The Upside of Social Media: A Focus on Its Positive Potentials

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Originally published in TEACH Magazine, Digital Citizenship Special Issue, 2020

By Alex Newman

Released in 2018, TikTok has become one of the fastest growing social media platforms. The wild popularity of the app can be accredited to users’ ability—often youth—to express themselves through music, singing, dancing, and comedy routines. The app, however, has also raised concerns—mostly among parents, but also with educators—for the way it’s being used. One example is the “pass out” challenge whereby kids cut off oxygen to their brains and then record the results.

Focusing on those types of negative incidents—as dangerous as they are—is missing the point, explains motivational speaker Joe Whitbread. “Kids today are digital citizens from birth,” he says. “They already know about cyber bullying, rights, and wrongs. This shouldn’t be a conversation about TikTok per se, but about the mental health of the child and whether he or she is exploring places in a negative state. If a child is healthy, chances are high that their online explorations will also be healthy.”

Usually, kids use social media to connect with friends and have fun. In the course of their school visits, Whitbread and his business partner Jo Phillips have addressed over 27,000 kids. They say fun is the number one reason they use social media. TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, and many other platforms allow kids to explore their creativity, for entertainment and information purposes, he explains.

It’s also instructional and kids learn things like how to apply make-up or fix rollerblade wheels. Also, they can build up their personal brand, although that has to be handled with care, Whitbread says. “If your reputation in high school is drinking likely it will precede you in your job future.”

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Alex Newman is a Toronto freelance writer and editor. Visit her website, alexnewmanwriter.com.

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Alex Newman
Alex Newman
Alex Newman is a Toronto freelance writer and editor. Visit her website, alexnewmanwriter.com.

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