Keywords 2019 "What are some keywords that come to mind when we think about adolescent health?" A COLLECTION OF WRITING AND CREATIONS BY YORK UNIVERSITY'S TEACHER CANDIDATES
DR. JEN GILBERT, EDFE 1101.
2019
Keywords Magazine 2019 Dr. Jen Gilbert
6ixbuzz Academic Anxiety Adderall Adolescence as Fluid Adolescent Social Development All-Gender Washrooms All-Nighter Anorexia Nervosa Anxiety Disorders Apathy Athletics Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Awkward Awkwardness Behaviour Body Dysmorphia Body Dysmorphic Disorder Body Dysmorphic Disorder Booty Bullying Bullying Call of duty Carefree Celebrity Worship Childhood Trauma Child/Sexual Grooming Comedic Internet Memes Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Cultural Identity Dieting Dummy THICC e-Sports Family Finstagram Fitness Fortnite Gaming Addiction Gang Affiliation Hookups
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Sabrina Otello Sienna Amaral Alexander Geddes Agnes Ndualu-Masilu Nicole Bern Lisa Conte Veronica Vacca Sherry Iskander Dora Spagnuolo Alexandra Haberfellner Brianna Leclerc Iqbal Wehliye Naduni Kurukulasooriya Jordan Batty Edward Parnell Eva Lombardi Aqeel Ahmad Emina Gladstone Alexandra Robino Cathy Caufin Geon-Mo (Ed) Song Jasmine Dyer Erica Ferlisi Jonathon Nicholson Odette Miranda Beatrice Sohler Liam Beal Marilu Potestio Farkhunda Muhtaj Yae (Carrie) Lee Kevin-Jay Arizo Dayna Densmore Rebekah Walker Justin Cheung Julia Augurusa Damiana Piroli Nicholas Maringola Sabriyya Bacchus Vanessa Pellerino
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Idle no More Influencer Instagram Instagram Instagram Instagram Instagram Instagram Instagram Instagram Instagram Engagement iPhone the Joker Juul Kim Kardashian Kylie Jenner League of Professional Gaming Loner Maple Leafs Marijuana Media/Social Media Meme Memes Memes Mental Health in Adolescents Non-Binary Paid Posts on Instagram Panic Attack Parental Pressure Peer Pressure Performance Photoshop Preferred Pronouns Prejudice and Identify Puberty Racism Resiliency Rough-housing Seeking Self-Esteem Self-Image Sexting Sexting Sexual Identity Shame Slut-Shaming Snapchat Snapstreak Social Anxiety
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Madeline Barker Megan Stevens Andrew Nazir Alondra del Carmen Ayshah Kazi Kanchan Issar Marissa Di Taranto Raemyn Cheema Sabrina Falco Tiana Napolitano Lisa Bialy Sid Patel Shabir Salihi Christina Giovannoni Alessia Spidalieri Elisa Iacono Aidan Chang James Fawcett Connor Rutledge Kristian Tuerke Angela Cardillo Emma Valent Christien Rivard Ana-Marie Todoric Angela Gordon Samantha Hacking Aaliya Bhayat Alana Gnida Nia Ghomashchi Justin Ross Emily Chen Daniella Mazzon Danielle van Voorst Matthew Healy Stephan Figueira Jonathon Bhana Adrian Rosanova Brandon Kharazmi Natalie Pawarroo Sarah Zimbalatti Krista Deda Nicole Paggiossi Kaya Ratnasabapathy Georgia Venianakis Salesha Karim-Picco Kayla Hefford Silkyn Graham Josh Ublansky Billy Cheng
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Social Comparison Social Media Influencer Social Media Influencer Squad Stress Stress Suicide Test Anxiety Thirst Trap TikTok TikTok TikTok TikTok Transgenderism Truancy Vape Vaping Vaping Videogames Virtual Reality VSCO VSCO Girl Weight-Lifting Well-being Whip and Nae Nae Woke Yes Theory Youth Suicide
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Veronica Rocha Carin Isa Emily Lam Julia Frank Jael Yuzon Michael Spencer Melissa Hall Lana Sleek Jessica Perkins Santina Sandra Giuliano Stefanie Fellin Victoria Elliott Victoria Mclaughlin Megdelyn Jang-Naruse Salvatore Scala Natalie Nanton Caleb Shin Julia Giacolone Michael Cacoilo Andrew Bundas Tirzah Cha Hala Hassan Monica Nunno Holly Mcmillan Jordan Kaefer Phillippe Korola Moses Viveiros Simon Passant
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6ixbuzz
Sabrina Otello
The word 6ixbuzz is defined by the Urban Dictionary as “A very popular Instagram entertainment and meme page dedicated to the urban culture in Toronto and the GTA. While the page promotes a lot of popular rappers from Toronto, 6ixbuzztv often features senseless videos consisting of primitive youth (and also adults) engaging in obscene interactions whilst shouting out the phrase 6ixbuzz.”. Why I chose to associate the word 6ixbuzz with adolescence and health is because social media has a huge influence on teens in the 21st century. 6ixbuzz is comparable to a middle-age man/woman’s CP24. Everything that is going on in the Greater Toronto Area could be found posted on 6ixbuzz during real-time. Adolescents find out the news on 6ixbuzz before CP24 because of the easy access to social media and the large role it plays in an adolescent’s life. I chose this word because of something that was posted on 6ixbuzz recently. Gabriel Berardo from Vaughn Ontario, discusses how people do not have the time to sit and watch the news and 6ixbuzz tells them the news faster than the news channels themselves. He argues that since teens are usually on their phones and social media we go to 6ixbuzz and watch the news on Instagram more than we watch the news on TV. This word is central to the study of adolescence because we are living in a new period of time, social media is one of the major influences on adolescents. 6ixbuzz is changing the impact of social media and its uses. 6ixbuzz not only posts people engaging in obscene actions but it also is delivering news about politics, events going on in the city, education, elections, etc. In the photograph, I associate with 6ixbuzz I included three recent posts, these posts discuss a variety of relevant issues across the city such as the housing market, elections, and Toronto culture. 6ixbuzz is more than just a meme page, it is a method for making adolescents aware of what is going on in the city around them in a way that is convenient and accessible to them. Hong argues “Today, the internet is a major source from which people obtain new information. According to a recent survey conducted by Pew Research (2010), the internet has surpassed newspapers in terms of popularity as a platform and ranks just behind television” (69). Social media is taking over and becoming adolescents’ main source of information. It may be a new avenue for young people who have the right to vote to engage in the voting process because of the easy access to understanding the candidates and their voting messages. Politics on 6ixbuzz. 6ixbuzz is popularizing voting by posting information on the elections and what is happening. In an interview with the creator of 6ixbuzz, he says “People are watching this shit like CP24”. I argue although 6ixbuzz attracts youth to posting crazy stuff they deem as funny it has made a shift in the past year and it is posting things that are now educating the youth today in a way that is relevant and important to them. In the interview conducted with the creator of 6ixbuzz, it was concluded that “we have a plethora of knowledge available to us now, so it’s a matter of how we are identifying it” and we can identify this knowledge through 6ixbuzz. It is a new outlet of education for adolescents. For more information check out: the Social Media Adoption of News. Twitter taking over the newspaper.
