Category: SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDE

Being Left on Read

We’ve all done it: we get a message from someone and whether we intend to or not, never respond. We’ve all had the opposite done to us too: we send a message to someone, and they just never respond.

Being left on read (or being ignored when sending a message to someone) isn’t exactly the best feeling. Tons of thoughts and questions can go through our head. Did I say the wrong thing? Should I have worded this better? Am I being annoying? Do they not want to talk to me? Do they even like me? Continue reading Being Left on Read

Do We Use Instagram to Seek Belonging?

Because of the predictably social feature of social media, using these sites and apps have had an influence on how we interact with others and how we want others to see us. One recent study looked specifically at Instagram and researched just what drives us to interact with others on the app, focusing specifically on our desire to belong.

Continue reading Do We Use Instagram to Seek Belonging?

How Rural Adolescents can Benefit from Social Media

Technology has helped make the world feel more connected, making resources, stories, and information much more accessible. This impact is significant for those who are physically isolated and may feel like they’re in the middle of nowhere. In the past, news and entertainment was extremely limited to things such as televisions, magazines and newspapers, and going out to explore was difficult because there were very few things close by. Continue reading How Rural Adolescents can Benefit from Social Media

Using Trigger and Content Warnings Online

Mentioning the terms “trigger warnings” and “content warnings” can have very different reactions depending on who you ask. Some feel that having these warnings are necessary and a way for those who are vulnerable or sensitive to specific items to feel comfortable in common spaces. Some, on the other hand, feel that providing these warnings are a way of coddling and sheltering people – specifically students on college campuses. They may argue that having people encounter the material they want to avoid can work as exposure therapy, thus, seeing this information will reduce their negative reactions. Continue reading Using Trigger and Content Warnings Online

Where do LGBT+ Youth Look for Mental Health Help?

Although the internet is most likely the preferred method for pretty much anyone trying to learn more information, whether it be news stories, recipes, or advice from those who have gone through similar experiences, it’s particularly important for LGBT+ youths. Continue reading Where do LGBT+ Youth Look for Mental Health Help?

The Toll of Online Activism

Participating in causes to help make a difference and support the underprivileged can be an incredibly rewarding experience. Social media has made activism that much easier too – think of the hashtags and fundraisers people post about or how simple it is to repost other people’s posts on your story about important issues and how to get more information about the topic. Social media can also help you learn about issues that you may have not heard of otherwise (think of the current situations in Sudan and Hong Kong, for example), and just exposure to campaigns can lead to a significant increase in support of the people being affected. Continue reading The Toll of Online Activism

Why are Teens Airdropping Memes?

Another day, another viral trend. You may have recently heard of or participated in AirDropping images to strangers around you whenever you’re in public.

 AirDropping is a feature on Apple products that allows users to easily share images and files with other Apple users nearby without needing to attach them in a text or email. All you need is to be relatively physically close, have your Bluetooth or WiFi on, and with a simple tap, you can send whatever you want to whoever also has AirDrop on. Continue reading Why are Teens Airdropping Memes?

Mental Health Experts on Social Media

When people talk about social media and its effect on people, it’s almost always negative. Many have mentioned and researched about the effect of social media on mental health: feeling unproductive, worrying about what we said or did online, and experiencing FOMO are just a few of the things that affect us from using social media. Continue reading Mental Health Experts on Social Media

Too Much Information

Although it may not seem like it, we have some control about how much of ourselves we want to put online. Even with all the accounts that we may have, we might not post on all of them, if post on some of them at all. We can create our own personas online and choose what we reveal and do not reveal about ourselves, and share something as simple as what we ate that day to a recent breakup in detail. Continue reading Too Much Information