. Their cellphones have replaced what was known as face to face aka real social networking. It is said that kids start building their personal brand as early as the age of ten. Social media affords kids the opportunity to reach out further in a higher engagement platform than a mere phone call or text. This is the reason parents have trouble receiving calls from their children when they are out. It’s just not cool to pick up the phone and dial.

Similar interests tend to bring many children together and the role of social media has highlighted this on many accounts. Participating in sports, gaming, social clubs, and neighborhood activities are all part of the reason why adolescents are so inclined to using social networks. This again answers the question, “What’s going on?”

Popularity is one of the main reasons why our kids are on Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter. Being popular rises an adolescent’s self-esteem in the new age of millennialism. You have to be cool or in. Finessing as known as way of social flirting is the new way of hype by showing that he/she has many girlfriends/boyfriends. Often, they lie just to keep the conversation going. Teens doing this usually send coded messages with emojis (symbols of expression). If the conversation becomes dry between text parties, one or both stops texting without announcement which is called ghosting. It’s not considered rude.

On Wired.com in an article titled “Like, Flirt, Ghost: Inside the Life of Social Media Lives of Teens”, a social pattern of teens known as streaking on Snapchat (most commonly used social network for adolescents today) was uncovered in detail. Let’s first give you background information on what’s Snapchat and how it works:

Snapchat, the social media platform that launched in 2011 and is valued at $20 billion, has become a line in the sand for many adults, the wildly popular app they refuse to adopt. For the uninitiated, in very broad strokes, this is how Snapchat works: You snap pictures or videos of yourself and your friends and update them to your “story.” Or you can send private texts, pictures, and videos to your list of friends individually.

On Snapchat, there are “lenses,” which are a little like Instagram filters but way more elaborate. There’s a bug-eyed one where you barf rainbows. One makes you look like a golden cheetah; another surgically augments you to be just slightly prettier. If you harbor the suspicion that you’d look better with rhinoplasty or a chin implant, this filter will confirm it. But the feature that sets Snapchat apart is that 24 hours after you post it to your story, it disappears.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.