The Formative Nature of Social Media
Our childhood is made up of formative experiences in the early development of millions of people. As someone born in 2001, my upbringing is uniquely situated to have been affected by my parents and schooling as well as the Internet and social media.
Early Life Before Technology
Coming from a middle-class family, the only technology we had in our home was a landline phone, thick television, and my parents’ flip phones. This limited access to technology allowed me to be raised in a way that has formed how I occupy myself and cope with difficulties. I grew up as the youngest of three with two older brothers, so I was constantly surrounded by outdoor activities and sports. If I were doing something else, it was often reading a book or doing schoolwork. These are things that I still value or do to this day. When I have free time, I get more enjoyment from these activities than from any app on my phone. My time in elementary school was free of technology, save a weekly computer class. This class would teach us basic typing and computer use. The limited technology in my early education has developed my current learning style to learn best from in-person learning with paper and pen.
Life With Technology
The first exposure I had to everyday technology was a family laptop that my parents purchased on Christmas around 2008. It was an old Dell that we kept for about 12 years. This gave us a place to use Internet Explorer while it was still relevant; to search items and questions on Google every day; to use Microsoft Word and that special border function that is uniquely Microsoft. Bit by bit, I began to notice technology develop in my life. Flip phones became Blackberries; MP3 players became iPods; thick televisions became flat screens; large desktop computers became laptops. In 2012, I switched schools where I became exposed to SmartBoards and iPads used in school and my personal life with my first iPod.
This is around when I downloaded my first social media app, Instagram around the age of 12. Being exposed to the highlight reel that is Instagram formed my understanding of who I had to be, what I had to look like, and what I had to do. It wasn’t until Instagram created the “hide likes” function that I have been able to take a deep breath and feel more confident on the app. More recently TikTok have been the most impactful social networking site in shaping my thinking. In the last couple of years, TikTok has connected me to people and their experiences around the world. From here I have been able to see firsthand accounts of the Russia-Ukraine war, hurricanes in Florida, and so many more. Lately, my TikTok algorithm has exposed me to cultures from around the world like the Maori people with their haka dance. Without TikTok, I would’ve never been exposed to this kind of information. Without social media and the Internet, my understanding of myself and the world would be vastly different.
