If You Asked Us How We Feel About Social Media...
We'd say it's fine. But really, is the demure trend even cool anymore 🙄, does opening this bring you dopamine✨, and why can't Gen Z actually type?
It’s officially pumpkin spice latte season! 🍂☕️
Hii! It’s Olivia and Ally! If this is your first time reading, WELCOME! We’re so happy you’re here 🫶. This month, we’re covering everything, from AI to school phone bans. We also know that most of you are back at school so here’s a friendly reminder to prioritize your mental health and self-care!!
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Where Are They Now?!🌟
Last month, we hosted nearly 50 teens for our Digital Civics Academy. ICYMI, we had five days of speaker sessions, field trips to Snapchat HQ and the Sacramento State Capitol, and a chance to empower teens to pilot their own movements. One of those teens, Kristen Lew, has been growing her community The Care Cafe, a mental health podcast dedicated to uncovering the secrets to self-care.
At #HalfTheStory, we look at both sides of the internet, so here are the latest trends and tips you should know and who knows…maybe watch out for 👇
🔥What’s Hot:
Very mindful, very cutesy, very demure. 💅 If you’re chronically online, your whole feed has most likely been demure-central (Never heard of it? Here’s a quick explanation!). We love how this trend is connecting generations from Gen Alpha to Baby Boomers! It’s tongue-in-cheek, fun, and we LOVE a harmless trend! See how this trend doesn’t promote dangerous or harmful habits? Very mindful, very demuretsy, very #HalfTheStory.🫅😎
Teacher GRWM’s 🍎 - Sometimes, between the busyness of school and after-school activities, it’s hard to remember that teachers are just like us!! We have been loving these teacher Get Ready With Me’s (GRWM), setting up classroom vlogs, and just TeacherTok in general! Teachers are superheroes so remember to take it easy on them this year! 😉❤️
What brings you dopamine?✨✨✨We’re loving this trend where people share things that give them a boost of dopamine. Here is #HalfTheStory’s Dopamine Menu!
👎What’s Not:
Should we be more careful with X? According to a report by parental control app Qustodio, 30% of iPad kids have an account on X, formally known as Twitter. As X seems to be flooded with more misinformation and harmful narratives, this is highly problematic for young kids to be consuming.
AI deepfakes are getting out of hand…🫤 In a recent NYT interview with Jenna Ortega, it’s revealed that she deleted X due to receiving an overload of explicit AI deepfakes of herself. It turns out that this is a problem that affects not just celebrities but teens as well.
Gen Z is chronically online, BUT we can’t type?! ⌨️ Isn’t it ironic how kids are getting access to technology younger and younger, yet the majority of us aren’t able to efficiently type on a keyboard? Ally dives into this and why it’s slightly problematic.
Gen Z and millennial voters will make up approximately 48.5% of potential voters in the upcoming U.S. Presidential Election! That means that social media could play a larger role in voter outcomes than ever before. Teen Advisor, Davida Padi, shares her thoughts after attending the 2024 Democratic National Convention!
In the midst of a highly charged election season, the influence of social media on politics has never been more apparent. As someone deeply interested in policy and politics with a focus on social media strategies, I have observed how social media and content creators have taken center stage in shaping the electoral strategy.
TikTok and Twitter, among other platforms, have played a pivotal role in political discourse. From Elon Musk's endorsement of J.D. Vance to Kamala Harris's 'coconut tree' meme clarifies that influencers and content creators are in high demand during this election cycle.
I noticed this during my time in Chicago for the DNC last month. From the brat theme to the abundance of coconuts, social media also played a significant role in the Harris campaign. Approximately 200 content creators were selected to participate in the DNC, highlighting the increasing importance of social media in political events. Both the Democratic National Convention and the Trump Campaign have leveraged social media as a strategic tool, demonstrating the bipartisan nature of social media influence in politics.
While traditional media still holds significance, a new form of media is emerging in social media. Political campaigns adapt to this shift, as demonstrated by instances such as Donald Trump's online stream with Adin Ross and Kamala Harris's interviews with content creators such as Vidya Gopalan and Tefi Pessoa.
The role of social media in engaging young voters, particularly Gen Z, cannot be understated. With Gen Z constituting 20% of eligible voters and being associated with low voter turnout, the promotion of creators and influencers on social media becomes crucial. Notably, issues such as climate change and the potential TikTok ban have captured the attention of young voters, emphasizing the significance of social media in reaching and mobilizing this demographic.
If you aren’t already on the Notion train🚂, this is the perfect time to try it out! We particularly love that you can create an assignment tracker📓 where you can see assignment due dates📆, organize files🗂️, and even add some fun emojis and GIFs!🕺
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A calming new album to ease you into fall: Charm by Clairo! 🍂
Thanks for scrolling along with us! Don’t leave us on read!…subscribe…we’ll be back next month! In the meantime, stay 'In The Loop’ daily by keeping up with us @´ on all socials! 🤩
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this is super duper cool