I never really thought social media was important. The first time I ever made a social media account was in sixth grade. I noticed my older sister had made an Instagram, and I wanted to post pictures on it too because, I was jealous: she had an account, and I didn’t. The only things I would post were about my birthday or just random memes since they were funny. Since I didn’t have a phone, I only checked my account every few days on a shared tablet. Once my sister got her own phone, I started using the tablet as mine but still only went on my Instagram account for 30 minutes to an hour after school. I still felt that there was no purpose to social media.

One day in spring of 6^th grade, I did something I thought I would never do. At this time, I was 12 years old; I was a very young, shy, and introverted girl when I started getting bullied. I really don’t know what I did to deserve this bullying, but it happened, and it’s a part of me. I was mainly bullied for the color of skin. There weren’t many Indian students in the school I went to, so that was also another reason the students like me got picked on. It was sorrowful because my own peers, boys who were in my class made fun of me for everything and anything they could think of during the school day: foods I ate, the clothing I wore, and my accent. Even though I was born and raised in America, I was still treated as an outsider. It was hurtful, and I didn’t do anything about this bullying, at first. I was heartbroken. Continue reading →

It’s different

Every day new social media apps are being developed. They are new platforms for young teenagers to have fun and be themselves. There are some apps which people use only for strictly posting pictures of themselves or friends/family. But TikTok is different. The app is unique in letting young teenagers be who they want to be. From a peer-reviewed article,” Mapping Internet Celebrity on TikTok: Exploring Attention Economies and Visibility Labours”, the author, Crystal Abidin says

“influencers appear to be moving away from ‘picture perfect’ content.”

That’s because the influencers want their viewers to see who they really are and not forcing to be someone else. Anyone can get on the app to create new dances or funny skits, or share personal stories.

Young teens love TikTok, can’t take this app from them  Continue reading →

Due to COVID-19, many young people have felt scared and isolated from what has been happening around the world. About 56.2% of people at the ages of 18 to 24 have reported having anxiety or falling into depression. Many people did experience mental health illness before the pandemic; but since, it’s have gotten worse for a lot of people. Leaving one’s home was a big risk because one could’ve contracted the virus and put others in danger. But then, eventually, everything became virtual like doctor’s appointments, going to school, and even therapy counseling. More ways opened up how to be there for one another during hard times. An advertisement for BetterHelp that appears on Instagram promotes a way for young people to talk to a therapist about their problems. This advertisement is an effective way to reach the audience through a celebrity that young people can relate to by her appearance in the advertisement, the use of her hand motions, and the structure of the text along with the diction and tone. Continue reading →