iii. status update

be sure to like my selfie!

After Listening to some clips taken from "A Status Update", a particulary interesting episode of THis American LIfe, I thought I would take a moment to share my thoughts here. The specific clip I am going to discuss incluided the perspectives of some teenage girls, as they shared their expierences with social media.
I found the episode inisightful and eye opening specifically because of its choice of guests. If anyone knows about social media, its highschool girls. Most teenagers, girls especially so, are practically glued to their cell phones, tablets, or laptops at all times. Combine that with the intense social pressures to fit in and gain social acceptance and the result is an absoliute obsession with social media.

The girls were very candid as they talked about the reasons behind their posts and the thought and planning and preparatoon that goes into each and every seemingly random or casual post. What might appear to be an unassuming photo of some friends is actually part of a social language and custom in which girls seek and give validation to one another and attempt to gain the acceptance of their peers.

One part of the broadcast that i found particularly interesting was the segment of the discussion where the girls explained what the purpose and meaning behind comments left on eachothers photos. It seems that none of it can just be taken at face value and that one must read between the lines. A comment that says "I hate you" :) :) :) actually translates to "Wow you are so pretty and I am jealous and insecure". This segment offers insight to those of us who are outsiders in this world of likes and tweets and could be especially helpful to parents.

I would definietly reccomend this episode to anyone who wants to gain a deeper understanding of our youths culture, particuarly to those currently parenting teenage or soon to be teenage girls.