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A Teenager’s View on Social Media

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Re: A Teenager’s View on Social Media

#91
post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. Honestly I haven't been to Austin and I have heard good things about it but I did spend a few years living in the DFW Metroplex area (Arlington and then later in Plano). I have on the other hand have had bad personal experiences with UT graduates being rather full of themselves clueless about the real world. As well as white middle-class 19 year olds thinking they're social media experts because they posted a blo…

>As well as white middle-class 19 year olds thinking they're social media experts because they posted a blog post. From the article: >That being said, I'm not an expert at this by a long shot and I'm sure there will be data that disproves some of the points I make, but this is just what I've noticed. He clearly states otherwise.

All that proves is that his Journalism instructor told him to be sure to include boilerplate CYA to deflect criticism of his article. If he really felt this way he wouldn't be so declarative of his opinions.

Re: A Teenager’s View on Social Media

#92
post #79

This is filled with gems that old farts like me (I'm 30) don't have any idea about. If I don’t get any likes on my Instagram photo or Facebook post within 15 minutes you can sure bet I'll delete it. Super interesting take - it's as though they are posting not to show people stuff but to get people's approval for what they are posting. Simple but critically different in my opinion. Facebook is often used by us mainly…

Posting, liking, and commenting are pretty much the only means of interaction on Facebook. (Besides messages, but that's a different thing.) And since there's no "dislike" button, if you get no likes, then you don't know if people really hated it, or thought you were weird for posting it. Removing it is the easiest way to make sure you're not alienating your friends.

Kinda exactly like HN works, very addictive!

Re: A Teenager’s View on Social Media

#93
post #79

This is filled with gems that old farts like me (I'm 30) don't have any idea about. If I don’t get any likes on my Instagram photo or Facebook post within 15 minutes you can sure bet I'll delete it. Super interesting take - it's as though they are posting not to show people stuff but to get people's approval for what they are posting. Simple but critically different in my opinion. Facebook is often used by us mainly…

Posting, liking, and commenting are pretty much the only means of interaction on Facebook. (Besides messages, but that's a different thing.) And since there's no "dislike" button, if you get no likes, then you don't know if people really hated it, or thought you were weird for posting it. Removing it is the easiest way to make sure you're not alienating your friends.

I think this type of thinking and the Facebook comments show a larger problem with teens, in that people are posting crap on Facebook more for external validation from everyone to tell themselves they are cool/funny/popular/in the know etc.

I'm 35 and don't post what I'm doing or showing off who I'm with every 30 minutes, and if I occasionally post something and no one comments on it, I don't care and I sure don't delete it out of some kind of embarrassment.

Going to concerts now or looking around in bars everyone is more concerned with telling everyone electronically how cool they are more than anything else and this is the real problem.

Re: A Teenager’s View on Social Media

#94
post #85
post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[deleted]

Most plans have lots of texts but we needed international, which is an additional fee per month. Cut some off the phone bill and still can text because of it. Unless you meant they start using it with people other than you...

[deleted]

Re: A Teenager’s View on Social Media

#95
He uses facebook as a directory service occasionally, the same way us "old people" use linkedin.

Observationally my kids are a little younger than him and facebook is dead to them. My wife is still addicted. They used to complain about family tagging them in pix (especially embarrassing-ish such as anything from when they were little) and now they don't even care, nobody uses it.

"Not too many people talk about it." - thats not pinterest, thats reddit and 4chan. Everyone is on baconreader and clover, and just like fight club, rule one is no one talks about fight club (or 4chan or reddit).

Re: A Teenager’s View on Social Media

#96
post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm about the same age as the poster and he's captured my age groups' experience of social media, including Snapchat, perfectly. Snapchat really is that big a deal.

Except these are all just anecdotes. I'm in the same age group and Snapchat use has definitely fallen off considerably on my college campus and some of my high school friends' campuses as well. The only thing that would prove any of this is real data, which seems to be lacking in every claim....

Re: "These are all just anecdotes" - yes, he made it very clear in the beginning of his essay:

"This article will not use any studies, data, sources, etc. This is because you can easily get that from any other technology news website and analyze from there. I’m here to provide a different view based off of my life in this “highly coveted” age bracket. That being said, I'm not an expert at this by a long shot and I'm sure there will be data that disproves some of the points I make, but this is just what I've noticed."

Re: A Teenager’s View on Social Media

#97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok mods, I'm concerned that I have made some valid criticisms on this article as have others in their comments, yet mine is being down modded into negatives. I'm left feeling this is immature and punitive for a joke I made on a prior news posting where I complained about the down modding. Would someone like to explain just how my criticism is so much more severe as to warrant attack over the other criticisms?

> attending a conservative university in a culturally regressive state I didn't downvote you, but I feel like I could have without any guilt. Have you been to Austin? Or any urban center in Texas? They are probably more conservative than Berkeley, but they're definitely blue areas. Especially Austin. I mean, Houston's mayor is a lesbian! See if you can pick out Dallas, Austin, and Houston on this map: http://upload.w…

I imagine Texas is a lot like Oregon. Super Blue in the cities, and super Red when you drive out. But really it's hard to characterize an entire state, especially the 2nd most populated one in the U.S.

Re: A Teenager’s View on Social Media

#100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except these are all just anecdotes. I'm in the same age group and Snapchat use has definitely fallen off considerably on my college campus and some of my high school friends' campuses as well. The only thing that would prove any of this is real data, which seems to be lacking in every claim....

Re: "These are all just anecdotes" - yes, he made it very clear in the beginning of his essay: "This article will not use any studies, data, sources, etc. This is because you can easily get that from any other technology news website and analyze from there. I’m here to provide a different view based off of my life in this “highly coveted” age bracket. That being said, I'm not an expert at this by a long shot and I'm…

Yeah, except that is basically saying his analysis is worthless, in my honest opinion. Combine this with the fact that he is clearly biased towards Snapchat (just look at his personal Twitter and blog), yet doesn't disclose that fact, and you get a bad article that is taken way more seriously than it should be.

Its similar to that fake radar app that claims it detects police radar from your smartphone then at the bottom of the description says "Does not work".

edit: (To explain, I don't think the author was malicious or really at fault. I think everyone trying to draw sweeping conclusions about our generation based on this article are ignoring the "Does Not Work" warning, when it comes to the fact that there is zero sources/data behind this....)

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