HAMILTON — Fifteen Hamilton High School graduates crossed the stage to collect their diplomas Friday night in a commencement ceremony in the school’s gymnasium.
This is the second installment in a three-part series
Abigail Adamson of Angola, a sophomore at Earlham College, Richmond, watched the recently released documentary The Social Dilemma on the last day of her introduction to social media class this fall. Our teacher would ask for our opinions, said Abigail, 20. She said discussion revolved around how social media changed students lifestyles, how it played into the presidential election and how it incorporated affect theory. Affect theory attempts to categorize humans emotions to predict how they will respond when triggered. We discussed how much misinformation gets spread so quickly, Abigail said.
Virtual universe
Todayâs teenagers represent the first generation to grow up with social media.
On the positive said, social media allows them to meet new people, learn new things, join social groups and follow their role models. But on the neagative side, teachers and youth leaders voice concern that some of the material youth encounter online is misleading and potentially detrimental.
Social media sites like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Skype were launched in the 2000s and followed by other platforms that became popular with teens. Snapchat, which allows users to send instant messages and photos that disappear after they are viewed, is the most popular teen site, according to Statista data. TikTok and Instagram are also heavily used by teenagers, according to statistics.