Academic Anxiety Sienna Amaral (214813448)! Academic Anxiety is a current issue in todays society, specifically affecting adolescence in both high school and university. This form of anxiety is affecting students mental state as education is demanding as they pursue their futures. Anxiety is the feeling of constant worry which can create uneasiness to both mental and physical state, which may lead to more serious issues like panic attacks and depression. The transition stage known as ‘adolescence’ is a crucial stage in individual development, thus puts negative pressures on students mental state which can interfere with the well-being, social-life, academic performance and development of social-skills. Anxiety can lead to impairment of memory and cognitive functions which contributes to academic failure (Hooda, 2017). More and more adolescence each year are facing anxiety, specifically academic anxiety as they are pressured to be successful. This pressure is caused by money, parents, and mentors, as well as caused from the individuals themselves as they strive to do the best that they can. Many adolescence today have a fear of failure as the academic system in both high school and university are too demanding. As the students see their success as important, many students put their school work and assignments before their mental stability. As education is difficult and time management is a difficult skill to master, students begin to lose their mental selves in order to keep up with their educational demands. Students today are putting their education before their mental stability which is affecting their grades, as they are constantly worrying about keeping up with school. Anxiety is a normal thing for adolescence to have as the pressures of school are mentally exhausting and take a toll on both mental and physical state. Anxiety completely takes over the mind and as well as issues in the body, as anxiety leads to breathing issues, high blood pressure, fatigue, headaches, and stress induced stomach problems. (Cherney, 2018). As anxiety in young individuals are increasing, the education system has learned to adapt by integrating support/child and youth workers into schools for students to reach out too. Programs are being offered in universities on mental health and time management in order to guide students through their issues. Young individuals with anxiety are going on antidepressant medication instead of learning how to deal with stress naturally through, breathing exercises, the power of positive self-talk, healthy nutrition, yoga, sleep, and more (Flannery, 2018). Academic anxiety is a central word to the study of adolescence as anxiety is becoming a larger issues found in young adults and many studies are recognizing the academics are leading adolescence down a mentally dark path. Anxiety is a word which has lead phycologists in the right direction to understanding the young adult mind and why anxiety is becoming more prominent in more adolescence today. For more information: Cherney, K. (2018, July). Affects of Anxiety on the Body. Retrieved October 25, 2019, from https:// www.healthline.com/health/anxiety/effects-on-body#1#1. Flannery, M. (2019, June 18). The Epidemic of Anxiety Among Today's Students. Retrieved July 25, 2019, from http://neatoday.org/2018/03/28/the-epidemic-of-student-anxiety/ Hooda, M., & Saini, A. (n.d.). Academic Anxiety: An Overview. Retrieved October 25, 2019, from https:// www.researchgate.net/publication/327281370_Academic_Anxiety_An_Overview.
Keyword on Adolescence – Alexander Geddes Adderall Commonly prescribed for children or teens with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), Adderall has become known as the “study drug” for high school students. Adderall falls under the drug class of Amphetamines and allows users to have greater focus in addition to less fatigue. Consequently, students who have ADHD can find Adderall beneficial as it can help increase their concentration during school. Conversely, those who do not have ADHD have begun to take the drug in order to increase their focus as well. In 2009 5% of American high school students were using Adderall without a prescription. The initial 5% jumped to 7% in 2013 and now has once again risen with 10% of American high school students using Adderall without a prescription. While the abuse of Adderall may appear isolated to America, the problem has spread to Europe as well. A study has shown that 1 in 7 teens in the United Kingdom admitted to taking Adderall (or similar Amphetamines) during their final exams. Consequently, no matter where the location, Amphetamine abuse among teens is growing rapidly. Clearly Adderall abuse is on the rise amongst teens but is it actually making an impact on their grades? In his article Health Wise: "Study Drugs" Don't Help With Studying, Michael Bratsis states that, “study drugs do not enhance learning or thinking abilities when taken by people who do not have learning difficulties” (Bratsis, 12). Furthermore, Bratisis’s paper goes on to state, “High school students who abuse stimulants have lower GPAs than students who don’t” (Bratsis, 12). As such, while many high school students may be taking Adderall as a quick fix to boost their grades, it may actually be doing the opposite. As I have described how widespread the use of Adderall is and how it is rapidly growing, the option of taking Adderall can now be seen as a critical part of a student’s high school experience. With the rapid growth and availability of the drug it is likely that most, if not many, high school students will either be offered or could easily find Adderall. This must be taken seriously as Adderall in itself is highly addictive and can lead to much harder drug use such as cocaine or opiate addiction. The growing use of Adderall can also be used to create new vantages of study regarding adolescent health. Mainly, I believe that the rise of Adderall use can be seen as a symptom of “convenience culture” amongst teens. “Convenience culture” refers to the ease of use that technology has brought to teens, as any information they could ever want is now at their fingertips with little hard work required. Adderall can be seen as a symptom of this “convenience culture” as it acts as a quick fix for students who do not want to put serious time and effort into their studies. Students may ask themselves, “why would I pay attention in class every day when I can learn all the information in three hours after taking Adderall and studying quickly?”. As such, Adderall offers an insight on how the growing “convenience culture” and the laziness that has come with this culture may be beginning to have serious implications other than simple laziness. Consequently, to combat the rising use of Adderall, one may first have to tackle the larger idea of “convenience culture”. More Information: Bratsis, Michael E. “Health Wise: ‘Study Drugs’ Don't Help With Studying.” The Science Teacher, vol. 82, no. 8, 2015, pp. 12–12. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43683332. Joe Rogan discusses Adderall (3mins): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adsFem1UH-I
Agnes Ndualu-Masilu Prof. Gilbert EDFE1101 – Adolescent Development & Health October 28th 2019 The concept of adolescence as fluid. The topic of adolescence has been an ongoing discussion for many years. Adolescence in itself is easily one of the most confusing times in a person’s life. Many changes occur not only physically, mentally but socially as well. The concept of adolescence itself has a history; our understanding of the concept of adolescence reflects historical shifts (The rise of social media, the idea of coming of age, marking plot behind the “teenager”, etc). The keyword I chose is “Fluidity”. According to the Cambridge Webster dictionary, fluidity is defined as the quality of being likely to change repeatedly and unexpectedly (Fluidity, Cambridge University). The world fluidity is something that I have personally heard often when talking about the adolescent and adolescence as a concept. Historically, we have treated adolescents the same and have adapted this “general guide” as to how adolescents should act, feel, think by a certain time frame when that is simply not the case. Seeing the concept of adolescence as being fluid is a perfect way to allow the adolescent to live and go through this “coming of age” freely without being constricted, alienated or made seem like they have a problem. In the lecture, Professor Gilbert discussed the different benefits of viewing adolescence as a fluid concept. One of them included allowing the adolescents to grow up without these preconceived notions that all adolescents should be, learn and develop the same way and if they do not fit in that category they are deemed “underdeveloped” which in turn ostracizes them (Gilbert). Furthermore, this word opens up a discussion on sexual fluidity during adolescence. During high school, many students start to question their sexuality with fear that they cannot explore without being categorized, labeled and put into a box. When studying adolescence and health, accepting this greater appreciation and awareness of sexual fluidity during adolescence is critical for creating healthy communication that these are normal sexual responses rather than being deviant (Diamond, 2018). To conclude, adolescence is a process of becoming, this process is different for everyone; It is a developmental process of working through endocrinological, physical, psychological, neurological change in the context of the wider social and cultural pressures (Waddell, 2018). Knowing this, viewing adolescence as a fluid and elusive entity gives these kids an open and safe space to experiment and go about their growth and development in their way without being labeled as weird, underdeveloped, abnormal, etc. It also helps the educators change the way they used to go about managing and helping the adolescents feel comfortable to go through this “change” without feeling judged or even abnormal. References “FLUIDITY: Meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary.” Cambridge Dictionary, dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/fluidity. Gilbert, Jen. Lecture. Adolescent Development & Health. York University, Toronto. October 7th 2019 Waddell, Margot. On Adolescence, Routledge, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/york/detail.action?docID=5426767. Diamond, Lisa. Sexual Fluidity, Harvard University Press, 2008.
