Youth and Social Media: Tools or Toys

The Graduate class----MC 550: Communication Media will host a Seminar that will summarize some relevant issues that effect your everyday lives. Media professionals and students will discuss the Positive and Negative Roles Social media and the effects it may or may not have on today's youth in the Jackson Area. My partner Kendra and I will focus on "Toys and Tools". It is basically explaining how social media can be beneficial to help solve real life issues on a local and national level (TOOLS). Also, we will discuss how social networks are used for pleasure (TOYS) and can ultimately result in trouble for those who abuse the networks.

Please come join us as we bring our Blogs to Life at the Mississippi ECenter on April 26th at Noon!

Upcoming Event!

Hey Friends!!

Be on the lookout for our upcoming panel presentation summing up our work on the blog this semester. We're bringing our blog to life by discussing social media and youth with our peers and invited guests. We've discussed how youth can use social media as toys and as tools. Now we're letting others weigh in!!

If you love all things media, you must be there! Our fellow classmates will also be presenting their work in the areas of Social Media and Relationships, Portrayals, The Decline of Print Media, and Media and Religion. We've got something for every interest!!

Keep checking back on the blog for more information and mark your calendar on Tuesday, April 26, 2011. We hope to make the event digital for those who can't physically attend. For those who are local, you are invited to the Mississippi e-Center @ JSU Research Campus in Jackson. You don't want to miss this!!

BET uses Twitter to connect to Fans!

Connected vs. Disconnected

The Usefulness of Media for Youth

Media present many uses for Youth. One can talk on the phone, search the internet for homework, listen to a radio show in another city, or even watch their favorite show and fast forward through the commercials. Some can be beneficial and considered Helps, while others can be counterproductive and considered Hurts.  This week my partner and I are discussing the helps and hurts of media in connecting or disconnecting youth. Check out our thoughts and let us know what you think!! #CommentsWelcomed

Hurt = Social Skills in Interpersonal Communication

It seems so much easier to just send a text to someone about something as simple as the logistics of a meeting or a short "thinking of you" note. There's no need to interrupt someone's day for that, but what about a first date request or a breakup? Digital Communication is so prevalent that many youth prefer to use it more than they want to talk. It may be a convenient connection, but the practice has the effect of disconnecting youth from others. Texting and instant messaging are not good replacements for good old fashioned face to face communicating. (While I can't believe I called something old fashioned, I must say that in this case, I prefer to be.) Humans are naturally social creatures. Check out the articles below and let me know where you stand:

http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Teens-and-Mobile-Phones/Chapter-2/Texting-compared-with-talking.aspx?r=1

http://www.iammodern.com/talk-twitter-to-me.html

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20002917-93.html

Help = Community Awareness and Activism

Youth today seem to be more politically and socially aware of what's going on around the globe than youth from previous generations. Media plays a big part in keeping us aware of the struggle of others. It helps foster a connectedness among its audience. Voting-aged American youth are actually turning out to vote more, and studies show that youth are doing more charitable giving and volunteering than in years passed. Check out the articles in the links below for more information on youth awareness:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3586063.stm

http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/c0176406e16aa6f48825745e006b0a85/2933364bfe2c2ba18825770d00757546!OpenDocument

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090813142420.htm

Disconnected or Connected: YOUTH

In this blog, My partner Kendra Wright and I-LaToya Hentz will discuss how Media Disconnects and Connects with the youth in today's society.  We will both give two separate examples of how Media actually helps and hurt today's youth.

PORTRAYALS OF PERFECTION

Some of the first images of cartoons and in coloring books feature "Barbie and Ken" and "The Disney Princesses".  The media paints a picture of perfection that children start to notice at a very young age.  This has been proven in numerous studies when young girls were presented with serveral dolls and each girl---no matter what race----chose BARBIE!  So, apparently they view Barbie as being prettier than the other dolls.  This is a huge problem for girls who dont look like Barbie.  Many little girls grow up wanting to look like the Disney princesses or Barbie.  And once they grow out of childhood, the media portrayals of Beyonce, Miss America, Jennifer Lopez and Halle Berry are the images that are connected with beauty.  The facial features, skin tones, hair lengths, and body types are all similar and represent Beauty.  Girls that are full figured and dark may take offense or wonder why they're not as pretty as those girls.  And the journey begins, Girls strive for the media images of perfections on a daily basis.  Adding hair extensions, trying to stay fit by exercising, plastic surgery, and diet supplements are just a few examples of the things females may do to try to change their look.  

