The critically acclaimed television series, Gossip Girl, does a great job of foreshadowing the lives of adolescents in 2018. At the time it was aired, social media had just been introduced to the public. The show focuses on teens in the upper-east side of Manhattan, New York and tells a story regarding the highs and lows of high school played out through an anonymous blogger - Gossip Girl. In real time, Gossip Girl can be any one of our friends on Facebook. Facebook is no longer used for connecting with people who have similar interests, rather, it is used to show the world about the life you live in hopes that they may be jealous of it. It is also a source to stir up gossip and a feeding ground for cyber bullies.
Research has shown that self-esteem is built not only by your parents and those around you at a young age, but also by how well you are received by your peers in the teenage years. I think we can all agree, high school is hard! You are always trying to be good enough, sign-up for the right things, be involved, and get good grades. Throwing social media into the mix puts an extra layer of anxiety and pressure on students to have their lives put together and figured out at a young age. The biggest impact of social media on the lives of young people is the comparison aspect. Scrolling through perfect pictures of peers can do so much damage on the self-esteem of a young person who already feels like they are not good enough. Similarly, in the television show, Gossip Girl, Jenny Humphrey can’t help herself from scrolling through the Gossip Girl blasts that negatively reflects her character. Both, tear down the individuals self-esteem and has detrimental effects for the future.
From the looks of it, social media isn’t going anywhere. So how do we equip our young people to better utilize this tool and cope with its effects? My solution? Education. We teach math, reading, and science because it is prevalent in everyday life, so why not have a class related to social media in high schools? In my opinion, understanding the the proper way to use social media is just as important as learning that mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. If teenagers can master social media, they can understand why they become jealous, they can learn what to post, and can kick start a potential career.
I think your solution is extremely necessary for social media to be used as a tool for young people. I really enjoyed how you included your own solution based on the research that you concluded. Overall, if we can educate our youngsters on the dangers of social media, but also offer the potential advances that utilizing the platforms could entail, they will be better off in the long run.
ReplyDeleteI think it is important to have social media users understand the dimensions and negative effects of using social media platforms as well. I like how you connected your research to Gossip Girl, because when I used to watch the show, I thought it was all too dramatic and unrealistic, but now, it is very relatable with how much social media has a hold on our everyday lives!
ReplyDeleteWow! I've never considered the idea of social media being taught in schools. Social media and the rules of using social media are learned by people at a very young age, but no one is talking about how to cope with the negative effects. Do you think it would be hard for teachers - especially older teachers - to understand the ways young people use social media and equip them better?
ReplyDeleteNot going to lie, as someone who has watched a few seasons of Gossip Girl, I love your analogy. Who would have thought that Gossip Girl was a trailblazer on how people communicate and how information get out? As other people have pointed out in the comments, I like the idea that there could be some kind of class that would teach this. I have thought multiple times through the semester that I wish we had this class when we were freshmen. Maybe some modified version of CMC as an inquiry?
ReplyDeleteI love that you used Gossip Girl as your comparison. It really helped to compare this to real-life situations. I think it would be very interesting and beneficial if social media was taught in schools, especially with the growing safety and privacy issues. What was your motivation for comparing this to Gossip Girl? Overall, great blog post! I can’t wait to hear more about it.
ReplyDeleteI agree! Education will be the most important thing however, for years we have been saying "oh it would have been helpful if they would of taught us how to do our taxes or how to take out a loan" and we still do not see these skills being taught in everyday curriculum. I think it will be up to the parents to educate their children about how to interact with social media from a young age. It will also be important for parents to set a good example for their children both when taking about social media and when participating in it.
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