Teens, Social Media and Technology

The Pew Survey - linked below - was conducted in 2015 and observed the forms of social media being used by teenagers. Much of the results are what I expected; boys use their smartphones for games more often than girls do, while girls use their smartphones for visual-oriented platforms like Instagram more often than boys. These results are not surprising considering boys and girls general likes and dislikes in high school.

There are definitely some eyebrow raising statistics in the study. There are 14% more African American teens with smartphones than white and Hispanic teens. I assumed the numbers would be much closer, if there was a difference at all. However, the most surprising statistic is how income effects which social media platform teens tend to use. As income increases, Facebook use steadily decreases. Similarly, as income increases, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram use steadily increase. Pew does not speculate as to the reason for this trend. I theorize that most high schools have a range of wealth within their student's families. Most high schools will have the bulk of their students within a certain income range, with very few schools modeling the exact nationwide wealth distribution. Perhaps the increased use of Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram among more wealthy teens simply shows a trend that has started in the wealthy schools first.

There are a few lessons to be learned in this survey as a teacher. The first is that cultural trends are not just drawn from race and ethnicity, but income and socioeconomics can have a huge effect as well and should be taken into account while teaching. I also think this survey shows that nearly all teens have a smartphone with access to unlimited distractions. As a teacher, I should aim to incorporate lessons and information using their smartphones to combat these distractions. If the students are occupied with an application for class, it will automatically prevent them from wandering to Facebook. Technology can be a friend of the classroom if it is used properly.   

Teens, Social Media and Technology Overview 2015 -

http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/09/teens-social-media-technology-2015/