TikTok dances, Snapchat filters, Instagram stories … these social media terms have created a whole new language for communication, and my generation speaks it with perfect fluency. Unlike our parents and others before us, we were born into social media and have never known a world without it. These advanced technologies continue to simplify and improve our lives every day, but there are also downsides to this short-attention-spanned world of highlight reels, impersonal contact, and largely unsupervised content.

Sharing pictures is an enjoyable way to keep up with family and friends, but can you always trust that what you’re seeing is real? In 2020, there are apps that do everything from smoothing the skin and whitening the teeth to slimming the body and making up the face. These days, the average teenager has almost as many photo editing tools as those used by a major magazine. The end result is a fictional slide show of one perfect face after another, creating unrealistic beauty standards and expectations against which kids judge themselves. 

Face-to-face communication skills are being replaced with indirect methods of text and image exchange. Not only are kids losing the ability to talk comfortably in each other’s company, they are also sharing private information too casually because they feel protected when hiding behind the screen. The permanency of these words and images is a hard concept to grasp for a young person. Consequently, it’s possible for children to share something detrimental that could follow them into their adult lives and tarnish their future reputations, professionally and personally.

Exposure to unsuitable content is at an all-time high. While there are many parental control apps and software programs available, technology is moving too fast for parents to safeguard their children against everything. Kids in my generation are very tech-savvy, always finding ways to get around these methods. Unfortunately, the danger is real, not only from accessibility to mature or frightening material but also from individuals who prey on the innocence of younger users. 

Social media platforms can be very helpful tools in strengthening friend and family bonds, building businesses and communities, and spreading awareness for charitable causes. The bottom line is moderation. Only by sharing our genuine, best selves and stepping from behind the screen to get out and interact with the real world will we find this balance.

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by Vivien Lane Poche

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One of our seasonal Southshore technicians, Vivien is currently the National American Miss Louisiana Teen for 2020-21. She won first place in the nation with this essay on ‘How Social Media Has Affected My Generation.’ Because today is National Social Media Day, we thought it was the perfect time to share it.

HAPPY SOCIAL MEDIA DAY, EVERYONE!

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