This was a little challenging, I do not have any teens in my family and none of my friends have teenagers. I literally asked a neighbor (while they were in the middle of moving) if I could interview their daughter. After an odd look and an agreement to do it on my front steps I was able to ask her some questions. Overall she seemed straightforward and found the whole interview to be amusing. Unfortunately her school has limited resources and they do not utilize technology like some of the "richer" high schools do. But in all it was a good experience and it further confirmed in my opinion that an addiction to social media exists. Even during the interview she kept checking her phone, she showed me some of her fashion interests and she probably received about a dozen texts in a 20 minute period!
Name: Rachael
What is your age? 17
Do you own a smartphone,
laptop or tablet?
Yes, all three
Which device is your
favorite? And why?
My phone, it’s easy for me to have with me all of the time.
Do you use digital media? All the time, I am
addicted to it.
Why do you think social
media is a good thing? I can talk to all of my friends and share pics. It helps me
stay connected to friends that don’t go to my school and also family members
that do not live close.
Why do you think social
media is a bad thing? It can get you in trouble, I have had friends say or share
things that they probably shouldn’t have. Plus you can’t trust everyone that
you meet on sites like Facebook.
What social media
platforms do you use the most?
FB,
Instagram and Snap chat
Why do you like FB?
All
of my friends are on it, I like to see the pictures and videos that get posted
and I like sharing the things that I think about. It’s easy and there is always
stuff to see.
Why do you like Instagram?
I
love sharing pictures and seeing my friends pictures.
Why do you like Snap Chat? It’s funny, you can say
and do funny things and they disappear after.
When you post stuff are
you constantly checking to see who likes or comments on your posts? Yeah I check my phone a
lot, especially if I am hoping specific people like what I post.
Do you see any issues with
using FB, Instagram and Snap Chat? I mean Facebook can get you in trouble if you
aren’t careful, but Instagram is just pictures and I don’t post any that would
get me in trouble or anything like that. Snap Chat can sometimes be used in bad
ways like to bully someone but most of my friends just use it for fun.
Can you tell me more about
the issues that social media can cause? Like fights and stuff, people getting caught
doing or saying dumb things. Pictures that were supposed to be private being
shared and stuff like that. I mean not everything is private, even if you think
it is.
Do you ever use Twitter? Not really, I think it’s
boring
Do you follow any groups
or people that aren’t your friends? Oh yeah, all the time. Celebrities mostly and
fashion stuff, I am really into fashion so I like to follow those kinds of
groups. I like volleyball too so I follow some athletes.
Have you made any friends
through social media?
Yeah a few. They are usually friends of friends or fashion types of people. I
get friend requests from a lot of people that I don’t know but that weirds me
out.
Do you like to read? I used to read all of the
time but I don’t have as much time now. I mean I read if it’s assigned to me.
When you did read did you
read books or eBooks?
I have never read an eBook. I like books, but really go more for magazines.
Are you online often? All of the time or
whenever I can
What do you do online
(other than social media)? I checkout TMZ, fashion.net and I love pinterest! I like to
shop to on like etsy and H&M.
Do you use the Internet
for homework? Research? Yeah sometimes, some of our assignments let us use the
Internet to research news articles and lookup stories.
When you are using the
Internet for school do you sometimes pop onto social media? Yeah if I am home, the
school computers block some of the regular stuff that students like. But at
home when I am bored I get on FB or pinterest and then kinda go back and forth.
Do you think this affects
your work?
A little, I mean sometimes I don’t get as much done. It’s kinda a distraction.
Do you keep a digital
journal or blog for school? Yeah in my English class and I have tried to do a Tumblr but
haven’t finished it.
How do you feel about
online practice tests and tests? I wish I could do all of my tests online. It’s
easier, that and I don’t have the best handwriting so everything looks better
online. (lol)
Do you ever use YouTube or
do your teachers?
Yeah I watch videos all of the time, I haven’t actually made one but they are
always posted on FB and I like music videos. Some of my teachers will play
videos for the class but its mostly teaching stuff.
Do you play games? Not really
Do
you interact with your parents via social media? No, they don’t even have
accounts.
If your parents had
accounts would you interact with them? Probably not
Do you prefer to socialize
with friends online or in person? Online is easy, even when we are all together we
are online (lol) I feel like being on my phone is just easier.
Are there any rules set in
place by your parents to ensure that you are using social media responsibly? Not really, I don’t do
anything that would get me in trouble. They probably search or look at my stuff
but I haven’t gotten in trouble for anything.
Have you ever been a victim
of Cyber bullying?
No but I have had arguments online. But nothing that made me feel bullied.
Have you ever bullied
anyone online?
Nope
Hypothetical – what if
everything just shut down and you couldn’t use social media anymore? I think I would be bored,
I would definitely be upset but it would suck to lose all of my pictures and
the stuff I post online. Yeah I would probably freak out.
