At my library, we do not have any "teen" staff, but because of expressed interest from patrons, I am thinking of introducing some tween/teen programming this fall. I currently work with ages 2 to 10, so I took this opportunity to read about Gen Z and their relationship with technology and the Internet, in hopes of learning more about Gen Z's interests.
The Articles
The first article I read was an essay by teenager Taylor Fang in the MIT Technology Review. Taylor wrote about how teenagers use social media to create and shape their sense of self. Adults don't realize that teenagers use social media to help them make sense of the world around them. Teenagers approach social media through a creative lens. Taylor talked about the use of Finstas and selfies as a means of creative expression. I never heard of a selfie being compared to Frida Kahlo painted self-portraits before!
The second article I read was about what Gen Z is watching online by Mikey Dunn on the website socialmediatoday.com. 85% of teenagers watch Youtube, and vloggers are the most popular content on the website. It's so popular that now children aspire to be vloggers when they grow up instead of astronauts. The trend seems to be that teens like shorter, purpose-created content, which is why TikTok is now so popular. Additionally, Gen Z seeks out authentic, relevant content.
My Thoughts
The first article did surprise me. I often think of how social media is used to put pressure on teenagers to fit in. I very rarely think of it as a positive, that teenagers can use it to help express and find their true selves. Teenagers have been growing up with this technology (unlike any other generation); therefore, it make sense that their relationship with it is different than my own. It's also nice to look at the positives of social media for a change, when the world tends to highlight negativity. The second article reaffirmed information I learned when looking at educational studies. Teenagers love Youtube! It still surprises me. I like how they seek out authentic content. It very mature in my opinion.
So how can I use this information? The first thing I thought of was individuality. Teenagers use technology to express themselves. An idea I have for a program was where teenagers can create vision boards (both physical and virtual). This would allow them to cultivate their own collages and express themselves.Additionally, I was thinking of doing a tween book club. I could use short Youtube videos or TikToks as supplement to the discussion. Knowing this information can also help me improve on my reader's advisory for young adult books.
The most important thing I learned in this module was that authenticity matters. In order to build up a teen presence at the library, teenagers need to be interact with someone who isn't "putting it on". Teens can pick up on fake. They will gravitate to programs that matter to them or have purpose, so it is important for librarians to keep up with trends and popular subjects.
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