The digital world defines a teenager’s life, and it is impossible to envision a teen without a digital presence. Being a teenager in the modern world requires you to have a network, to voice your opinion and connect with people around you – which can all be achieved through the digital platform. I often like to compare a teen’s digital life to a ship’s crew voyaging through the vast seas. Around 95 percent of teenagers own a computer, smartphone, or iPad. Each of them spends around 9 hours a day on their devices, including 3 hours and 32 minutes on social media.
Aside from that, guys spend an extra two hours playing video games, and 23 percent of students watch television while completing their schoolwork. These capabilities have not become an integral part of a teenager’s life, with the most prevalent use occurring after school and before bedtime.
Jumping back to the ship – the most important part of this vessel is the captain. I believe that social media steers the digital life of any teenager. Facebook for them is old news; they have found more innovative platforms that allow them to access more creativity. While parents might think social media is destroying their children’s personality and depriving them of experience, teens have a valid counter. The developmental requirements of teenagers are well-matched to what social media has to offer: making friends, finding out their identities, and gaining social status by being “in the know.”
For example, it is common for teenagers to experiment with several identities based on popular culture.
One of the most prevalent motivations for utilizing social media is to maintain existing friendships. As today’s teenagers mature, they see social media as a place to “hang out” online and interact with people who have common interests.
Consider the environment in which today’s teenagers are developing. Celebrities in the fields of entertainment, sports, and politics live their life in the spotlight. Ordinary individuals can become famous as a result of television reality programs or a viral social media post. Schools, universities, news organizations, and businesses all have social media accounts. Social media has also played a great role in teen activism as seen in the Black Lives Matter movement.
One of the most popular social media apps is Instagram. On the web, Facebook may have dominated social photo sharing, but on mobile devices, Instagram reigns supreme. The program allows users to shoot photos and videos, and then add a filter to them before sharing them with their friends. Teenagers are the ones that utilize the private texting option the most. Teens place a great deal of value and happiness in the number of likes, shares, and comments they receive on their postings.
Next on the list is Snapchat, one of the funkiest apps used by teens today. It allows you to send self-destructing snaps, as well as video and text messages. This social networking site is jam-packed with features that teens love. You may use a variety of lenses, stickers, funny faces, and other features to capture images. Send text or image messages to pals, or even call them using the app, and post articles about what you’re up to.
No one can go without mentioning the famous TikTok, a platform that went viral overnight. It is a video-sharing social network that allows you to post short videos. It primarily consists of teenagers lip-syncing to popular songs, but it also contains some original material. Some of our most famous celebrities such as Charli D’amelio and Addison Rae started their journey with TikTok.
For a teenager, the first mate is YouTube, while Spotify is the second mate.
Teenagers are more engaged than ever before on YouTube, the fastest-growing influencer and blogging community on the planet. According to a recent Pew Research Center study, 85 percent of teenagers say they use the site. You may use the app to watch and upload videos of various kinds. YouTube features channels that discuss science, education, music, and even mental health, in addition to giving you insights into someone’s life. Pewdiepie, a gamer, and Smosh, a creator of amusing short films that help kids to unwind after a long day, are two of the most popular channels among teenagers. Emma Chamberlain and Liza Koshy deserve credit for making YouTube a welcoming environment for teenagers.
Spotify is essentially a cool platform to listen to music and jam like nobody’s watching. Ariana Grande, Billie Eillish, Beyonce, Rihanna, Eminem, XXXTentacion, Juice World, Conan Gray and Olivia Rodergio – Spotify gives the teenagers the latest and trendy songs by all the beloved artists. Another alluring feature is that the app auto-creates playlists for the users according to their search history, saving them so much time and effort.
The video games that teenagers are addicted to are like the rest of the crew according to me. Research shows that in comparison to all the time spent online, games come at the bottom. So, what is it about video games that so many teenagers enjoy them?
To start, let’s state the obvious: video games are played, and play is fun. However, in addition to adopting video games as a form of entertainment, teenagers may be engaging in something more complex. Teens are using video games to increase their well-being by addressing their psychological demands, whether they realize it or not. Call of Duty, Fortnite, Minecraft, Mario Kart, League of Legends and Tetris – all have importance in a teen’s life.
The digital platform is and always will be an integral part of a teenager’s life. Whether they use it to relax, create mind- blowing apps like 13-year-old Arit Roa, or change mindsets like the Instagram account Zenerations, the digital platform has a unique definition for each teenager.
