Tag Archives: instagram

What Teens are Doing on Instagram

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By far the hottest smartphone app for teens in 2012 was Instagram. It was the one trend that no matter what group of teens I was speaking with, they all mentioned it as being very popular with teens.  And with the number of teens owning smartphones up from 23% in 2011 to 37% in 2012, this app remains popular with teens well into 2013 and shows no signs of slowing down.

instagramHere is a quick synopsis of Instagram in case you are unfamiliar with this app. It is an app for your smartphone that enables you to edit pictures using various filters and effects. This allows you to make your everyday pictures look like you are a seasoned photographer. And of course Instagram allows you to easily share your pictures with friends via Facebook and Twitter. The app also allows you to “follow” others so that you always receive the latest pictures of what your friends are having for lunch. Just to put the popularity of this app in perspective, there are roughly 40 million pictures uploaded to the Instagram app each day.

When I ask teens why they like Instagram, they share various reasons related to personal self-expression. It allows them to share their life through pictures in a creative and sometimes artistic way.

With Instagram being so popular with teens, I have been paying more attention to it. I have been asking teens questions related to the app and how they use it and I have been using it myself to become more familiar with the app and it’s functions.

I think Instagram is a great app for adults and teens. It can bring out a creative side in almost anyone, which I think is a character trait lacking in today’s teens. It also allows teens to share unique experiences and opportunities they have had with their peers.

Recently at a large Teen Leadership conference I was helping manage, we created a hashtag for the conference. I was blown away when we had over 4,000 pictures tagged with the conference hashtag in just three days. The majority of the pictures showed teens participating in community service events, college tours and exploring historical sites. I thought this was very powerful. They were sharing these experiences with their peers who were not able to attend the event. When discussing this with one of the teens, he reminded me that “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

But I have noticed several trends related to Instagram that are concerning.

Age recuirement. One trend I have seen is common on many social networking sites. Users who are under the required age creating an account. The terms of Instagram state you must be 13 years old to use the services, but I have some across many accounts associated with youth under that age.

Public vs. Private. Instagram preferences, like most social media networks, are set to public but provide the option for the user to make their content private. If your Instagram account is set to private that means a user must ask to follow you before they can view your pictures. I am discovering that many teens do not make the selection to keep their account private. Because it is public, any Instagram user can view their pictures.

Creepy. Instagram has a feature that allows you to explore others content. This will generate a display showing pictures of various users that can be refreshed to show more photos. In viewing this option I have seen pictures of teens pop up in this display. What disturbs me the most is some of the pictures show teens in revealing outfits. I was showing this to my wife the other day and telling her how I have seen some of these users, who are teens, have upwards of 25K to 75K followers. What this tells me is either this teen is a celebrity that I don’t know about. Or there are a lot of Instagram users who are stumbling onto their pictures and then following them so that they continue to see more pictures of that teen in revealing outfits. Either way, it is disturbing to me that a teen of 15 or 16 are posting these types of pictures for all to see.

“Likes.” In a recent blog by Sarah Brooks, she talks about how teens are wrapped up in the number of “Likes” or “Followers” they have on sites like Instagram. For some teens, they may use this as a way to gage their popularity or self-worth. If you have not already read her post I encourage you to check it out here.

I started asking teens if they saw their peers trying to gain more “likes” and what they felt it meant. Here is what I learned.

20130429-114007.jpg“I see this all the time. I think it has turned into a type of competition and so they have the bragging rights of how many followers they have or how many likes they get on a picture.”

“I believe that it’s all an “ego” thing, also if you have more followers people think your Important in some way.”

“I have seen (the hashtag) #likeforlike so people who search it can like the pictures and have one of theirs liked too.” I checked this out in the explore feature on Instagram and found 7,207,689 pictures tagged #LikeforLike, many of them were of teens. The picture to the left is an example of what I found when I searched the hashtag #LikeforLike.

When discussing the popular hashtag #40morelikes one teen shared, “it is a way to get likes and followers. There is an app called TagforLikes that many people use to get a lot of likes on their pictures.” I checked this out and indeedinstagram and teens there were several apps that a user could download that would help you attain more “Likes” on your pictures. What it does is allow you to easily tag your picture with the most popular hashtags on Instagram, such as #food or #girl. Then when someone searches for one of those hashtags, your picture is displayed for them to view. The picture to the right is an example.

One reviewer of the app TagsforLikes mentioned gaining over 20 new likes in a matter of seconds using the app. Note these are not more likes from your friends but from random users.

If you are like me, all of this probably feels a little overwhelming. Maybe you are even thinking about taking social media privileges away from your teen. I don’t have all the answers but here are a few ideas to help guide you.

