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Prince Ea

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TED Talk

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Alexis Ohanian: How to make a splash in social media

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In a funny, rapid-fire 4 minutes, Alexis Ohanian of Reddit tells the real-life fable of one humpback whale's rise to web stardom. The lesson of Mister Splashy Pants is a shoo-in classic for meme-makers and marketers in the Facebook age.

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TED Talk

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Katanu talks about the positive and negative impacts of social on youth.

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TED Talk

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What makes something go viral? | Dao Nguyen

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7 Ways Teens Can Use Social Media in a Positive Way

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7 Ways Teens Can Use Social Media in a Positive Way

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FOCUS, a funded project of the Alabama Department of Public Health, promotes school and community partnerships for the reduction of adolescent risk behaviors identified by the Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).

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Social media is a double-edged sword in our society. How can something be, simultaneously, so impactful and so destructive? Even though communication online is indirect, the feelings are real. The words are powerful. There are consequences on both sides of the interaction that cannot be measured. This is why it is so important to use social media responsibly and in a positive way. For all the bad we encounter online, there is just as much good, and there are powerful ways to put even more good out into the world. Here are 7 ways teens can use social media in a positive way.

1. Use social media to buildup your friends. Friends support each other and treat each other with respect; this should also be true online. When people put themselves out there on social media, their friends should be sharing, liking, tweeting - all the online versions of shouting from the rooftops! Imagine being able to post with confidence because you know your friends will support you.

2. Schedule in-person interaction. Nothing can take the place of spending actual facetime with people. When most of our interaction with friends happens online or in text messages, we aren't practicing our direct communication skills. The skills you obtain from resolving conflict and processing emotion in real-time will serve you throughout your entire life, especially in the workplace.

3. Be as real as possible online. This does not mean airing your dirty laundry to the world. Social media is not the place to discuss the details of your failed relationship! It does mean sharing your ups and downs and admitting when you struggle. Many teens using social media see so much perfection that they begin to question the quality of their own lives. Find that sweet spot between perfection and oversharing.

4. Stay aware of current events and what is going on in the world. Find out about it on social media but get the story from reliable news sources. One of the greatest negative aspects of social media is that everyone shares their opinion and too many people give too much credit to people who are not qualified to be talking about a given topic.

5. Make community impact videos. Organize projects that can positively impact your community. Recruit help on social media and document the progress and positive outcomes. It's about your community, not your good deeds, and you must respect the privacy of others involved.

6. Build your personal resume on your social platforms. As you make your way into adulthood, your social profiles will be viewed by colleges, potential employers, business leaders, entrepreneurs, friends, family, etc., and they will form an opinion of you based on that information. Carefully build your personal resume on social media and position yourself as a great student, a valuable employee, and a future leader. Be aware that how you act goes beyond your page; your interactions on other people's posts, advertisements, and in groups can either be a credit to your character, or a detriment.

7. Use social media moderately. The best way to use social media in a positive way is to use it MODERATELY. Do not revolve your life around likes and comments. Incessantly checking your social media absorbs a huge amount of time and it is bad for your mental health. Work on yourself offline. Love yourself, know your worth, move your body, eat healthy meals, and spend time with friends and family. Social media is a powerful tool that should be used with the utmost care. You should build people up, not tear people down. Organize events with your friends and in your community. Share your ups and downs (with discretion), stay aware of current events, and project a positive image of yourself. And, most importantly, know when to put it down.

Social media is public regardless of where you are physically, and you should always act your best in public.

81% of teens say social media makes them feel more connected to what's going on in their friends' lives.

71% say that social media makes them feel more included and confident.

Source: www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/11/28/teens-and-their-experiences-on-social-media
FOCUS, a funded project of the Alabama Department of Public Health, promotes school and community partnerships for the reduction of adolescent risk behaviors identified by the Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). Sue C. Jones, Co-Founder and Executive Director of FOCUS, contracts with Jennifer Campbell Consulting to manage FOCUS' media platforms. FOCUS is actively involved statewide in educating our youth about the importance of using social media in a positive way. Visit www.thefocusprogram.com for more information regarding how to register as a FOCUS school for the 2020-2021 school year.
Contributors: Jennifer Campbell is the Owner/President of Jennifer Campbell Consulting. Rebecca Newman is a Team Member of Jennifer Campbell Consulting. jennifercampbellconsulting.com

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7 Ways Teens Can Use Social Media in a Positive Way

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Social media is a double-edged sword in our society. How can something be, simultaneously, so impactful and so destructive? Even though communication online is indirect, the feelings are real. The words are powerful. There are consequences on both sides of the interaction that cannot be measured.

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Opinion: Teens are more anxious than ever: Is social media to blame?

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Opinion: Teens are more anxious than ever: Is social media to blame?

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Newsela

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Newsela | Opinion: Teens are more anxious than ever: Is social media to blame?