ADOLESCENT SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT -NICOLE BERN Throughout this write-up, we will be looking into the key aspects of social and emotional development and how these two correspond with adolescence as a whole. Social and emotional development are quite very similar to each other. For example, both emotional regulation (to remain in tact with your emotions) vs. emotional expression (the efficiency of communication regarding emotions) are both influential for a successful and inter personal relationship with whomever. The advanced cognitive development not only enhances the quality of interpersonal relationships, but also enables the youth to understand the needs, the qualities, the emotions and the motivations of others surrounding them. Of course, there is absolutely no surprise regarding the student’s/youth’s emotions, consciousness, thoughts and most importantly, their identities turn to a more complex theme during their period of adolescence, as their personal and social relationships become more complicated. Through time, adolescents will start to form numerous different types of relationships, where all in which, some are quite more deeply involved as well as some are more emotionally intimate than others. Throughout the children’s younger stages, the social surrounding is more over the following: the family, a few friends, a couple of good teachers and maybe another coach/ adult mentor. However to contrast, during the adolescence stage, social media and social networking becomes a crucial aspect in which expanding socially and communicatively plays a huge role in society. Teenagers have to include more people, take into consideration the differentiation in relationships, resulting in a dramatic change regarding the quality and the quantity of social relationships and interactions. When a child is younger, a child will oftentimes address peers as “a friend or a buddy”, however this later develops into a cognitive state of mind where the child develops into a maturing and transitions into an adolescent sense, where the child is able to differentiate between friends vs. acquaintances vs. enemies. Similarly, youth develop a capacity to re-create a closer, more intimate relationship with others. They begin to form attachments in romance, have a desire to form a romantic relationship, the concept of sex and attraction and sometimes, the questioning of one’s self sexual orientation and gender identity. New communication technology allows students to create and maintain networks in many different ways. Through email, chats, texts, social media (Instagram, Facebook, Whatsapp, Snapchat, etc), they have dramatically expanded the complexity as well as the connectivity that students have towards each other. For example, it changes the way that the youth connect with one another, it increases the quality and the quantity of time by staying connected with other peers and lastly, this corresponds to the idea of what it truly takes to be a good “friend”. It is always possible to start and have a health “virtual” relationship without having face to face personal experiences. Citations: Academic: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hccc-ss-152-1/chapter/social-development/ Non- Academic: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/teen/Pages/Stages-of-Adolescence.aspx
All-Gender Washroom
Lisa Conte, York University
is an All-Gender WhatWhat is an All-Gender Washroom? An all-gender washroom is exactly what Washroom? sounds like:washroom it’s a washroom that Anit all-gender is exactly anyone can use, regardless of their what it sounds like: it’s a washroom gender identity. that anyone can use, regardless of Instead of using a male or female symbol, the one used is a toilet – because everyone uses the toilet.
Everyone needs to use the washroom, regardless of whether one identifies as a male or a female. But what happens to those who do not fit the gender binary? Adolescence who identify as transgender, non-binary, or gender-fluid, for example, may not feel comfortable using a washroom intended for either men or women. "Single-sex public washrooms are often sites of violence and discomfort for gender-fluid, trans and other students. Designating gender-inclusive washrooms is an important step in creating safer schools and encouraging respect for sex and gender diversity." – Lauren Bialystok, University of Toronto, OISE professor This may inadvertently cause medical concerns for those who do not use the washroom regularly throughout the day. This is part of the reason why all-gender washrooms are important to the health of adolescence. Similarly, the inclusion of all-gender washrooms in schools could have positive effects on the mental well-being of LGBTQIA+ students, in that the inclusion of them helps to affirm and validate these students’ gender identity as being one that is equally important to the traditional binary.
Recently, more and more schools in Ontario have been implementing all-gender washrooms in their facilities to promote inclusiveness and to affirm LGBTQIA+ students of their validity. This move has brought mixed responses from parents and communities across Canada. The inclusion of all-gender washrooms can be considered an excellent start to the acceptance of gender non-conforming adolescence in schools and opens up new vantages for the study of adolescence. The inclusion of all-gender washrooms teaches the teens attending schools that there is more than two genders and that it is more than okay to identify outside the binary. To those who do identify with the binary it helps to teach about gender identity and is a starting point for discussing respect about one’s sexual and gender identity at this point in life. Similarly, the inclusion of allgender washrooms in schools promotes an overall sense of acceptance, regardless of where you choose to go to the washroom.
Further reading: Heath Fogg Davis (2018) Why the “transgender” bathroom controversy should make us rethink sex-segregated public bathrooms, Politics, Groups, and Identities, 6:2, 199216, DOI: 10.1080/21565503.2017.1338971 Springer. "Gender-affirming restrooms recommended for schools: Bathroom safety for trans students significantly impacts their overall school security, self-esteem and grades." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 30 March 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/17033 0092744.htm>. Ritchie, K. (2017, March 8). Toronto schools open gender-free washrooms. Retrieved from https://nowtoronto.com/lifestyle/education/toron to-schools-open-gender-free-washrooms/.
