Technology and
social media are changing at a break-neck pace. The fact that I would not have
been writing about social media 10-years ago tells you how fast things have
shifted. Some of you may have heard me say Facebook is on its way out for MS
and HS students. I have seen the shift to Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram. Here
is a portion of an article that recently appeared in Time magazine.
Facebook is losing its appeal for teens.
Who says? Facebook. In a statement included in is annual 10-K report, the
social networking giant acknowledged that some young users are “aware of and
actively engaging with other products and services similar to, or as a
substitute for, Facebook.” Pools suggest Tumblr now has more currency with
youth. One of Facebook’s challenges is that it’s simply too popular –
particularly among teen’s parents and grandparents. “It’s almost like they’re
the only ones on there,” complains 15-year-old Baret Steed. “All your relatives
are constantly commenting on your stuff. I appreciate the gesture and wanting
to keep up with my life, but it’s kind of annoying.”
It’s not that teens are completely
packing up their allegiance with Facebook, but it’s just one of many social
networks they use. Many of the most popular have pictorial elements to them.
Snapchat, a photo-based social network (wherein pictures vanish shortly after
they’re received and seen) is handling more than 60 million photos a day – many
shuttling between youth. “There’s a change in the social media landscape,” says
O.D. Kobo, CEO of Pheed. “No young people want to open up their timeline and
read a novel. It’s not quick enough. The younger demographic today is much more
into multimedia.”
Keeping up with
our teenagers requires being social media and tech savvy without being too
over-bearing. Parents and other adults have to know enough to give oversight
but not hover over every post and picture uploaded. Social media can be a great
place for teenagers to learn responsibility for their words and offer teaching
moments for parents when mistakes are made.
- Andy
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