STAYING CONNECTED

Unlike our grandparents and parents, youth are able to interact with each other no matter where they are located.  Social media has enabled the youth to stay connected through text, twitter, facebook, youtube, chatrooms and skype.  No one is further than hands reach of the nearest computer or cell phone. 

youth LIVE online

This week we looked at local media or real happenings among youth. Jackson youth are really into almost every form of media -- as long as it's digital. It is as if all forms of media converge online for youth!

I, LH, will discuss how the Internet and Radio effect the youth in the local community.  Before the internet was such a big deal, the youth in our area used to engage in outdoor activities, television shows and family events for entertainment.  The Internet has stolen the youth in today’s sociey.  It has left the world in SHOCK. 
It is so powerful that television, newspapers and radio have all made their different forms of media available on the internet.  WHY? Because the youth not only use the world wide web for social networking but also for reading, researching, receiving news and listening to their favorite music selections.  The internet has totally taken over today’s youth with Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Youtube, and the ability to watch the news or listen to the radio whenever one wants. 
The INTERNET has evolved into Every form of media and source of entertainment needed and therefore the youth are using it to their maximum capacities.  While the internet can be credited for providing information to the youth whenever they need it and allowing them to communicate with others on a business or personal level; it has also been blamed for hindering the youth from having any in person social skills.  Most youth will watch something on TV or hear something on the radio and instead of talking about it in person or even over the phone, they would rather chat online, send a text or an email.   Example: Posting a status after watching Basketball Wives on twitter that says---- "Basketball Wives are so messy.... and whats up with Everlyn's hair?" 



I, KW, am contributing on two of the four media formats, Television/Cinema and Print (Newspaper, Books, and Magazines). As we have discussed in previous blogs, youth are heavily influenced and socialized by celebrities. In addition to being able to "follow" their idols on twitter, Jackson area youth never have to miss a beat, and it seems they never do.

Youth are particularly interested in reality TV and online news as evidenced by social media. The content of some youth's facebook and twitter accounts are dominated by references to television and celebrity news and gossip. In recent interviews, at least two Miss Mississippi candidates and a University of Mississippi cheerleader all admit that their guilty pleasures are reality TV and music video stations. The cheerleader also indicated that one of the three things she would take to a desert island is an ipod.

Many TV shows, especially reality shows on popular sites like MTV and VH1 are posted online. Youth can go online to download and/or watch movies too. There is no need to wait until the next airing. Youth have the television on their computers and cell phones. So, immediately following a great (or terrible) show, check fb if you're interested in youth comments and opinions!

There are several different types of radio----talk, news and music.  Most youth listen to the radio to hear the latest music.  Music speaks to everyone differently but ultimately it is a form of entertainment.  Most youth listen to ipods and Mp3 players with all their favorite music all downloaded.  In todays society, radio is very similar to newspaper.  Youth dont actually listen to the radio unless its online.  Therefore radio stations have been forced to create links where you can listen online 24 hours a day. 



The blog, Decline of Print Media, has great coverage on the decreased use of print media. While youth may not read the newspaper, they do get news online. The Jackson Free Press' youth blog is a great example of this. Youth post and repost news of interest as well as their personal opinions. Sites like Media Takeout have taken the place of the National Enquirer (remember that?) with its posts of a "maybe-not-true" nature. The same may be true for books and magazines.

One area youth stated that she needs a kindle in order to read. She said she cannot read "regular" books. This suggests that youth that have had access to technology for the majority of their life may be more inclined to use these forms for better comprehension than traditional forms. Finally, online magazines are taking on the form of blogs in order to gain readers who live online. In some places Radio One stations are linking to online mags to handle the news on their sites and increase hits. Check out http://www.radio-one.com/ for great examples.

So tell me, do you LIVE online?

   

MEDIA PAINTS A PERFECT PICTURE OF WHAT BEAUTY LOOKS LIKE OR DOES IT?

Before mass media existed, our ideas of beauty were limited to our own communities. One was able to form their ideas about females and what was considered beautiful. Females are portrayed by the media as Young and Skinny and with those assets many of them are advertised as Beautiful. Female actors, anchors, models and even politicians try to maintain a “look” that supports the media’s perception of beauty. As a result, those females who age or gain weight may be forced to look at themselves as unattractive.

The image of perfection we see in the media excludes females who are old, disabled or overweight. Rarely is beauty associated or recognized by the media of women who fall into these categories. Black women have a very different issue that only makes their quest for perfection more difficult. Media portrayals usually give images of beauty that often reflect “white” features such as thin lips, pointy noses, slim hips, perky breasts, long hair and fair skin. This is an image that starts persuading the minds of young girls at an early age with dolls such as Barbie. It has been proven in numerous studies that even girls that are not white would prefer to play with white dolls over black ones.

