Adolescent Interview

Adolescent Interview

Growing Up Digital

Questions and answers

1    Question:  How old are you? 
 Answer:  15

      Question:  What does social media mean to you?
Answer:  A way to communicate and see what others are doing.

      Question:  Do you use social media?  Why or why not?
Answer:  Yes.  Everyone does.  To communicate with my friends, and to know what is going on.

      Question:  What do you use social media for?
Answer:  Post pictures, see what my friends are up to, and to communicate. 

      Question:  What sites do you use?
Answer:  I have a Facebook account- well, everybody has a Facebook account, but I don’t use that much.  I only use Facebook for instant messaging really, and sometimes I post pictures.  If I want to reach out to someone whose number I don’t have, I message them on Facebook.
Instagram and Snapchat are my top two.  EVERYONE uses these.

      Question:  How often do you use social media? 
Answer:  Everyday.

     Question:   How much time a day do you spend on social media?
Answer:  Hmmmm….I don’t really know.  A lot I guess.

     Question:  Does social media make you feel more social?  Connected?
Answer:  I guess.  It’s how we communicate.  So yeah.   

      Question:   Do you think social media can have any adverse effects?

      Answer:  Sometimes I spend too much time on my phone, following others, talking to friends, and then I don’t realize so much time has passed, and sometimes I get behind on other things I have to do.
Sometimes my friends obsess over other people’s posts and pictures- some girls are so mean, and it’s easy to say whatever you want and not care if you hurt anyone else.

      Question:   Is social media used by your school?   Teachers? 
Answer:  The school, yes.  Teachers….none that I have had.

      Question:    How is it used by your school?   Teachers?
Answer:  The school has a Facebook page. 

        The young lady that I interviewed is a neighborhood teen.
I wasn't surprised about her comments on Facebook.  I have been told many times by my college students how Facebook is "old" social media.  However, it is still used
by many.  Although my interviewee did not discuss this, my college students often tell me that Facebook is "too public" and sometimes "too much work," they feel that they have to constantly be checking to see if people tag them in posts, etc.

If I am being honest, I was rather disappointed in the interview.  I thought she would open up more and discuss more with me, but, ironically, she spent most of the time on her phone.....