It’s no surprise that technology plays a major role in an everyday high school student’s life. Even our own school distributed personal chromebooks to the whole student body for every student’s educational use. Older generations would say that we are the techy generation that uses social media as a way to connect and express ourselves as a community. We express ourselves by staying up-to-date with the latest trends and the coolest new apps, but surprisingly, some people are not major fans of keeping up with the latest apps or trends.
Most kids have at least one form of social media, whether it be Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram or Twitter. Having those apps usually allow teens to keep up with the latest news, but some people don’t necessarily pay attention to what’s trending.
“I have one form of social media, which is Instagram, ” sophomore Lindsey Gibson said.
A recent trend that has become quite popular is the Juju On That Beat challenge, which is a dance that was created by Zay Hilfinger and Zayion McCall and has since gone viral. Another viral trend is the mannequin challenge that was created by a group of Ed White High School students from Jacksonville, Florida. The point of the challenge is to stay in a statuesque pose while someone records it. As more challenges come out, more teens get to pick their favorites and choose to do it or share it. “I like the Mannequin challenge the best,” senior Parker Jallo said. Usually when a teen spends more time online they have a higher probability of hearing about new trends. Most kids are aware of these challenges simply because they think it’s fun and like sharing it with their friends online.
New buzz on the cool app called After School that has become quite popular at LSHS. The app allows students to post anonymously and tell their secrets or confessions without anyone knowing that it was them, so in a way it can be compared to the student version of the app, Whisper. Not everyone has it, but most people have heard about it through their friends at school who have downloaded the app. Social media culture has become a major part of our generation, which is why most teens spend quite a bit of time scrolling through the web.
Everyday on social media “I spend an hour tops,” junior Keevan Marvel said. All in all, our generation tends to spend a lot more time on social media compared to other generations since they did not have the advancements in technology that we have today. Technology has definitely shaped our teen culture and influences how we connect with one another through the modern day internet.