Commercialized media has created a fantasy world that women often hope, in some way, can become theirs. Every women has different features that makes their beauty unique but those who do not look like advertisements may often find themselves trying to strive for that type of beauty. Because the media has generated so much money from their created idea of beauty; it may take years to mold the idea of true beauty amongst young women. So until then, females will struggle with self -objectification that will often lead to self- consciousness and low self-esteem.

I Think I Can!

A Positive Value for Youth through Media

Last Week's post introduced the socialization of youth. We discussed social media as an instrument for messages from celebrities and peers. This week we shift our focus to the values youth receive from the various forms of media. We ask, "Who does Media say youth are?" My partner, T., and I, K., have broken the response into positive messages and negative messages to be delivered in separate posts. Here, I discuss a positive value that youth may learn from media as a part of their socialization into current American society.

There have been increases in the development of technology and production of youth marketing over the past years that has created a "voice" that speaks to youth, be it through television programming, music lyrics, commercial ads, or social media sites. The most popular messages of this "voice" are often considered negative, because of the direct and often value-less ideas presented. The messages are so candid that it is often hard to decipher the age group of the target market. However, there is a silver lining of positivity. Youth are empowered like never before. Gone is the notion that children are to be seen and not heard. Youth are directly acknowledged and encouraged to use their voice.

A positive value youth may perceive through all of this is the benefit of political and social activism. Youth of all races are socialized into the practice of voting through organizational campaigns like Rock the Vote and Media Mogul Sean Combs' Vote or Die, among many others. On election day, many facebookers post when headed to and/or from the polls, resulting in peer influence as well. Voting was once taboo for women and minorities, and youth were traditionally ignored because of their lack of resources. But now, media is placing a cool on voting that can capture the interest of youth of all ages. Even those who are not yet voting age are interested in voting as soon as their birthday hits.

The 2008 Presidential Election marked a new era of campaigning as the Obama commitee utilized social networking among other methods of inspiring a change in politics and in our country. Many feel that President Obama won the election based on the youth vote. Another area of activism is the attention to causes including supporting the terminally ill and the disadvantaged. Youth are being targeted for advocacy and giving. Check out this youtube video on youth politics and the internet and the following articles. But don't forget to post below. Can voting and activism become a way of life through media socialization. What do you think?

 

Find the article by clicking here and here

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SOURCE: http://27thaudiovisual.com/category/labels/

FOLLOW ME:

 The Socialization of Youth via Twitter™

So∙cial∙i∙za∙tion: noun. - a continuing process whereby an individual acquires a personal identity and learns the norms, values, behavior, and social skills appropriate to his or her social position(1).

In general, youth are socialized by their families, peers, educators, religious affiliation, and mass media. Social media sites like Twitter are socializing agents because of the information that can be gained by being connected to others and because of the skill gained through utilization. The two are distinguished because Twitter is the mode of communication. It does not set an agenda, emphasize issues, or assign responsibility. These ideals come from the users, which according to Twitter amount to 175 million.

Social media is a part of a youth’s informal education that involves imitation of what others do and say as well as experimentation and repetitive practice of basic skills. According to Dr. Dennis O’Neill, this is what happens when children role-play adult interactions in their games(2). Twitter serves as the medium for the proliferation of youth behavioral trends like idolizing celebrities.

“Friends and industry peers you know. Celebrities you watch. Businesses you frequent. Find them all on Twitter.” – Twitter.com

Superstar Justin Bieber has effectively used Twitter to drive actions from his network and ultimately become a huge teenage sensation. One year ago, almost NOONE had heard of the young aspiring singer. Justin utilized the social network as a way to directly communicate with his fans in an indirect way.  He is one of the first world wide popstars to figure out how to  influence his fan base efficiently through social media at a level that has not been achieved before  and now he has become a world wide phenomenon because of his actions.   

Youth are able to basically program their media influence by whom and which businesses they choose to follow. These sites give youth a direct line to their crush or idol for how to dress, what to eat, what car to drive, and more. So while Twitter does not drastically change the main sources in youth socialization, it does provide access to role models in a way that has previously been unattainable. It may also increase peer influence.