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Social media is relatively new, but today's teens have been around it their whole lives. Everyone's life looks perfect on Facebook and Instagram, which makes for a lot of anxiety among the young.

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Across social media, color blue goes viral in solidarity with Sudan

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Across social media, color blue goes viral in solidarity with Sudan

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Newsela
NOTE - If this is blocked through this link, go into Newsela and check your binder - the article will be there.

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Newsela - Across social media, color blue goes viral in solidarity with Sudan

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Social media users are changing their profile pictures to blue to show solidarity with protesters in Sudan. The color was the favorite of a young engineer killed while trying to save two women.

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Newsela

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Newsela | Gen Z teens find acceptance online

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Instagram, Wattpad and YouNow aren't just apps - for many teens, they're more than that.

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Issue Overview: Are social networking sites good for our society?

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Issue Overview: Are social networking sites good for our society?

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Newsela

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Newsela | Issue Overview: Are social networking sites good for our society?

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Most teens check out of Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat for a week

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Most teens check out of Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat for a week

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Newsela

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Newsela | Most teens check out of Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat for a week

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The idea that today's teens are "handcuffed" to social media simply isn't true: Nearly 60 percent of U.S. teens have voluntarily taken a break from their accounts.

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Social media can be both bummer and boon for the brain

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Social media can be both bummer and boon for the brain

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Newsela

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Parents may fret, but even experts say social media use has its benefits

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Parents may fret, but even experts say social media use has its benefits

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Newsela

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Newsela | Parents may fret, but even experts say social media use has its benefits

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Use of social media platforms can help teens stay connected, but can also lead to issues that can cause anxiety

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Teen suicide rates rising, study says social media use could be a factor

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Teen suicide rates rising, study says social media use could be a factor

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Newsela

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Negative, positive effects of excessive social media use on teens studied

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Negative, positive effects of excessive social media use on teens studied

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Newsela

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Is Social Media Good or Bad for Our Mental Health?

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Is Social Media Good or Bad for Our Mental Health?

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National Alliance on Mental Illness

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January 1, 2019, was the day I decided to share my personal writing for the first time.

As a researcher, I was accustomed to sharing my work - my scientific and objective observations of data. But let there be no mistake: when I hit "publish" on that first post, and then invited all my social media followers to "check out my blog," it felt nowhere near as safe as sharing my work.

No sooner did I share my first blog post than social media seemed to control my life. It was funny; at work, as a scientist rigorously studying the relationship between technology use and adolescent mental health, I knew there was insufficient support for the idea that social media poses a risk to the typical user's mental health.

But as a writer, a person who had just voluntarily revealed the contents of her own brain to every one of her Facebook and Instagram followers, I found myself quite certain that social media was now a danger to mine.

It isn't Straightforward

At work, I remained untroubled by social media. Part of my job involves sorting through all the latest research articles investigating the relationship between adolescent mental health and social media. Thankfully, as a scientific discipline, we're moving past the obsession with "screen time." We're finding instead that sometimes, for some people, on some social media, certain activities can threaten our mental health. At other times, social media can be positively fundamental to well-being.

Despite the scientifically-supported nuance in the relationship between mental health and social media, my personal relationship with social media seemed as stark as ever.

When my experience of the data at work is very different from the data I collect at home, it's uncomfortable. At home, the facts were these: When I share a new blog to Facebook, I careabout whether people read it. When I share something to Instagram, I wonder who will actually click through. I've cyber-stalked exes, I've waited for the follow back and I've obsessed over indicators like "seen" and "last active." On one hand, I believed that people can and do use social media for good. On the other, social media threatened to drive me crazy.

How could I square these two realities?

It Makes Us Vulnerable

In his Ted Talk, psychologist David Ellis handily dismisses the idea that technology itself is the problem. "I don't think that the majority of people are addicted to their smartphone," he says. "But one thing we are addicted to is social interaction."

In other words, perhaps my social media anxiety wasn't about likes or comments or clicks. Perhaps it was about the wealth of social information that is seemingly represented by clicks. Perhaps it was about the fact that, as a human, I evolved to pursue social connection and to avoid disconnection at all costs.

Social media offers a way for our us to meet our needs as humans. And when those needs aren't met - whether it's support, affirmation or simply to feel like we aren't alone - well, no matter the medium, that hurts.

When I first began blogging, everyone was advising me to connect with other artists. After all, I was entering into a world that felt significantly more vulnerable than that of people keeping their guts neatly inside their bodies, rather than spilling them all over the internet. I have never been the advice-taking sort, however, so for a long time I forged on alone.

About two months ago, my colleague, Amanda, a filmmaker, posted a video to her own social media. Rather than spotlighting the work of others, like she normally does, this film featured Amanda herself. As soon as I saw it, I was proud. I texted her: " So awesome that you shared a video featuring YOU!"

"I'm still sweating about it,"she responded. " So stressful... I had a tidal wave of doubt last night. I believe you said you had heart palpitations when you first started blogging?"

