course »Understanding the Impact of Social Media on the Developing Sense of Self to Improve Youth Outcomes

Date: 4/4/2019, 9:30 am—4:30 pm
County: Alameda County
Location: Oakland
Sponsor: Seneca Family of Agencies
Phone: 510-654-4004
We are living in a technological moment where teenagers are developing in contexts where social media is a preferred mode of communication for many. Data suggests that many teenagers would rather text than talk- a mode of communication which deprives them of several of the most important facets of communication, including hearing the tone of someone’s voice, and seeing the impact of your words landing on them. The landscape of social communication, through social media, is one where life is often performative, where re-telling is sometimes prioritized over direct experience, and all the world is a stage. What does it mean to come of age in an environment where the way you look can be commented on by people you don’t even know, where break-ups happen over mis-punctuated texts, in an internet that has the power to acculturate?