According to Twitter.com 95 million tweets are written per day. The minute-by-minute descriptions provided in tweets usually end up providing excessive amounts of information on an individual’s day and how he or she handled a situation. Youth “followers” are able to learn from that person’s experience and adopt those same responses, perhaps instead of going to a parent. Tamika Morrison notes that businesses often seek to influence youth through marketing in getting them to believe that a product is a “must-have” for his or her lifestyle(3). Businesses may gain personal information about youth on Twitter.

The constant communication on the site could give the impression that it is okay to disclose the intimate details of one’s life, whether true or false. The information on social media sites is not checked for accuracy or proof. Youth users can create a false life, vent their feelings and frustrations to their followers, and receive affirmation and attention when. The possibilities for error seem endless.

“Our youth are inundated with images of how to think and behave, which reinforce stereotypes, gender bias, and lifestyle choices that have the power to shape the opinions of individuals. It is critical to give students the tools to analyze the role the mass media plays in influencing individual and group behavior, and to identify the primary and secondary agents of socialization and evaluate their influence.”(4)

As stated in the previous quote, youth socialization through social media sites involves a large amount of images and messages at an increasing capacity. While the sites do not control what information is shared and received, sites like Twitter can play a role with youth by serving as an outlet for personal expression. With that being said, it seems vital that youth receive education in media literacy in order to establish privacy and resist persuasion.

What do you think?

References:
1. Dictionary.com
2. anthro.palomar.edu/social/soc_1.htm
3. www.understandingmarketing.com/2009/11/07/youth/
4. mr.koczij.com/resources/OISE/AQ/ISOC_UnitPlan_MediaAdolescents.pdf

Social Media Across the Globe: Tools or Toys?

On Youth in Society: American vs. Egyptian Youth

Social Networks are often used as a playground of escape for young Americans. Whether for work, in class, or at home; most of the youth use social media as a “TOY”. It’s fun and exciting and it occupies time. It allows one to communicate with another to find out who’s doing what, with whom and why?
 
Egyptian youth have utilized the same social networks in an entirely different format. With all the recent protests that have taken place in Egypt; they have used social networks as a powerful “TOOL” to help give insight to people across the nation on what’s really going on in Egypt.

One article discusses how several youth activists used the social networks to organize protests. During the violent times, young Egyptians used networks, such as Twitter, as a way to get information out to the public on the status of their country. The adult response? Blockage! Officials shut down internet usage access the country.  

American adults could respond negatively if American youth took a similar action, but because of the Democratic nature of our society, it could also have some key differences. President Obama saw the value in social media during his 2008 campaign. As a result, many youth came out to vote. The question now is whether or not the youth could use those same tools to successfully connect to adults and leaders? Would American youth even view the networks as tools? Americans may perceive the voting system as their means to voicing their concerns. 

So while youth in America are using, sometimes abusing, the social networks as toys to entertain themselves on a daily basis; they could and should be taking notes from the youth in Egypt. Social networks can be fun, but ultimately they can be used as tools to promote peace, to educate others, and to unify people across the nation.

Here are two great videos on the protests in Egypt. The second is rather lengthy, but very informative.

 and

Media In Society: Youth and Social Media

In this Technology age, it is as though each individual is in constant contact with the public. A new, fun, and exciting way to connect is always being introduced for the world to enjoy.  Through popular social media formats, it is as if one’s peers are in all places at all times. While this seems positive, there are also some negative aspects. Social media sites like MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter can be a wonderful way to communicate with individuals by networking, small chatting, or even finding love.  However, posting the wrong information on these sites can result in one being fired from work, suspended from school, or dumped by their spouse.

While social media affects every age group; youth are especially at risk to experience the most damage.  In thinking about how this predominance in our society affects youth, we will explore the roles and impact of social media usage on today’s youth. Social media and texting have become such common tools of communication that they could become a crutch for some adolescents. Young people may have trouble developing even the most basic communication skills, such as introducing themselves to others.  At the same time, that excessive dependence may come with a level of comfort in freely sharing personal information without regard to privacy or security.

During the course of the Spring 2011 semester, we will consider overarching issues regarding privacy and interpersonal communication. Each week will delve deeper into issues within those topic areas. We hope you will follow us and share your perspective!

Issues Affecting Youth and Social Media:

• Privacy: “Something as simple as a status update on Facebook or Twitter could give complete strangers an easy way to monitor certain aspects of your life.”
• Identity Theft
• Sexual Predators
• Stalkers

• Interpersonal Communication:  “When looking for the words to express something personal; it just seems easier to send a text than to have to look them in the eye.”
• Decrease in Social Skills
• Bullying
• Lying via Social Media