Images by Lucy Wang
All-nighter Veronica Vacca An all-nighter, as officially defined by the Oxford Dictionary, is the activity or event which takes place continuously through the night. All-nighters, especially among adolescents, can be linked to a number of factors: anxiety, stress, social media, binge watching, insomnia, depression, partying, or educational difficulties (to name a few). Adolescents, particularly due to anything from the changes in their hormone levels to the changes in their social environment, are more prone to experiencing these types of things. As a result, in addition to the negative impact all-nighters can have on one’s self, it is evident as to why all-nighters are central to the study of adolescence and health. When the scope of “adolescence” is analyzed at the present time, there is an apparent correlation between the increasing use of “screen-time” (i.e. social media, late night Netflix, and non-stop video gaming) and the increasing adoption of all-nighters, as studies suggest. Even from eyewitness or personal experience alone, it is apparent that once children reach the age of adolescence, sleep patterns and sleep times drastically change (i.e. going to bed extremely late, sleeping through the daytime, etc.). Consequently, as studies relating to lack of sleep suggest, this is why all-nighters particularly are detrimental to adolescents who are still in the growing stages of life (both physically and mentally). Adolescence is also the period in which one develops and forms life-long habits, which is why constant all-nighters can cause adolescents (especially students) to become more irritated (among the other emotions puberty entails), to lack concentration, and (rather importantly) to lack retention - which can, in turn, worsen any existing anxiety or stress and make educational attainment more difficult. Even exploring beyond the physical link between all-nighters, health, and adolescence can reveal much about adolescence in general. In addition to the study of adolescent development, the consideration of all-nighters exhibits new points of view toward the study of adolescent behaviour. For example, all-nighters have become somewhat of a “trend” among adolescents; what once was a social stigma has become rather “stereotypical” behaviour expected of teenagers and young “adults”. What does this say (if anything) about adolescents “feeding off” of or adopting one another’s poor habits because “everyone seems to be doing it”? Which, in turn, raises the question: how do adolescents communicate these “new norms” to one another? Moreover, as mentioned earlier, all-nighters are often the result of the habits one has developed during adolescence. For example, procrastination regarding the completion of assignments or studying commonly leads to “pulling an all-nighter” in order to finish the work or feel somewhat prepared the next day - which usually never feels like the case. ALL-NIGHTERS; Eyes Wide Shut: https://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/01/education/all-nighters-eyes-wideshut.html The Stages of An All-Nighter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFcnUsYKT5w
Anorexia Nervosa by Sherry Iskander There are three main types of eating disorders: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and bingeeating disorder. The data around adolescent eating disorders is alarming: • • • •
95% of those with eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25. Among high-school students, 44% of females and 15% of males attempted to lose weight. 35% of “normal dieters” progress to pathological dieting. Of those, 20-25% progress to partial or full-syndrome eating disorders. Over one half of teenage girls and nearly one third of teenage boys use unhealthy weight control behaviors (ex, skipping meals, fasting, smoking cigarettes, purging).
Anorexia nervosa is a psychiatric eating disorder manifested when a person refuses to eat an adequate amount of food or is unable to maintain the minimal weight for a person's body mass index. At any given point in time between 0.3-0.4% of young women and 0.1% of young men will suffer from anorexia nervosa. The symptoms start with weight gain anxiety, distorted body image, restricted eating, extreme weight loss, and pursuing weight loss and thinness. Failure to treat anorexia leads to anemia, slowed breathing and pulse, sensitivity to cold, feeling tired all the time, and this will eventually lead to multiorgan failure and heart or brain damage. This video talks more about the symptoms. Treatment typically involves phycological and physical problems. Treatment varies according to patients’ cases and progress and includes nutritional counselling , psychotherapy including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) and pharmacotherapy. Although older people can be diagnosed with Anorexia, most diagnosis start at adolescence. This is expected since experts link eating disorders to a combination of biological, psychological and sociocultural factors that mostly develop during adolescence. Physiological factors vary from the tendency to be perfectionistic and high achieving to low self esteem and body image problems. Sociocultural factors also contribute to causes, as today's cultures encourage thinness as the standard for beauty and success; from glorifying models, celebrities and diet trends to wellness programs that encourage diets and exercising in schools. Cultural and societal pressure can have significant impact on a young person’s developing self concept. These pressures are evidenced in television programming, magazines and social media. Understanding the influence these mediums have on our children is a step in the right direction toward understanding why certain kids may be vulnerable to developing eating disorders. Furthermore, traumatic events such as physical or sexual abuse sometimes precipitate the development of an eating disorder because of the struggle with shame, guilt, body dissatisfaction and a feeling of a lack of control. These pressures can adversely affect everyone, especially the sensitive, perfectionistic individuals at highest risk for developing anorexia. For more information on this topic please visit NEDA website or watch the Netflix movie To The Bone.
