WHERE TO FIND YOUR STUDENTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA?
WHERE TO FIND YOUR STUDENTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA?
“A WORKER’S AND PARENTS’ GUIDE TO KNOWING THE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS STUDENTS ARE USING”
Have you ever played the game hide and seek?
Growing up, this was one of my favourite games. Full disclosure, I still love it. If you aren’t familiar with it, to play, one player who’s “it” covers their eyes and counts to a selected number while the other players hide, waiting to be found.
I hate being found. Hate it. So when it comes to choosing my hiding spot, I try to think of the most creative and obscure places to hide. And I always take into consideration whether I’ll be able to move from that spot. Some may consider that cheating, but to me, that’s what makes you a real hide and seek pro — moving to multiple spots over the course of the game. I want to give myself the best chance of hiding the longest, so when the person who’s “it” goes past me, then I know it’s time to move to another spot— preferably from where the person who’s “it” has just come from. The more I’m able to keep moving around while hiding, the longer the seeker has no idea where I am.
Which made me think, of social media.
I know. That seems like a stretch. But bear with me. When it comes to social media and students, they are constantly on the move, trying to find new spaces and places where they can “hide” from their parents’ or other adults’ observation. As a parent or worker we can think we know where they are and what they are doing, but students are moving targets. They don’t stay in one place. They don’t pick one social media platform and stay there. This generation in particular loves the variety of all social media platforms.
I saw this happen not long ago when Instagram introduced “Insta-Story”. Initially, people tended to respond by saying things like, “Insta is ripping off Snapchat” because of the similarities to video/photo posting. But that didn’t stop people from using it. Even though they were so similar in how they function, people started utilizing both, some even posting the same video on every social media channel just so they felt they were covering all of their bases.
So, what social media platforms are your students engaging in?
The fact that social media is constantly evolving, complicates this question. As adults invested in students’ lives we need to remember where they are now is not where they will always be.
Students love variety and want to be involved in spaces and places their peers are. Why? I think the most basic desire behind this is the need to feel acceptance and belonging with their peers. They don’t want to miss out! So they’ll go where others are going to feel included .
Right now, the biggest social media platforms include:
Snapchat
Video - You Tube / Vimeo
Instant Messaging - Kik/ imessage / WhatsApp
Face Time / Skype
Live Streaming – Fb Live / Periscope
Tumblr
Maybe you’ve never heard of half of these. That’s okay. Now that you know, you can be proactive in learning where your student in particular is connecting. But remember, once you figure that out, your job isn’t done. Hide and seek, remember? We have the responsibility to continue to learn where our students are going as it changes.
Intentionally stay informed over the ways your students are interacting with social media.
How?
Ask your students what they are on and ask them to show you how to actively engage with it. Be a student of your student. Let them show you the ropes.
Ask other parents, educators and youth workers what their students are using. See if there is any overlap.
Anything else you would add to this list? I would love to hear from you. What are your students on and which social media platform is having the most influence on them now?
Till next time,
Dubsy
