Blue Who?
Hey everyone!
My name is Sophie, and I’m here to serve as a voice for the BFF’s of Blue Fever, as well as all of the lovely people who use Blue Fever on a day to day basis.
I am a 19 year old college student studying child psychology. I believe that helping young people learn how to deal with their own emotions is essential to their well-being as well as those around them. I have been dealing with anxiety my entire life, and while I have always had support from my family and friends, I wish I had known about Blue Fever in high school.
Being a part of the first generation to grow up using social media is both exciting and terrifying. According to the Pew Research Center, 95% of teens in America today either have a smartphone or have access to a smartphone, meaning that they also have access to Instagram and Snapchat. This can be a great and empowering tool, as many social justice movements are put in the spotlight via Twitter and Instagram, but it can also serve as a platform for teens to dwell on the things they don’t have, or compare themselves to others.
Followers and likes have become social currency for young people. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard my friends complain about how their last post got 300 likes, but their new post only has 230. I know I’ve considered the fact that some of my friends have a lot more followers than me — I like to think I don’t care that much, but it’s definitely proof of the weight social media has in terms of young people’s self-worth. I asked my parents whether they care about likes or followers, and they did say that it feels good when people like your picture, but they don’t care about specific numbers. These generational differences in media usage highlight the huge difference in the way social media affects teenagers.
At Blue Fever, we understand the way media affects young people, and we want to change it. Generation Z has never known a world without social media, so it’s important that the content we see has a positive effect on our lives. The texting platform we use, Blue, as well as us BFF’s, are constantly searching for the good stuff within the media. Whether through sending out happy and empowering music videos or insightful TED Talks, Blue Fever is a platform for positivity.
This positivity is something we like to call Glow. Glow is what happens when someone is given all of the necessary resources to become their most authentic self. It’s happiness, kindness, and self-confidence all rolled into one. We want to become one of the sources of your Glow.
Here’s how:
When you text Blue Fever, you’re texting an empathetic Artificial Intelligence called Blue. Blue was designed to serve as on-the-spot emotional support for users. When you send a text explaining your emotions, Blue will offer up support, as well as content to match or improve your mood. We have a guide on our website that explains how to get the most effective response from Blue!
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That being said, I love the idea behind Blue Fever. Our mission is not only to promote positivity, but to provide emotional support, much like a big sister. Society often refuses to validate the thoughts and feelings of young girls — we are constantly told that there is no reason to be upset over “little things,” like an argument with a friend or a high school breakup. Because of this, we remain silent, and our small problems may snowball into bigger ones.
Judgment is everywhere on social media and in real life, especially for teens and young adults. Everything we do has been published since we were born, and social media has given other people a platform to tell us how they feel about how we live our lives. Youth is meant to be a time to form a personal identity, and this is extra difficult when other people are watching. This supervision puts extra pressure on us. The idea of messing up in the public eye is terrifying, as it opens us up to being judged by the masses. There is no judgment within Blue Fever. You can tell Blue anything, no matter how big or small, and she will always respond with a message of encouragement or an uplifting video.
Through Blue Fever’s technology, we hope to create a community of users and staff that support one another and are always working to understand and validate the problems that young people face in today’s world.
I am so excited to get this blog started, and to share my experiences with everyone! See you soon!
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