Keeping it Social

For Teens!

Teenagers, you need your social lives!  It’s part of discovery.  It’s part of being you!  

You’re the lucky generation:  It’s much easier for you to keep up with what your friends are up to because you’re the first teens in the age of online social sites!  You can always know where the next party is, who is dating your ”ex,” and who just mentioned your name.  You can even find out unpleasant things:  You probably didn’t even want to know that there is a test in English today when all you can do is worry.  After all, it’s too late to study, anyway.  Yep, you’re the first generation who can truly find out all of the latest in everything.

Or can you?

Is the site you’re socializing on lately the “right place to be,” or have your friends found a new, better, cooler site that you don’t even know about yet?

Quoting Shakespeare, “Therein lies the rub.”

You teens are fickle about your social sites.  As soon as a new one crops up—and you find out that your friends are there—you’re last site is stale and forgotten. 

Do you remember My Space?  There was a time where everything you ever needed to know about yourself and your friends could be found there.  It never failed you, but how often do you visit that site, now?  In fact, when was the last time you went there—or even thought of going there?  If you want to know about today, you probably don't even consider that moot place.  It’s become passé—obsolete—so yesterday!  Did it all go downhill when your parents started to use it?

You have moved on, and—if you’re like most teens—you and your friends are on Facebook.  It’s a great, comfortable, social place to be!  All of your friends are on your “Friends lists,” so it's where you can share everything!  You might even give some of your decidedly “not friends” access to keep things interesting; but you get to pick and choose who shares your life!  To sooth your curiosity, you can monitor what people are saying and doing--even without them knowing you’re watching--or you can jump in and applaud their successes by clicking on the thumbs up “Like.” In tough times, you can bemoan and commiserate about each others problems by using emoticons and shared words of encouragement.  You can share links to the sites of favorite movie star or share favorite music by bringing in links to YouTube.  You can even break up with someone! 

Did you just think that Facebook WAS the perfect social spot!  Parents (and even grandparents!) are now using Facebook more than you are!  They got in your way, and then they wondered why you don’t want to “friend” them!   All of the filters in the world aren't good enough to make you want to have Mom and Dad in on your social life!  And how can you tell Grandma that you don't want to share some secrets with her?

Are your parents invading your Snapchat or your Instagram?  

If history is any indicator, there will always be another site cropping up to use before your parents catch up:  Is it, again, time for another new, cutting edge social site.  Make sure that you stay connected to keep up, or you'll be out of the social loop.  Losing your place would be a social disaster! 

 Maybe, the next time, you can keep the parents out—but it will be tough.  They’re catching up with you and your techl savvy—and they might just try to make up for their isolated, unconected teen years!