That I did. And over a year later, I finally felt the relief in hearing another artist say, "me too."

It isn't Always Easy

Chances are, your social world is hard to separate from social media. In the era of quarantine, the question has changed from if we should share ourselves virtually to how?How can we be authentic online? How can we experience the connection that makes life - even a socially-distanced life - worth living?

The good news is, it's possible. The bad news is, if you're doing it right, it might involve heart palpitations.

After Amanda posted her video, she told me that she felt an intense feeling like a rush or a high that she didn't recognize..."I started freaking out,"she told me, " so I went on a long run without my phone."

Within a few weeks of beginning my blog, I too had to put down my phone. To this day, when I share a new blog post to Facebook or Instagram, it's a few days before I log back in. I don't look at likes, I don't look at comments and I don't look at views.

And yet, over the course of 18 months, I've published over 100 posts. I've covered increasingly tricky topics, from my journey of recovery from alcohol use disorder and disordered eating, to my ongoing struggle with anxiety and depression. I shared with many unsuspecting readers when I first started dating a woman, and I shared again my personal journey to become less racist (and more anti-racist). Part of me wants to say it gets easier with every post, and another part of me knows that something even more important is true: It doesn't get easier, because I get more real. I level up.

But it Might Be Worth the Risk

When it comes to mental health, perhaps social media is not such a paradox. Because it represents the social world, it can feel scary. It can spark anxiety, insecurity and loneliness. And because it represents the social world, social media can also offer the opposite: serenity, confidence and community.

Rather than lamenting your "addiction" to your phone or the bane of social media, try this instead: Author your own relationship to your social world. Use social media to share the things that matter to you and suddenly social disconnection may feel like a risk worth taking.

And, because connection is at the heart of this, find others who are taking risks, too. Text them and say, "I shared, and I'm scared." Sigh with relief when they text back, "me too."

Anna Jolliff is the program manager of the Technology and Adolescent Mental Wellness Program () and a research specialist on the Social Media and Adolescent Health Research Team (). If you too are passionate about the intersection between technology and mental health, consider attending the virtual TAM Colloquium in September. You can also check out more of Anna's writing at www.onawakening.org.

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Is Social Media Good or Bad for Our Mental Health?

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January 1, 2019, was the day I decided to share my personal writing for the first time. As a researcher, I was accustomed to sharing my work - my scientific and objective observations of data.

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Facebook: We know we're bad for your mental health, here's how to fix it

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Facebook: We know we're bad for your mental health, here's how to fix it

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CBS News

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After years of our suspicions, warnings from psychologists, words of caution about social media from Princes William and Harry, and even a former Facebook executive saying social media is "ripping apart" society, Facebook published a blog post on (you guessed it) Facebook acknowledging that it can have a negative impact on for your mental health. And Facebook announced a plan for "what we're going to do about it."

The blog post, written by director of research David Ginsberg and Facebook research scientist Moira Burke, acknowledges that research has found that "when people spend a lot of time passively consuming information -- reading but not interacting with people -- they report feeling worse afterward."

The blog post says they have employed social psychologists, social scientists and sociologists to come up with possible solutions that are not quitting Facebook -- although it said it created a new tool called "Take a Break" that allows users to see fewer posts from, say, an ex and can control what that person can see. Newsfeed has been changed to increase "meaningful interactions," while "fake news" and "clickbait" are being demoted.

Additionally, Facebook launched a feature called Snooze, which will allow users the option to hide another user, page or group for 30 days without actually having to unfollow or unfriend.

Facebook has been working on suicide prevention tools for years, and the blog post notes the company has "released suicide prevention support on Facebook Live and introduced artificial intelligence to detect suicidal posts even before they are reported. We also connect people more broadly with mental health resources, including support groups on Facebook."

Oh, and about those digital interactions and your kids? The blog post notes that Facebook recently "recently pledged $1 million toward research to better understand the relationship between media technologies, youth development and well-being."

But the post says Facebook isn't all bad for your mental health. "Actively interacting with people -- especially sharing messages, posts and comments with close friends and reminiscing about past interactions -- is linked to improvements in well-being," it says.

The post comes days after comments by former Facebook executive Chamath Palihapitiya went viral. Palihapitiya said the social media network is "ripping apart the social fabric of how society works."

In response, Facebook said, "Chamath has not been at Facebook for over [six] years. When Chamath was at Facebook we were focused on building new social media experiences and growing Facebook around the world. Facebook was a very different company back then, and as we have grown, we have realized how our responsibilities have grown too."

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Facebook: We know we're bad for your mental health, here's how to fix it

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
After years of our suspicions, warnings from psychologists, words of caution about social media from Princes William and Harry, and even a former Facebook executive saying social media is "ripping apart" society, Facebook published a blog post on (you guessed it) Facebook acknowledging that it can have a negative impact on for your mental health.