Keeping up with the Zoomers (blog post 3)

Even though I technically am a zoomer—I was born on January 3^rd, 1997—I have never been all that interested in social media. I have a Facebook, but even before it was invaded by the Boomers, I almost never posted anything. I also had an Instagram for a little bit, and maybe posted a picture of my dogs once or twice a year. I have just never seen the appeal; if someone wants to know what I’m up to, they can come talk to me in person. Because of this, I have even less social media know-how then the boomers; at least they know how to use Facebook! Maybe I am secretly part of the silent generation?

An accurate representation of how I feel when I talk about my lack of social media skills.

However, as was pointed out in class on the afternoon of day 2, most of my younger peers in Gen Z live and breathe social media. Being able to form genuine connections with my students is very important to me, and I realize social media is how many teens connect. In order to better connect with my students and protect my identity, I am planning on re-opening my social media accounts. I will mainly post on Instagram, because taking pictures is easy. Especially pictures of my extremely photogenic dogs.

If I was half as photogenic as my dog, I might be more into social media!

I realize that teachers posting on social media can be cringe (especially if they don’t know how to use it), but I am planning on leaning into it. Even though I couldn’t care less about fake internet points, I am willing to try if it will make my students happy. 

Sources: 

Social media use by demographics: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/

Social media use in 2021: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/04/07/social-media-use-in-2021/