Dora Spagnuolo Anxiety Disorders and Adolescents Recent studies have found that “anxiety disorders are one of the most prevalent mental health problems in youth”. So what exactly is an anxiety disorder and how does it differ from natural anxiety? Natural anxiety functions as our body’s survival mechanism by alerting us when we are in danger. It often presents itself through physical symptoms “such as a pounding heart sweaty hands, or a nervous stomach ”. This type of anxiety is normal to experience when facing new or challenging situations and can even help us focus in stressful scenarios. Anxiety disorders, on the other hand, are “mental health conditions that involve excessive amounts of anxiety, fear, nervousness, worry, or dread”. Individuals suffering from these disorders may also experience physical symptoms such as “muscle tension and cramps, stomachaches, headaches, pain in the limbs and back, fatigue, or discomfort associated with pubertal changes”. There are many different types of Anxiety Disorders. For instance, generalized anxiety constitutes “excessively worrying about many things". Phobias manifest through “intense fears of specific situations or things”. Lastly, Panic Attacks are “sudden and intense physical symptoms that can include a pounding heart, shortness of breath, dizziness, numbness, or tingling feelings [caused] by overactivity of the body’s normal fear response”. Anxiety disorders are central to the study of adolescence and health, as they are mental illnesses that impact all facets of an individual’s life. For example, in social situations, youths with anxiety disorders may be “dependent, withdrawn [...] uneasy [...] overly restrained or overly emotional [...] [or] preoccupied with worries about loosing control”. They may also be “overly conforming, perfectionistic, and unsure of [themselves].” These disorders therefore inhibit adolescents from forming healthy relationships, which could further negatively impact their mental health, as group life has an extreme influence on individuals during this time. Anxiety Disorders also pose a threat to youth academically. Research shows that excessive anxiety is related to “global academic underachievement” and in particular that it deters students by hindering their ability to concentrate. Anxiety disorders evidently manifest themselves in a variety of diverse and subtle forms. Indeed, some of their symptoms may resemble physical illnesses while others may appear to be stereotypical behaviours related to teen angst; however, if we as teachers are able to recognize that these seemingly mundane manifestations are part of a greater health issue, if we are able to recognize the inside story behind the hard exterior, we have a chance of helping adolescents find the resources they need to improve their mental health. For more information on this topic please visit... Popular Source: A resource with tips adolescents can use to help relieve anxiety. https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/anxiety-tips.html?WT.ac=t-ra Academic Source: A study describing how anxiety disorders impact adolescents academically. https://search-proquestcom.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/eric/docview/1672346894/fulltextPDF/83C7375F3B3F42E1PQ/1? accountid=15182
Apathy By: Alex H. “When does withdrawal from the characteristic melee become a worrying degree of boredom, listlessness, and apathy?” - Margot Waddell Apathy, defined by Merriam-Webster online dictionary, is a “lack of feeling or emotion,” or a “lack of interest or concern.” Apathy is sometimes understood as a symptom of certain illnesses (Parkinson’s disease, dementia, stroke, Huntington’s disease, dysthmia, depression, anxiety, OCD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and others), or as a syndrome itself. While apathy can be viewed as a medical condition (and treated accordingly), it is also exists in the cultural psyche as a problem of youth. For example, this article in the Washington Post’s parenting section, blames lack of student responsibility for what the author calls “the apathy problem” in American schools. Websites, such as Psychology Today, have entire articles dedicated to helping parents understand adolescent apathy, or deal with the “middle-school motivation loss.” This isn’t a new idea, in 1989 John H. Bishop, wrote an article entitled, “Why the Apathy in American High Schools?,” in which he explores causes and proposes solutions for a similar “apathy problem.” Perhaps the most common idea about youth and apathy however, is related to political engagement. Declining voter turnout among young people is sometimes considered a product of political apathy. In this study by Elections Canada of the Canadian Federal Election in 2000, 78% of young people aged 18-20 indicated that they did not vote, and of that 78%, 39% chose “lack of interest,” as their reason for not voting. Much work, scholarly and otherwise, has been dedicated to trying to understand this phenomenon. Some researches, challenge the idea that youth are politically apathetic, instead describing the “myth of youth apathy,” in which young people are willing to engage in politics, but are “turned off by the focus and nature of existing mainstream political discourse and practice.” Any person who cares for young people should think about apathy and its relationship to youth. Is apathy a normal part of adolescence? When does it become worrying? How can we recognize when it is a symptom of another problem (or perhaps a syndrome itself)? How do cultural narratives about youth apathy colour our perspectives of young people? Does an “apathy problem” exist? If so, what created it and what are some solutions? To start exploring resolutions to some of these questions check out these resources:
This 2012 episode of the CBC podcast “In The Field,” exploring how two teachers in Moncton decided to fight student apathy. This 2010 article in the Nordic Journal of Youth Research, which describes contemporary political engagement by young people who are “neither deeply apathetic nor at the vanguard of new political styles that draw on subcultural capital,” the two categories into which youth political engagement is often relegated. This blog post on the website, Psychology Today, about adolescent apathy.
Athletics-Brianna Leclerc Being active as we all know is important to living a healthy life not just for adults but for young people as well. It is a great way to burn energy, be able to focus better and partake in more restful sleeping. Is there a point however when lines are crossed and too much pressure is placed on children and teenagers to excel in athletics? Do athletics in some cases get more attention than academics? I think it is important to look at both sides of what athletics can do for adolescents. Other questions we can ask ourselves are if athletics keeps kids focused more on positive uses of their time. An article from the HuffPost sheds light on the pressures that young people put on themselves regarding their outward appearance concerning athletics. “One of the roads to popularity and success in the adolescent world is to be a successful athlete with a "good body". For girls, the pressure to be "fit" is often a mask for the expectation to be skinny. For boys, there is the increasing pressure to be "ripped" with the much-admired six-packs.� (Jones,2012 para.2) The desire to achieve these ideal bodies can begin at such a young age as young people see athletes as role models and strive to look and act like them. The negative impact on young people’s desire has resulted in an increase in eating disorders in males and females. Adolescent athletes can be at an even higher risk of developing an eating disorder. It is not uncommon for eating disorders and exercise obsessions to emerge even in the teens that appear successful, in good shape and well adjusted. (Jones, 2012 para.3) Involving yourself in physical activity is important and beneficial at any age. It is not just good for physical health but for mental as well. Joining a high school sports team is a great way to get physical exercise and get involved in the school community. If young people are kept occupied and engaged in the school, I truly believe they are less likely to find themselves engaging in unproductive behaviour. I also feel that students who are sports driven can have more drive to do well in academics. If the president is set that a certain grade average must be achieved to play for a team, students are more determined to do well. We all just want to feel like we belong, especially young people. Despite some of the negative pressures that can come along with being a student-athlete, there are many positive outcomes as well. One can argue both sides of the topic of athletics. Do the negatives out way the positives? I encourage you to read more and develop and opinion further.