Tips for youth workers and parents:

  • Be aware. Half of the battle is knowing that these trends are out there and teens are engaging in them. My hope is that my blog is useful in provideing you with some current and relevat information regardint teens and teen trends. But you can ask teens yourself too. I am always surprised how much teens are willing to share. If you are a youth worker make sure you are asking teens about new trends, how they use new apps or what certain hashtags mean. Sarah Brooks is a great example of engaging the youth she is working with in conversation and being aware of what is going on. Parents, my hope is your teen is connected to a  youth group. If so, ask the youth worker(s) what are some of the trends you need to be aware of. And youth workers help out the parents. Host a workshop, write a monthly newsletter, create a system to text parents regularly about new trends you are seeing that you think they should be aware of.
  • Talk to your teen(s) about the importance of privacy settings on social network sites like Instagram. According to Pew Internet, only “39% of parents of teen users of social networks have helped their child set up privacy settings for a social networking site.” Youth workers here is another way you can help out. Host a social network session for your teens where you teach them about the privacy settings and why it is important that they use them properly.
  • Give them a “Like.” Not on a social media account but in real life. Every day. And often. Make sure they know they are liked, heck make sure they know they are loved and that someone cares about them. In the little things and big things. Compliment their outfit, their positive attitude, a character trait they displayed, just plan tell them they are awesome!

Are Teens Leaving Facebook?

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Did you see the recent Time Magazine article,”Is Facebook Losing Its Cool? Some Teens Think So.” It is another in the ongoing conversation about which Social Networks are getting more attention from teens. There is no concrete scientific study (at least not that I know of) saying that teens are fleeing Facebook like a flock of birds flying south for the winter. But if they are it should not be a surprise to us.

Why you ask? First, think about when you were a teen. Did you like hanging out with your facebookparents, siblings, uncles and grandparents or would you have rather been hanging out with your friends? That’s easy, you would have rather been with your friends. The same concept applies in the world of Social Media.

When teens first signed up for Facebook, they were doing so because their friends were on it and not their family members. Fast forward a few years and with Facebook’s growth, now their family members are on Facebook too. Some teens may choose to leave or limit their Facebook use based on this. Like the one teen stated in the Time Magazine article, “All your relatives are constantly commenting on your stuff. I appreciate the gesture and wanting to keep up with my life, but it’s kind of annoying.”

The second reason it should come as no surprise that teens may be leaving Facebook is because teens are early adopters. What I mean by this is when something new comes out, a new TV Show, a new piece of technology a new type of music. Teens are quicker than their adult counterparts to check it out. They don’t sit back and ask a bunch of question and perform a detailed analysis before they try something. Because they are early adopters, they are likely to try something new early and when everyone else begins to claim that thing is popular, teens are already moving onto the next great new thing.

This is why companies like Facebook are constantly making changes. They are trying to keep it fresh and new enough to keep teens and early adopters engaged and interested.

Third, Teens are at a stage in life where they are beginning to try to separate themselves, stand out and not blend in, figure out who they are as an individual. If the word on the street is everyone is on Facebook, then being on Facebook is not setting themselves apart from others. It is blending in when they want to stand out. This is not to say they won’t still have a Facebook account, but they will be looking for a way to stand out on Facebook or find another avenue to set themselves apart from the crowd.

Lastly there is more Social Networks available now. Five years ago there were only a handful of Social Networking options. Today it seems there is a new one in the App Store every month.

Social-Media-IconsTeens have choices, and what they have decided to do is use different social networks for different types of activities. In talking with teens I hear them say they use Facebook for connecting with family and group work for school. They love Instagram because they can share pictures about what is happening in their life and things that interest them. They like tumblr because it is like an online Diary where they can share pictures and videos that inspire them or reflect how they are feeling on a given day.

Companies are paying attention and trying to combined the best features of the different social networks into one. Case in point is Facebook’s accusation of Instagram and the development of a new Social Networks like Snapchat and Pheed. (Read more about Pheed here)

What does this mean for parents and youth workers?

  • Pay attention. Once you think you know about all the social networks your teens are on, they are probably checking out 2 more. Stay in the know by following sites like Mashable on Facebook or twitter. Or just navigate to the site and read the articles. When something new in the area of social media comes on the scene they are one of the first to report on it. If you read about a new Social Network or App, ask your teen if they have heard of it. If they have, ask them about it. Ask them to show you how it works or why they think it is cooler than other Social Network.
  • Pay Attention Continued. Periodically check out what is on the Top Charts of the app store. This will give you a basic idea of what is currently popular. And check your computers browser history to see if the new Social Network site pops up as a recent site visited. This will tell you if your teenager has visited the site.
  • If you work with teens understand what your teens use each Social Network for. This will help you decide what platform to use if trying to engage with teens via social media. Better yet, include them in the process of creating a social media outreach strategy for your group/organization. Teens love to feel like they are teaching someone older than them something.
  • If you are a parent, don’t like EVERY comment your teen makes on Facebook. And definitely do not scold them in the comments section. You can observe from a distance on social networks so they don’t feel you are watching their every move.

