Teens are living a good bit of their lives on social media, What are the advantages and disadvantages of this social phenomenon?

1. “We have technology, finally, that for the first time in human history allows
people to really maintain rich connections with much larger numbers of people.”
--Pierre Omidyar, eBay Founder
The
Handwriting
Wall
on the
The Pros and Cons of Social Media
Use among Teens
© 2013 Prophetik Soul.
“We're lonely, but we're afraid of intimacy. And so from social networks to sociable
robots, we're designing technologies that will give us the illusion of companionship
without the demands of friendship.” — Sherry Turkle

2. Power of Words + Images
prophetiksoul.com
What is a Word?
Sounds connected to some type of grammatical structure.
•According to the Bible, God uses words to create
objects (referents).
•According to scientists and linguists, babies
associate the words they hear with an object
(referent).
We focus on what is said and who said it.
Credibility anchors grammatical structure.
“Speech requires a clearly defined syntax which allows us to articulate
propositions of truth and falsity.”-Sol Worth, Artist

3. Power of Words + Images
prophetiksoul.com
What is an Image?
Modern images are socially constructed artifacts without a
clearly defined syntax.
“Words can state what is. Pictures can not.”
Question:
Is the sun in the picture rising and setting?

4. Power of Words + Images
prophetiksoul.com
Images imply that you are only
a receiver while speech implies
listening and dialogue.
Therefore, images cannot
function like speech and
language.
Since images can limit our
vocabulary, they can’t be
neutral.
“I have 1000 friends and feel more alone
than ever.”—Lisa Simpson
http://frenemyclothing.com/the-truth-behind-the-swastika/

5. Power of Words + Images
prophetiksoul.com
The 3 musicians
Picasso
1921
Written language is
unidimensional. Language
interprets images, not
vice versa. When
constraints are removed,
Cohesiveness
collapses
Rise of
Image
Images are multidimensional because there
may be no clear hierarchy.
It uses perspective,
metaphor, depth, texture,
subject matter, etc. This
makes it easy to
misinterpret, accept
someone’s interpretation or
multiple interpretations.
Relativity
M. C.
Escher
1953.

6. Rise of the Image Culture
prophetiksoul.com
What is an Image Culture?
Visuals that emphasize narratives especially in
art/commerce and literature.
•Globalization
(decentralized power, borderless
multinational companies)
•Invention of computing technology
(fragmentation; faster spread of
innovation and ideas)
• Growing importance of media
http://www.cruiserblvd.com/1956-10.aspx
What industries rely solely on storytelling?

7. Growing Power of Media Influence
prophetiksoul.com
Radio
38 yrs to reach 50 million people
TV
13 years to reach 50 million people
Internet
4 years to reach 50 million people
iPod
3 years to reach 50 million people
Facebook
2 years to reach 50 million people
Google plus 1 year to reach 50 million people
Data excerpts from Did You Know 3.0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmwwrGV_aiE

8. Social Media
prophetiksoul.com
The image culture IS the social media universe!
"Additional perils to the self and more indirect harms to
others arise when youth's identities become deeply
fragmented, when self reflection is overshadowed by self
promotion, or when the youth become overly dependent on
the feedback of others."
--Young People, Ethics, and the New Digital Media: A Synthesis
from the Good Play Project, p.28
Information and images move faster obscuring our ability to
decipher the context or meaning. So we choose amusement.
A= non; not
MUSE= think

9. Social Media Exercise
prophetiksoul.com

14. Positive Social Media Effects
prophetiksoul.com
http://cooltownstudios.com/2009/04/08/crowdsourcing-101/
•
Digital natives
Finding new ways to communicate via multimedia and create/post content;
comfortable with technological change.
•
Collaboration
Rise of crowdsourcing and consensus.
•
Mobility
Instant access to information and the ability to act/produce quickly anywhere.

15. Negative Social Media Effect
Tribal Instincts: Autonomous
mentality
prophetiksoul.com
•
Rise of social Darwinism (online bullying)
•
Branding mentality (image management)
•
Blurring of public/private boundaries
Q: Should there be laws against
online bullying?
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/03/12/14-year-olds-suicide-puts-spotlight-on-onlinebullying-dangers/
Something to think about:
How does online tracking by
companies affect teens?

16. Negative Social Media Effect
Sensory Overload: Low discernment
prophetiksoul.com
•
Decline in convictions and morality
•
Misunderstanding of freedom/rights
•
YOLO: (Spiritual dullness)
Q: Should a teen be punished for
intent or for the actual crime?
http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Mayor-Nutter-Proposes-Permanent-Curfew130355898.html
Something to think about:
How does celebrity culture contribute
to YOLO?

17. Negative Social Media Effects
Superficiality: Lack of depth
prophetiksoul.com
•
Skewed understanding of productivity
•
Obliviousness and self referential
(language and codeswitch deficit)
•
Unrealistic expectations in life
(augmented and virtual realities)
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/32657885/ns/technology_and_sciencetech_and_gadgets/#.Ur3yBNJDv60
Q: When is it not okay to video
someone?
http://crazyhyena.com/people-nowadays-drowning-man-taking-photos_en

18. Practical Suggestions
What is the handwriting on the wall?
prophetiksoul.com
REALIGN
REFLECT
REDIRECT
Slowly orient students
away from dysfunctional
productivity and
idleness by realigning
them with foundational
and interactive
communal learning
and character building
activities.
Show students new
ways to use social
media in relation to
assignments and
managing relationships
that involves critical
thinking.
Show students how
their use of social media
can help them and
others at different
transitions in their life
(moving, college, crisis,
etc.)

19. References
prophetiksoul.com
Slide 2:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/32510428532294614/
Slide 4:
http://frenemyclothing.com/the-truth-behind-the-swastika/
Slide 6:
http://www.cruiserblvd.com/1956-10.aspx
Slide 17:
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/32657885/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/#.Ur3yBNJDv60
http://crazyhyena.com/people-nowadays-drowning-man-taking-photos_en