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder commonly known as ADHD is the most common neurobehavioral disorder that is presented in children and adolescents. According to the National Institute of Health, ADHD affects approximately 4 to 12 percent of school children globally and can cause serious neurobehavioral symptoms if left untreated. This disorder is biologically supported by an individual’s genetic makeup and can also be present generationally especially in close relatives. Additionally, ADHD can present itself in various forms and can often be associated with mood, anxiety, depression, substance abuse etc. ADHD also affects an individual’s ability to pay attention and patience. Clinical Research is used to help diagnose individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and should carefully examine all aspects of the individual’s life before proceeding with multimodal treatment options (Spencer & Willens, 2010). Subsequently, treatment for ADHD ranges from psychotherapy alone or in combination with pharmacotherapy (medical treatment by means of drugs/stimulants). ADHD is central to the study of adolescent and health. In the past decade this term has started to emerge more and more especially among adolescents in secondary/post-secondary education. Many adolescents have found that with the rigorous public education system and the competitive nature for high grades they are having trouble staying focused while controlling their behavior. Teens Health describes ADHD in more simpler terms for adolescents, parents and teachers while discussing the causes, symptoms, signs and treatment options. Likewise, it reaffirms the idea that ADHD is not caused by the individual or “by eating too much sugar or anything else a person does” rather it is caused by changes or differences in the brain’s ability to slow down, pay attention, and control behavior. The term ADHD is more challenging than the causes and symptoms mentioned – many adolescents get scolded/bullied for things simply out of their control or manipulated into sharing confidential information and prescribed medication. ADHD is also associated with the term “Adderall” a combination prescribed medication used to treat ADHD by way of changing the amount of specific natural substances in the brain. Simply, Adderall increases one’s ability to pay attention, stay focused on certain activities and is also used to treat narcolepsy (a sleeping disorder). However, this stimulant can often be mistreated by adolescents in secondary/post-secondary education to help cope with the demanding assignment deadlines or study for exams. Therefore, Adderall is to be managed accordingly by a physician and used to help individuals with ADHD manage their difficulties with attention and self-control. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder opens up new vantages for the study of adolescence. For instance, it allows educators the opportunity to make accommodations to assist the adolescent with ADHD and facilitate behavioral strategies that can be used both in the classroom and outside. Additionally, parents and family members can help individuals with ADHD develop interpersonal relationships, encourage organizational skills and show continuous signs of love and support. Moreover, ADHD is crucial to the study of adolescent and health as those who have ADHD have important inside stories that are just as significant and noteworthy as those who do not. It is also important to recognize the introjection and projections of those with ADHD and develop cognitive behavioral approaches such as simply creating a structure/routine can drastically help manage ADHD. Furthermore, I urge you to visit the hyperlinks above as they provide (in great detail and in simpler terms) the signs, symptoms, treatment options (psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy) and overall information that can help you support individuals with ADHD throughout their lifespan. Iqbal Wehliye 214870018
Awkward [awk·ward] by Naduni K ‘lacking social grace and assurance’ – Merriam-Webster A huge part about being an adolescent is feeling accepted and being considered reputable by your peers. According to an article by Psychology Today, during the adolescent phase, the increase of testosterone in both male and female students intensifies their motivation to develop a social status. Unfortunately, not all adolescents are socialites. They, as the definition states, lack social grace and this is perfectly fine. Adolescents are unaware that not being social with or liked by everyone does not mean that there is something wrong with them. All people have different interests and different practices, which is what makes them unique. Adolescence is where these behaviours are expressed, but when they are expressed to the wrong group things can get awkward. For example, imagine a person finds a potential new group of friends and they get invited to a Halloween party. This person enjoys dressing up and attends the party in full costume, meanwhile everyone else who attended is dressed casually. Awkward. Adolescents also tend to seek approval and require constant reassurance. They always want to know if their assignments are right, if their outfits or hair look okay, and if their opinions are acceptable. They want to fit in. This brings us to another definition of awkward: ‘lacking the right proportions, size or harmony of parts’ – Merriam-Webster Adolescents who are undergoing or have recently undergone puberty are unsure and lack confidence about themselves as a result of their hormonal and physical changes. It is a result of these physical and hormonal changes that adolescents lack assurance. They want to fit in, but they are not confident and thus are too insecure or shy to approach others. This is simply based on the thought ‘what if they think I am weird or look weird?’. The physical changes that come with puberty make adolescents feel truly awkward. Starting off with acne, pubic hair, armpit hair, body odour and changes/growth in body parts. Imagine all of these happening to someone overnight. It is a shock and the changes at first are new and overwhelming. Both girls and boys need to start shaving, buying larger clothes, face care products and deodorant. They need to make changes to their daily routines, and start accepting and embracing the changes. Awkward in this circumstance is a feeling, adolescent’s feel awkward because they are getting used to their ‘new’ bodies. This experience is completely normal, everyone that hits puberty undergoes changes. Just remember to embrace these changes and take them one step at a time! The Princess Diaries is a perfect depiction of the adolescent experience, I can definitely relate to this feeling personally:
. References Awkward. (n.d.). Retrieved October 26, 2019, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/awkward. Hawes, D. (2012, August 22). The Adolescent Brain: (Awkward) Window of Opportunity. Retrieved October 26, 2019, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/quilted-science/201208/the-adolescent-brain-awkward-window-opportunity. Reiter, E. O., & Root, A. W. (1975). Hormonal Changes of Adolescence, (6), 8313.
awkWardNeSs Awkwardness is a feeling I’m sure we are all familiar with. We can experience awkwardness in many different ways. It could be the uncomfortable feeling you have when you have you perhaps wear a wool turtle neck in public, or if your shirt gets wet and that feeling trying to take off that wet shirt, or perhaps its that feeling you get when you have a pimple or coldsore show up out of nowhere right before a speech you have to give. When we are navigating through the adolescence years. This is a time in our life when so much is changing. Our appearance is changing, and we are growing in all sorts of ways. Some of our voices are changing, our feelings are changing, our friends are changing, our beliefs could be changing…our life is changing! All these changes could lead to the feeling of being awkwardness. Let’s face it, we have all been there. Here’s a page of the Awkwardness, word. Awkwardness, I feel becomes apparent to individuals when they start their adolescence years. But it doesn’t end with those years. It’s something that people keep with them. Sure, your 15 years old, maybe have braces, bangs, and acne, the list could go on and on. Some might feel, and label this period as “my awkward years”. Subconsciously people are talking about a time when they are an adolescence. It’s not a fun feeling: the feeling of awkwardness. Most would get uncomfortable while feeling awkward. Being awkwardness doesn’t just stop with the appearance of being awkward. It can stem a lot further than looks. Being socially awkward is a term used a lot these days and felt by many going through adolescence. While out in a crowd or groups, people who are not as confident or are not used to those experiences where more people then usually might find themselves feeling anxious, causing awkwardness in public. While going through adolescence, one will experience this feeling of discomfort or the feeling of being misplaced, or weirdness but it is important to realise that they are not alone in this. Everyone deals with it differently and if it is talked about more freely maybe these abnormal feelings we will learn to embrace, rather than making us feel awkward. Realizing that others are going through the same thing might shed some light on this term and have a better understanding to what adolescences are going through. Psychology Today YouTube Awkwardness
Edward Parnell October 27th, 2019 BEHAVIOUR
Adolescence is a stage we all go through in life from childhood to adulthood which affects us both physically and psychologically. Therefore this would affect our behaviour patterns as we go through hormonal changes through the different stages of adolescence. Behaviour is definitely a central aspect of adolescence hence why we want to see positive behaviour but because of all the different stages and up and downs life gives us, our behaviour changes from time to time in that span of years from childhood to adulthood. Behaviour also depicts in our lifetime how we are going to deal with everyday life and situations as well as circumstances. We also learn that adolescents look for their independence through different channels and feels the need to venture on their own which means breaking rules, even though they know it’s wrong. They are testing to see what can get away with and what will be allowed. Advantages of catching bad behaviour patterns early enough will make it easier in the long run and manageable with teenagers going through. Letting teenagers in the adolescence phase, not be influenced by social media. Once these behavioural patterns we want adolescents to have, they need to be instilled in the early stages and most will be on the right track therefore being on the right track is an advantage overall hut we will some negative behaviour from time to time.
