TikTok - Sephora Leaks, but Gen Z Insight
Today, I came across this article about Sephora and Chipotle using TikTok as a means to a goal, social media influence…In it, there was this paragraph:
“TikTok has been fueled by Generation Z, digital natives that value transparency, authenticity, and online influence. According to a survey conducted by Morning Consult, 86 percent of Americans aged 13 to 38 would like to become a social media influencer, and TikTok, the newest platform in the game, is a channel primed for the taking. It is less saturated than Instagram and YouTube for those who aim to become influencers and more welcoming to quick, replicable content that is easy to produce and make viral.”
I had heard of TikTok and I have no idea if it will rise to sustained prominence OR fall down like others that have come before it (Vine, etc.). But what I get concerned with is the idea that 86% of younger individuals desire to be social media influencers. Note of transparency - why do I write these daily posts? I guess I fall into the somewhat, but I really have two anterior motives that motivate this blog 1) I needed the discipline of paying attention to challenges that different generations face, and 2) identify content for future event ideas. I have not been an influencer as of yet, but that won’t really stop me, because the discipline and info I get is what motivates the creation. Sure would like to have more people see it and find value in our platform, but there are more important things than influencing others - sometimes its about introspection and fueling internal conversations that inform opinions and thoughts in “ourself”.
I worry about the mindset to desire fame / recognition versus working to deliver satisfaction in the work, rather than the result. But this is likely me being a little too old and guarded and we’ll have to see how this tech or others will balance a desire for recognition with a desire for internal growth. In the meantime though, these people are creating some interesting content and internal secrets that open up new opportunities for those that follow these individuals.
What is TikTok?
So as a parent of younger children, navigating the tech landscape is important to me. I have heard mixed things about TikTok, so I looked into it and found this helpful piece on Fosi.org.
It’s a social media platform, created in China and uses short videos of 15 seconds or less. But it is another platform that can open your children up to content that is more explicit and in some cases it can open doors to dangerous people - no different than any other social media platform unfortunately.
It is going to be so hard to police the use of tech for parents, but the more we understand about the platforms our kids use or will use, the more we can help them understand what the potential pitfalls are.
Parven Kaur did a nice job in her post and I will be looking up her info on Kids N Clicks soon (https://kidsnclicks.com/)
Digital World - Opportunities and Threats
Many parents are concerned about the access to information that their kids have at their fingertips on phones, watches, computers, TVs and more. It is amazing what a kid can find and what people produce trying to market to kids today.
This article from 2017 outlines some of these very concerns and opportunities that exist. As with many things, there are countless potential benefits that get balanced out by countless potential threats. How can we as parents help our children navigate the environment and make better decisions.
Lisa Schlein does a nice job laying out some of these things that we parents need to consider - primarily because it will take our intervention, oversight and education to help our kids police “themselves.”
Our kids have access to basically everything under the sun. Have a question? You can find the answer. But you can find a million answers…And many of the answers might be ones you don’t want your child to find or they may indeed be false answers. Then of course there are the nefarious types out there who might be looking to exploit children and their data.
But there are also opportunities for creating and forming healthy new relationships with others from around the world. Remember Pen Pals? Now you can literally talk in real time with a student in another country and spend cents rather than dollars…
https://www.voanews.com/silicon-valley-technology/digital-world-provides-benefits-and-risks-children
