Category: SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDE

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 Yemen and the Philippines, 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

Do Notifications Heighten Your Anxiety?

It could be a notification about anything: a text from your child, an email, or a message on Facebook. No matter what it is, getting that alert via vibration and/or ding! can send a wave of brief panic through your body, even if it’s a trivial random news notification about five new recipes to try this week. Continue reading Do Notifications Heighten Your Anxiety?

Teaching Your Child When to Disengage Online During Heightened Emotions

Now is a sensitive time more than ever. Current events such as COVID, Black Lives Matter, and discussions over trans rights are revealing the issues with the systems that have been in place in our society for not just the past few years, but for decades and centuries, and how these issues have been affecting certain groups more than others. The Internet and social media giving platforms to experts and those who have been affected have made it easier for them to educate and tell others why things are so difficult and how drastic the effects are for minority groups. You most likely have seen these kinds of posts on Instagram and twitter presented in colorful graphics with easy and simple to read text and pictures.  Continue reading Teaching Your Child When to Disengage Online During Heightened Emotions

Unplug and Recharge

The SOVA Project is happy to feature this blog post written by one in our team of fantastic SOVA Ambassadors—these are young people who help create meaningful blog posts from adolescents’ perspectives. We hope you can use their post to start a conversation with your adolescent.

Over the past few weeks, some big changes have occurred in the United States, and many young people are actively engaged. Whether you’ve attended a protest, discussed civil rights on social media, talked to your family, or even watched the news, you’ve been involved. With so many important issues to discuss, it can feel very empowering to be involved. However, I personally have found myself feeling on-edge and anxious after hours of nonstop consumption of news and social media posts about current events. Continue reading Unplug and Recharge

Diversifying Your Instagram Account

The SOVA Project is happy to feature this blog post written by one in our team of fantastic SOVA Ambassadors—these are young people who help create meaningful blog posts from adolescents’ perspectives. We hope you can use their post to start a conversation with your adolescent.

For many people, Instagram can be a place that leads to insecurity. Scrolling though the photos and stories, I have found myself comparing my appearance and lives to others. I have felt jealous and even left out at times. Then, I began to realize that I am in control of my Instagram feed. Why am I continuing to only follow accounts that make me feel insecure? That’s when I began to diversify my Instagram feed and feel better while using the app. Continue reading Diversifying Your Instagram Account

The Problem with Autoplay and Posting Triggering Images Online

The blog post includes mentions of police brutality and violence on black people. Please read with caution if any of these items triggers or upsets you.

The world can feel bleak and hopeless at times, and our access to news literally anywhere in the world at any time makes this much more obvious. And while this bleakness and hopelessness can be depressing and very easily overwhelming, it can also make us aware of injustices and give us a place to make a change. Continue reading The Problem with Autoplay and Posting Triggering Images Online