https://youtu.be/5Fa8U6BkhNo https://lifestyle.howstuffworks.com/family/parenting/tweens-teens/typical-adolescentbehavior.htm https://www.britannica.com/topic/human-behavior/Development-in-adolescence
BODY DYSMORPHIA BY: EVA LOMBARDI Body dysmorphia is a mental health disorder which is, “A distressing or impairing preoccupation with an imagined or slight defect in appearance”. Central to the study of adolescence and health, body dysmorphia affects many young adolescent men, and women, as it most often, “usually begins during adolescence”. Body dysmorphia can eventually lead to serious harm to adolescence' bodies, and overall health in the long run. In an article by Hollie Jones she discusses the impact of body dysmorphia to males, and females, she states, “Body dysmorphia...Can have a huge impact on your day-to-day life, and can also lead to depression, self-harm and even thoughts of suicide”. Adolescent females experience with body dysmorphia is evident, and often associated with “reducing weight or eliminating body fat”. Studies have indicated, body dysmorphia is rising in adolescent males which can be seen through Murray, and Griffiths’ article exploring “Muscle Dysmorphia”, which is, “Characterized by an intensely distressing preoccupation that one is of insufficient muscularity...and compensatory practices include fastidious exercise and dietary practices, which may come to take precedence over other important areas of life”, although, in most instances the young boys had muscle that was sufficient, and the proper size for their age group. Figure 1. Understanding body dysmorphia opens up new vantages for the study of adolescence. Learning about this disorder allows us to gain the knowledge surrounding the uncomfort an adolescent is facing in their own body during this time, which ultimately, can last with them for a long period of time if not dealt with. Waddell’s “Inside Stories” connects with this idea as an adolescent dealing with this disorder, may not be willing to share it with anyone, and may attempt to cope with it on their own. With the rise in the use of social media, we must be cautious in making assumptions about adolescents, as they may be having an “Internal conflict” and striving for an appearance which is unattainable. Acknowledging this, we can shift our study to the ways in which we can be more accepting, and understanding of the intense journey which adolescents may be going through. As it has been explored, body dysmorphia can harm both adolescent girls and boys. In adolescent boys body dysmorphia usually takes the form of “Muscle Dysmorphia”. To learn more about the issue visit this academic article: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Stuart_Murray/publication/276278844_Muscle_dysmorphia _FBT_case_report/links/5555219008ae6943a871b405.pdf. Where as, body dysmorphia in young girls causes them to feel as if they are overweight, and need to lose weight when in fact they are not. To learn more about adolescent girls experience with body dysmorphia visit: https://www.girltalkhq.com/understanding-body-dysmorphia-the-harmful-effects-of-pushing-diet s-towards-teen-girls/
Body Dysmorphic Disorder - Aqeel Ahmad Adolescence, more than any other developmental stage, is associated with a timeframe when an individual begins to experience physical and biological changes in the body and brain and marks the beginning of a social transition into adulthood. These changes in body physiology are rooted in the heterogenous genetic compositions, which leads to differences in skin colour, body size, eye colour, hair, limb lengths, and general appearance. When an individual perceives a flaw in their outward appearance and becomes obsessive over their perceived imperfections, they develop a condition known as body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). Since adolescence is a time associated with dramatic changes in appearance, it is not surprising that it has been documented that symptoms of BDD usually begin during this phase of life. As BDD is rooted in the mental perceptions of adolescents, it is important to keep in mind that mental responses or strategies vary between individuals due their experiences and the manifestation of BDD symptoms may also vary (Waddell 45). Adolescence represents a time in an individual’s life where the sexual changes their bodies undergo determine social status, likeability, friends, and acceptance in certain groups. We also live in a society where we are constantly exposed to idealized media images of flawless human perfection, forcing us to evaluate our appearance. When our environment and life experiences are constantly telling us we do not fit the ideal “flawless” body and this leads to negative social evaluations, we may be susceptible to developing BDD. Individuals affected by BDD are unable to stop thinking about their perceived defective flaws in their appearance, even though it may not be observable to the viewer. The affected individual repeatedly checks their appearance and spends a lot of time, spanning hours or entire days, grooming or seeking reassurance. This type of repetitive behaviour leads to significant distress, affects emptions, and impairs functionality throughout the day. BDD sufferers may try to address their perceived flaws by constantly comparing body parts to other individuals, seeking surgery, checking in a mirror, skin picking, excessive exercise, and changing clothing, but these behaviours only give temporary relief. It is a condition that is associated with depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorders, and it requires attention as BDD is known to begin during the adolescent phase of life. BDD is central to the study of adolescence because this disorder begins during adolescence. It is strongly related to the development of mature body parts and secondary sexual characteristics that signify a transition into adulthood. While all adolescence dislike something about their appearance, others become abnormally obsessed with their looks. Their appearance becomes the focus of their existence and they unequivocally devote their attention to their perceived imperfections. Adolescents will spend hours and days fretting about a perceived imperfection and find ways to hide it through clothing, make-up, or outright refuse to leave the house, or avoid socializing with friends fearing judgement, rejection, ridicule. Since adolescence represents a critical phase of developing a new relationship with their matured body, it is important that we understand the causes of the range of body image disorders that begin during this time. As noted, BDD is tied to and may even lead to depression, eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, and social anxiety disorders and may continue into adulthood if left untreated. BDD allows us to see adolescents as individuals who develop new relationships with the changes in their bodies and gives us an opportunity to understand how these relationships become mentally unhealthy. This allows us to view adolescence as a phase where physical appearance is uniquely important to adolescent identity. Moreover, since our superficial media culture promotes ‘flawless’ bodies in varying contexts, we can study the relationships between BDD as well as societal standards of beauty. Corporate capitalism has long used bodies as a vehicle for advertisement to sell products. These advertisements have now reached social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, which are heavily used by adolescents. It would be useful to examine how the constant exposure to sexualized content affects BDD incidence in adolescents. Overall, BDD is a concern for adolescents and a vital area of concern to improve their experiences in order to pave a positive and constructive life experience. Reference Waddell, Margot. On Adolescence. Routledge, 2018
