Online networking sites are no longer simple tools to connect with friends and expand social networks. Today, teens and so-called “millennials” use and define social media differently. If you’re a digital marketer or a business owner, you should care about these modern social media definitions so you can tap and deal with this age group effectively.
Teens’ Social Media Definitions
1. Self-Publication
Many teens use Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and Instagram to publish their life’s current state. They post photos and stories of recent events they have experienced or joined. Not only do they share their social status, selfies, and happy moments, they also disclose their rants, criticisms, and views on certain issues. Youngsters do all these things without thinking about security and the threats these may cause them.
2. Journal/Diary
Like paper journals and diaries, many teens write on their social media pages to update their friends of their daily struggles or experiences. While there’s nothing wrong with this, teens should know their limits. Putting their full name, birth date, complete home address, and phone numbers can put their lives or their loved ones’ in danger. This practice exposes naive teens to online hacking, cyber-crime, and even sexual predators.
3. Jumping-Off Point
While most people use social media platforms to find and connect with “real” friends, many youngsters use the sites to hunt their dates. Some teens, for instance, use Facebook to know more about a person they met a party. Apparently, social media these days are not just a tool to make friends, but to prey on future lovers.
4. Romance
A Pew Research Center report published in 2015 cited romantic connection as one of the reasons many teens love social media. Many of them use platforms such as Facebook to express admiration, display romantic pursuits, and express jealousy.
5. Private Space
Though an irony to the purpose of online networks, some teens go to social media for isolation. Many teens prefer posting on platforms with strict privacy that only their close friends could see. No wonder, many social media pages with private interaction, chat apps, closed groups, and related features are a hit among youngsters.
6. Tool for Stalking
Recent news tells a story of a male teen who stalked a fellow student through social media and gave death threats. He ended up getting a jail sentence for his act. Surely, this happens to other youngsters—either the stalker or the victim—worldwide.
7. Real Life
Still, many teens believe that Facebook and all other online networking sites are but their actual life. They can’t live without their mobile device to access their social pages. Some believe these are the window to old age and the chance to prove their worth in the society. Hence, many teens can’t accept a small number of likes they received so they find time to repost it at the “right” time.
Do you want to relate to teens’ activities on social media so you can plan for your marketing campaigns? Check out the social media definitions above and align your online networking drive to attract them. If you can’t create a good plan for your brand, seek our expert social media marketing service.
Sources: www.extension.umn.edu | backchannel.com | www.pewinternet.org | www.ypulse.com | www.leicestermercury.co.uk | www.wired.com | socialmediaweek.org
