With the endless amounts of apps and websites for use, you may be concerned with how your teenager actually uses them. Words like trending, going viral, gifs, memes, or microblogging will continue to come across as new digital knowledge that you may not have been privy to just yet. Although microblogging is nothing new, you just may not have realized that you probably have been doing it along.
Microblogging is defined as the activity or practice of making short, frequent posts to a microblog. You might be thinking to yourself
that makes total sense but what is a microblog?
The short answer is if you are posting on Facebook you are microblogging. Your status update on Facebook is considered a microblog. Other apps that are popularly used for microblogging are Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and StumbleUpon.
The main intent for these apps is to connect people together through posting pictures, videos, and information about what is going on in their life. The apps and websites have now evolved into the use of marketing themselves for professional reasons which directs customers or members to another website to make use of the products or services being offered. Hence the name microblogging was formulated to make this type of marketing seem more proficient with a personal touch.
While the name may have a skilled approach to its comprehension, if your teen is posting on social media in any capacity they are basically microblogging. You may be wondering if you should be worried or not, so here are the pros and cons for you to better understand what you are up against with microblogging.
Pros
Teenagers have a way to express themselves creatively, personally, and comically through writing, videos, and pictures. They can also keep up with other friends, the news, celebrity news, and other things that interest them while sharing tidbits of significance to them. This also gives you an opportunity to talk to them about your standards and expectations in how you wish them to dignify themselves to others digitally, as well as in person.
Cons
Teens can get caught up in subjects that are not age-appropriate for them such as pornography and R-rated material. Websites such as Tumblr are meant to be hip and creative but can often turn raunchy in the search engine that readily will show images and videos depicting sex and drug usage. There is also the ability to spend too much time microblogging instead of doing the things that they are accountable for such as chores or homework.
Overall as a parent, you should not be too worried about microblogging until your adolescent gives you a reason to be. With anything, they need your guidance and direction to make good decisions pertaining to microblogging.
Stonewater Adolescent Recovery Center offers nationally accredited academic curriculum to give our clients a chance at gaining an education while building a foundation with their sobriety. Our Academic Advisor can meet with you to create an academic plan for your teenage son and ensure balance will be captured with their therapeutic load.
Call us today to start living your recovery: 662-598-4214