What Social Networks are your teens using?

Life Went Fast for Teens in 2012

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I’ve been reflecting on 2012 the past few weeks, thinking about all the Teen Focus Groups I facilitated, teens I interacted with and articles I have read on Teen Trends and Culture. The more I have reflected the more I see a common theme that played out in Teen Trends for 2012. It is this idea or notion that teens feel ”Life Goes Fast.”

The last Focus Groups I facilitated this year hit this notion home for me when two of the teen members in the group kept referencing how fast life was going. They were saying things like how soon one of them would turn 18 years old, how fast teen trends change, how the school year was going by so face and how if they blinked they might miss something

goobye-2012-hello-2013Let’s reflect on a few Teen Trends we saw pop up this year that showcase the notion that teens feel “Life Goes Fast.”  First there was the popular phrase YOLO (You Only Live Once) that popped up everywhere from tweets to tags and on clothing. It was one way for teens to relate to each other that life is moving fast and that they need to live in the moment. Check out my May 1st Post Whats Up With YOLO for more information.

The next big trend I noticed was more teens getting Tattoos this year. When I asked teens about this trend they said that getting a tattoo is a way for them to remember certain event or person in their life that had an impact on them. Because life moves so fast they never wanted to forget that feeling, that event or that person and they felt getting a tattoo was a way to always remember. Check out my August 15th Blog Post Teens and Tattoos for more information.

And lastly is a trend I have seen for a couple of years now. Every teen event I have been to have one thing in common. Teens taking tons of pictures and videos. They love capturing instagramevery moment no matter how big or small. But that is not the end of it, they need to share that picture with others to show them the cool things that they just did, ate or experienced. You can see this Trend through the fact that one of the HOTTEST Apps this year was Instagram that allowed teens to share their life through photos with cool filters. Read more about Instaram in my post on August 28th titled What Do Teens Say is Popular.

With the technology age, more teens having smartphones and teens seeing tragic events both natural and man mad in the media, I do not see this mentality of “Life Goes Fast” fading anytime soon. I bet we see some New Teen Trends pop up this year that follow this same pattern.

Let me know if you see any new Teen Trends or remember other trends from 2012 that follow the Live Goes Fast mentality.

What Do Teens Say is Popular?

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Last week I had a GREAT experience talking to a group of teens from around the country about what they felt the latest Teen Trends were. I truly enjoy these opportunities to hear what is popular and trendy in one community, such as cowboy boots, compared to what has gained the attention of teens across the country.  Somehow our conversation steered towards fashion, which if you know me, I am no expert on fashion.  Unless watching episodes of Project Runway with my wife makes me knowledgeable on the topic.

The items I am going to share here are all items that teens from different parts of the Country agreed were popular or currently trendy.

I first shared with this group my observations of more and more teens getting Tattoos and they easily identified this as a growing trend with teens. Several of them even mentioned already knowing what they were going to get tattooed on them once they turned 18.

On the fashion side, the teens mentioned that skinny jeans (Especially on guys) is still pretty popular and does not seem to be fading. I know, my eyes began to hurt just thinking about it.  On an up-side we have Toms Shoes, the brand that is dedicated to giving a pair of shoes to a child who needs a pair for every pair bought.  Many teens agreed that these were popular and they owned a pair (more girls than guys said they owned a pair). The Tom Shoes trend goes along with commentary on this next generation wanting to engage in social justice issues but wanting others to see that they are engaging in helping a social justice cause.  By wearing these shoes they are showing that they helped a child in need.

A couple other common trends that were mentioned were the ever-so-popular limited edition celebrity/athlete shoes that brands such as Nike have been putting out.  They agreed that these were popular among teens but many could not afford to purchase a pair. But they love to follow the hype and dream about owning a pair.

Obey t-shirts were mentioned as being popular by several teens. Especially those on the west coast.  I had seen these before but knew very little about them. From reading the company’s website it seems their roots are in self-empowerment and allowing people to represent what they believe while subtly questioning what is happening around them. I see this as a fit with a generation who is figuring out how to be self expressive in a digital world.

But by far the MOST popular thing these teens mentioned was Instagram. The app that lets you easily turn your pictures into stunning photos that you can then share with your friends. This was the only item listed by the teens that everyone agreed was VERY popular. Only one of the teens participating in the conversation did not use instagram.  It is easy to see why this app is so popular with today’s teens sharing their lives through photographs. They post them on Facebook, Tweet them and even create a tumblr to act as a photo diary of their life. This one app can make those decent camera photos look amazing with a few simple filters. Ok, the filters probably are not simple to make by any means, but the process to use the app is. A simple bowl of mac-n-cheese never looked so good.

Are you seeing any of these items being trendy or popular with the teens you work with? What trends are you seeing with teens where you are from?