In an era when many frequent users of social media have grown weary of being constantly “observed”, commodified, data mined, and subjected to the scrutiny of thousands of online onlookers, we have anecdotally seen a significant trend in the number of older teens who are seeking refuge in tighter-knit and more scaffolded online platforms and communities. Today, older teens have learned through personal experience and digital literacy education how to overcome, improvise, and adapt their use of technology to meet their personal needs.
Older teens are now allocating more time to focused online private and scaffolded niche communities such as those offered on platforms like Discord and Twitch, compared to the traditional public-facing social media platforms like Meta or YouTube, why? – heightened privacy, no algorithmic bias, no advertising from vendors who want to sell them stuff, no pressure to amass a large following, and the ability to connect with those who share similar interests. The reason for this shift – teens are seeking online connections that are not public-facing and facilitate real-life community building with like-minded individuals without the need to prove anything to anyone.
Although teens may continue to use Instagram or TikTok for entertainment or to keep up with their favorite celebrities and influencers, or turn to YouTube to acquire new skills, older teens appreciate the fact that brands, social media influencers, and marketers cannot easily penetrate the digitally scaffolded communities where they now invest a significant portion of their time, unless they receive an invitation from the community.
Social media platforms once promised to connect us to the world, which it did, but the public exposure of these social media platforms led to a level of public scrutiny that many older teens no longer want or are interested in. Today’s teen wants to keep their accomplishments, failures, and personal moments less public, yet still have the ability to leverage them publicly when needed for personal benefit such as job opportunities.
After a decade of sharing our most intimate moments publicly in the bustling public squares of traditional social media platforms, the pendulum is swinging back. Older teens are becoming more discerning about their online communities and are reverting to a more community-based niche mode of online interaction that is far less public-facing.
In this ubiquitous evolving digital landscape of today’s onlife world, the emergence of older teens seeking refuge in scaffolded, tightly knit, private online communities reflects a profound shift in their approach to social media and online interactions. The draw of heightened privacy, freedom from algorithmic bias, and the absence of intrusive advertising has led them to favor more digitally scaffolded spaces over the bustling public squares of traditional social media platforms. Their desire for authentic connections with like-minded individuals, unburdened by the pressure to amass followers, illustrates a longing for genuine community connectivity and interaction in the onlife world of older teens.
This transformation marks a departure from the era of relentless self-exposure for the purposes of “likes” and “follows” and prompts us to ponder the future implications of this change. Will this shift towards smaller, more focused scaffolded communities foster healthier online experiences, or does it carry the risk of insulating individuals within echo chambers? Will this shift promote an increase in online predation and exploitation that can be more focused? Will teens still understand that even when participating in these scaffolded communities what they post can still become public, permanent, searchable, exploitable, copiable, and shareable by other participants who may want to weaponize their postings? Only time will tell the true impact of this online paradigm shift with older teens, but one thing is certain – it promises to be an intriguing shift to observe as digital literacy and internet safety advocates as it continues to unfold and evolve.
Irrespective of whether this paradigm shift brings positive or negative consequences, it’s clear to us that based on the anecdotal experience we have working with older teens, the era of social media’s “public square” is gradually fading away, particularly among older teenagers, ushering in a new era of “authentic” online sharing within scaffolded digital communities!
Would love to hear your opinions…
Digital Food For Thought
The White Hatter
