However, the very first result that came up on my search was Teens Talk Back Videos This website was full of videos teenagers had made regarding their opinions and experiences with issues such as: cyber bullying, social media, friendships, meeting people from the internet, posting inappropriate photos online, relationships, broken promises etc. Basically anything a teenager may have to deal, these teenagers have posted a video for it. There's this preconceived idea that teenagers don't care and have no opinions and that issues like this do not concern them. However, this website proves otherwise. This website shows that teenagers are interested in what goes on and (unlike adults may think) can carry on intelligent conversations about serious issues. They have opinions and teenagers relate to other teenagers.
I also found this Dear Abby news article as I was searching. In her letter to "Dear Abby" this teen girl was talking about conforming to her parents religion. However, I thought the way she said "I don't understand why adults tell me to be an independent thinker, to embrace myself, and then put me down for not conforming. Why is it outrageous to come to your own conclusions, speculate, challenge accepted ideas..." This girl is absolute correct. Parents and society are always trying to tell teenagers be who you want to be, express yourself...just do it in a way that fits into society's norm. You want to to challenge the accepted idea? Sure! Just don't challenge it publicly where you'll be considered outside of what is considered "normal" or accepted. The girl then goes on to say that parents want their children to smile and nod and be that "normal" accept all society says so they can have the "superficial satisfaction" of saying they raised their child correctly when all the while the parent is being challenged and nothing is really as it seems.
THOUGHTS:
I think sometimes "adults" forget that they were once teenagers (which ties into our course assumption: teenagers are not some alien life form.) Adults move on from that "phase" in their life and forget that they once lived through and faced the same challenges. Technically at 20 I'm considered an adult but I look back at "being a teenager" as if I still am one.
Comments for Class:
I'm interested to see what everyone else found. I'm interested to see if others found the same results I did, parenting websites and such, as the first results.
As you know (having linked my blog), I found similar search results and looked at various other sites (Urban Dictionary, Tumblr, and Youtube, for example) to see what teens had to say.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I think a lot of adults forget what their teenage years were like. Memories change as people age, and oftentimes are glamorized. Plus, teen culture may have been a bit different when they were growing up (depending on whether they were born before mass marketing to youth and the development of the "teenager"). But I'm 21 and I, too, still feel like a "teen" in many ways.
Great job on you post!
Great post!
ReplyDeleteI wish I had as much luck as you did finding some stuff.
I had such a hard time it was even funny at the end of it all.
But yes great finding and agree about teens breaking down stereotypes with those videos to show how they care and how they can carry themselves in conversations, also how smart they are about topics that "adults" think they are not.