Online Platforms

Social Media

Social Media is one of the biggest attractions to the internet, and this is especially true for members of the younger generations. Social Media is defined as the websites and applications that allow users to generate, curate, and share content and otherwise engage in online social networking. You have probably heard of the big names in Social Media, like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, but there are countless Social Media platforms that are available right now, and more are being developed regularly.

As Social Media is such a broad term, we are focusing here on the broadest of Social Media platforms that allows users to share their information in many different ways with many different people. Websites and apps like Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr are home to billions of users who see these platforms as a way to express themselves, to interact with friends (or strangers), and to share their information with others.

Live Streaming

Why experience the world alone when you can share that experience with hundreds or thousands of other people simultaneously? This is the appeal of one of the latest trends in Social Media: Live Streaming. Live Streaming allows users to broadcast what they are doing while they are doing it to people all over the world. These streams can be limited to followers or subscribed viewers, or these streams can be open to the public for everyone to see. Regardless of the privacy settings of the stream, live streaming can be an exciting way to engage your friends and followers, however there are always risks involved.

Live streaming is, well, live. That means that there is no editing, no censoring, and no mechanism to keep you from doing something you’ll regret and telling the whole world about it. While normal posts on social media give the user a chance to review content before it is shared online, live streaming makes that material accessible in real-time, making it a lot less forgiving than other methods of sharing. Users may give away personal information without thinking about it, say things that they will later regret, or even perform actions that put them at risk of harm or punishment without having a chance to think about the consequences of those actions.

While there are some dangers involved in live streaming, it is also one of the fastest growing methods of content production online right now, so there is a pretty good chance that it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Watching Videos

The internet has become a hub for many new things, but one of the most popular activities online is something that we’ve been doing for decades: watching videos and movies. Consuming video content is a growing trend online with new companies focusing on digital video content and older companies, like Facebook and Instagram, making sure that they are incorporating video into their platforms in a meaningful way. Online videos can be produced by professional studios, much like the entertainment we see on television and in the movies, but these videos are also made by other internet users. This provides an array of content, some of which is not appropriate for all consumers.

While watching videos online parents should be aware that there is not much oversight as to what can be shared in these videos. Online platforms like YouTube and Vimeo do have community standards, however much of the content that is available can be viewed by any user, not just those of the appropriate age. For this reason it is imperative that parents monitor and are aware of what their children as watching online.

Text & Video Messaging

The backbone of Social Media is the relationships that it helps to create and build, and nothing can strengthen a relationship like conversation, which is why apps that allow us to communicate with each other through text, voice, and video will always be around. Even in a world that is obsessed with taking selfies and sharing them with the entire world, the personal conversation is still the most meaningful connection that social media can offer. Though many older users may not agree, texting allows users to communicate complex thoughts and ideas that dramatically impact the relationship between two people. Though words are often shortened to acronyms and the use of the emoji is on the rise, the content of that conversation is still important, and that means that sharing pictures and videos can never replace act of talking to another person.

While the text conversation does allow us to communicate effectively, sometimes we look for a solution that might be a little faster or maybe even a little more personal. That is when we turn to the voice or video conversation.  Obviously the phone allows us to have voice conversations, but there also many apps that give this same functionality, which is great for families who don’t have cell service but do have access to Wireless Internet. Taking it one step further, video chat and calling is one of the most popular forms of communication right now, with apps like Skype and Facetime allowing users to talk to each other, face to face in real time, from anywhere all over the world. Now families can communicate with relatives that live in different places, students can learn remotely, and users can meet and introduce themselves to people without the risk of meeting those individuals in real life. While there can still be risk involved in this form of communication, it is definitely a step in the right direction in a world where meeting people online is becoming more commonplace.

Anonymous Sharing

Social Media tends to lean towards users promoting themselves by showing off with pictures, videos, and content that makes their lives look interesting and engaging to other users, however there is growing popularity for apps and sites that allow users to share content while remaining anonymous. There are a couple of reasons that these apps have become popular. First, some of these apps allow users to share things that might be personal or difficult to talk about without having to be identified as the person who is going through that specific situation. This allows other users to reach out in support and gives the users the ability to talk about something difficult with others, however this doesn’t always go as planned. Many times this anonymous sharing allows other users to reply anonymously as well, which means that users looking for comfort and support might still find themselves on the other side of online attacks or harassment.

Secondly, the anonymity of these apps allows users to share information that might get them into trouble without being in fear of facing those consequences. Users post mean, hurtful, or embarrassing things about others, spread rumors and false accusations, or try to create issues between others by posting material that is intended to look like it was posted by another individual. These types of issues typically manifest in smaller, tight-knit settings like schools, so many students are exposed to this type of behavior.

Finally, anonymous sharing has become a platform for hate speech, allowing users to make comments about religion, race, gender, and other sensitive topics in a way that will upset and anger people without the user having fear of being identified as a person with these beliefs. The ability to propagate hateful belief systems online without having to answer for them allows this ideology to spread without consequence, when often comments that are made would result in punishment in a structured setting if the user was identified.

Photo and Video Sharing