GENERATION LIKE

In the world today, many people have multiple social media accounts and profiles. Social Media has made it easier to stay connected to friends, family and celebrities all over the world. It gives us a glimpse of how that person is doing, what that person has on their mind, their opinions about different topics, etc. Many sources have tried to figure out why social media is as important as it is among the youth of today. Frontline’s video “Generation Like” emphasized how the younger generations handle technology differently by wanting social acceptance, creating new jobs/business through social media and becoming famous/celebrity.

First, in Frontline’s video “Generation Like” it references how the younger generations want to gain social acceptance via social media. I feel that social acceptance is a valid point when it comes to social media because a child and/or teenager wants nothing else but to fit in and be accepted amongst their peers. Being accepted amongst peers is quite possibly the number one idea going through all children’s minds between kindergarten and senior year in high school. So, when social media came around in the early 2000s, people took to this kind of platform in able to create an area to express themselves. I feel that social media has taken over the world in a sense that can hinder people from being able to enjoy life to the fullest. I see so many people constantly on their phones checking social media for hours a day. I am also guilty of that. The first social media platform that I created was MySpace back when I was in 8^th or 9^th grade. I remember picking out my background wallpaper, adding some popping music from the early 2000s and even picking my 8 “best friends”. I remember having arguments with my friends about the order of the 8 “best friends” listed on my profile. And this is where social media starts to affect a child and his/her urge to be accepted. Fast forward a little bit to now, I currently have Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. For all of these platforms and more, the more followers you have and the more likes you get, the more popular you are to your peers. In my opinion, social media has brain washed the human race and no one can go a day without checking any form of social media anymore.

Secondly, in Frontline’s video “Generation Like” it references how the younger generations are using social media to create business for themselves or make jobs out of social media. I feel like this is completely true among children and teenagers nowadays because there has been a major increase in presence of social media personalities. In this video, it briefly talked about a YouTube star named Shane Dawson who is now 30 years old. Shane Dawson has been making YouTube videos for over 10 years now and he currently has 10.7 million followers on Instagram, 3.7 million followers on Facebook and 21.6 million followers on YouTube. I actually have seen many of Shane’s videos and I would consider myself a fan. Using Shane Dawson as an example shows that a teenager can go on YouTube, create and upload videos and if the universe likes what they see it can potentially skyrocket that teenager into becoming a millionaire. Another example would be the Paul Brothers, Logan and Jake. Both of them have created their own empires using various social media platforms over the past handful of years. Now both brothers have their own clothing lines, other forms a branded merchandise that fans can buy and both of them are below the age of 25. In my opinion, social media is creating more jobs for the younger generations who have the drive and desire to do that kind of job.

Lastly, in Frontline’s video “Generation Like” it references how the younger generations want to become famous through social media in hopes of being recognized and making a name/presence for themselves. In this video it was discussing how younger kids and teenagers will work diligently to become a top fan of some social media star or even big-name celebrity. This is happening because the thought of being recognized by someone famous could potentially make that child and/or teen more popular among their friend group/classmates. I feel that this kind of social media interaction between a fan and celebrity could be related to or similar to when someone actually meets a famous person in real life. Before social media took over, there were many stories over the years of fans meeting different celebrities in person. Those stories are still the best even though having a celebrity re-tweet your tweet can be pretty awesome too. Social Media has made it easier for fans and famous people to communicate with each other and to interact better. For me, I find it pretty interesting to follow famous people on social media and to see what they are like as a person and seeing their likes and dislikes. Famous people are only human just like us normal folks, so being able to connect with them is pretty interesting. Social Media has definitely made it easier to interact and have people make a name for themselves.

In conclusion, Frontline’s video “Generation Like” explains how social media has had a major influence on humans and how it will never disappear. Social Media has its Pros and Cons, but many people seem to be able to create successful business off of different platforms and now they themselves are famous. In my opinion, social media can make growing up more challenging now than it already is for children, but if used properly and in healthy doses it should be fine for the child.

Social Media is here to stay.