Body Dysmorphic disorder is a mental disorder in which one is constantly having negative thoughts about their flaws in their appearance that are either small or unnoticeable by others (“Body Dysmorphic Disorder”). Body dysmorphic disorder effects the ability to function in one’s daily life such a school, work, social life, as they are repeatedly obsessing over their appearance and body image by constantly checking their reflections, grooming, constant comparison with other, hiding flaws under makeup or clothes, having a perfectionist tendency and seeking assurance throughout the day(“Body Dysmorphic Disorder”). Some of the common features that are obsessed over is the face (wrinkles, acnes, nose, and other blemishes), hair (baldness and thinning), breast /muscle size, and genitalia (“Body Dysmorphic Disorder”).In order to cope with their flaws some may seek cosmetic procedure in order to fix their flaws and achieve an ideal look to obtain satisfaction (“Body Dysmorphic Disorder”). However, that does not guarantee the that their anxiety won’t return, to which they will find new ways to fix their flaws once again (“Body Dysmorphic Disorder”). This term opens new vantage for the study of adolescence as we can explore the causes, risk factors, and complications of the disorder that highly affect their ability to function in life There are three causes for body dysmorphic disorder brain differences, genes, and the environment (“Body Dysmorphic Disorder”). Brain differences can be due to neurochemistry or abnormalities in the structure of the brain (“Body Dysmorphic Disorder”). The cause can be genes due to it being passed on from blood relatives whom also share the obsessive-compulsive disorder or condition (“Body Dysmorphic Disorder”). Lastly the environment, because one’s experience and culture that can involve negative evaluation from childhood neglect/abuse, and self image of appearance and body (“Body Dysmorphic Disorder”). The risk factors of body dysmorphic disorder are having another psychotic disorder(depression), certain personality traits (perfectionist), societal pressure on expectation of beauty, blood relatives with obsessive compulsive disorder dysmorphic disorder, and negative life experience (childhood bullying/trauma) (“Body Dysmorphic Disorder”). The complications of body dysmorphic disorder are substance abuse, anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, eating disorder, mood disorder, depression, suicidal thoughts or behaviour, and health problems (“Body Dysmorphic Disorder”). In terms of preventing body dysmorphic disorder which often occurs in early adolescence, would be starting the procedure right away after finding early identification which might result in some benefit (“Body Dysmorphic Disorder”). However long-term treatment may help prevent the disorder symptoms (“Body Dysmorphic Disorder”). This word is central to the study of adolescence and health because today’s youth live in a media driven society that is highly influenced by strong cultural and social messages that link one’s acceptance to one’s physical appearance in life (Robertson 337-8). Whether it be receiving privileges/advantages based on one’s appearance such getting a job, dating, and everyday encounters in life. Media portrays figures of thinness or muscularity that can only be attained of a population less than 5% (Robertson 3378). Students with an average weight take extreme measure such as calorie restrictions, other size control methods in order to conform their body to an unnatural body type media portrays as desirable (Robertson 337-8). Society plays a role in adolescent body image as they ignorant of diverse body types, and appearances (Robertson 337-8). Body dissatisfaction plays a role on adolescents physical, social, and emotional health as it has become a normative for girls and boys to have anxiety about their body type through their transition of puberty (Robertson 337-8). “Body Dysmorphic Disorder.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 28 Apr. 2016, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/body-dysmorphic-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20353938. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/body-dysmorphic-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20353938 Robertson, Lorayne, and Dianne Thomson. “‘BE’Ing a Certain Way: Seeking Body Image in Canadian Health and Physical Education Curriculum Policies.” Canadian Journal of Education / Revue Canadienne De L'éducation, vol. 35, no. 2, 2012, pp. 334–354. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/canajeducrevucan.35.2.334.
Booty. This word is surprisingly found in Merriam-Webster and is defined as US slang for Buttocks. This word goes beyond this main definition. It is, believe it or not, a significant word that describes the change in societal perspectives among adolescents and profusely with millenials. Why so significant you ask? Because this word is so heavily used not only as slang for the word buttocks, but also as a staple to describe a popular feature that one must acquire. Has this started to spark the thoughts in your mind on what sort of issue I am speaking of? If not, maybe these people will help you stir up an understanding of this word in context of adolescence: Kim Kardashian, Nicki Minaj, Beyonce, Cardi B and Jlo. Alright, I guess I’ve made it obvious that I am speaking of the phenomenon of the booty. Yes, the big butt is in fashion! Booty, an unsophisticated word which has been so heavily used in conversational and pop culture language that it has led us all to believe that according to the physical standards of society, we must all have this world record, firm, bubble shaped butt. In order to be classified as attractive then one must have the Kim Kardashian shaped booty. This word does not only represent the popularity of the booty, it also represents the voluptuous lips, or the thigh gap, big broad shoulder muscles or the perfectly round and perky breasts that everyone should have. Society is being driven by these trends and fads, and so we have this preconceived notion that maybe we need to look a certain way. This suggests an indirect version of propaganda. Grammy winner, American pop singer Meghan Trainor’s song All About That Bass, (2014) lyrics mention people being “all about that bass”. This means that people are obsessed with having a nice and big butt among other features that deem to be important. One lyric in the song that really stands out is, “‘Cause I got that boom boom that all the boys chase, all the right junk in all the right places, I see the magazines working that Photoshop” this lyric sung at the beginning of the song basically states that these are the features that many are attracted to and unfortunately are followed because of false posts in magazines or other sources of media. In a reading found in Body Work: Beauty and Self-Image in American Culture by Debra Gimlin (2001), there was talk over people being obsessed with social media and therefore social media and other technological advancements have been a huge influence on society today. This is mostly evident with adolescents because this generation and the generations to come are more technologically inclined and are therefore more likely to keep up with such fads in the media. Something that stood out was as follows, “By engaging in body work, women are able to negotiate normative identities by diminishing their personal responsibility for a body that fails to meet cultural mandates.” (6)” which states that we are in power of the image we decide to give off no matter what the media says. However this can also suggest the exact reason why we give off certain images the way we do. Booty means more, booty suggests a deeper meaning into the study of adolescence as it is influenced in a generation where physicality is a big deal and media continues to promote this big idea that we should be living our lives a certain way while looking a certain way.
KEYWORD ASSIGNMENT BY CATHY CAUFIN ADOLESENCE DEVELOPMENT & HEALTH 1101
MY KEYWORD: BULLYING
What I am realizing as I study Education, is how precious we all really are! How very early in life we begin to learn and form our personalities and our brains, how we learn better thru better health, thru more pleasure and with more comfort from the home, and without stress. How our brain is so delicate how our personality can be broken, shattered thru by the treatment of people, who they themselves probably went thru some sort of their own bad treatment and behaviour. Bullying causes so much hurt and harm to all the people that are affected by being bullied that can lead to such tragic outcomes. With social media adolescents who bully in high schools cause tremendous hurtful lies to spread very quickly that a young teenager’s world or adult’s world for that matter, to completely break down. But in so many more circumstances today’s adolescents will overreact very quickly in an extreme action because they were not knowing how to reach out and search for help, simply because they were adolescents and not mentally grown up enough to understand how to handle dealing with such a person; as surely a bully is not always obvious, some bullies will manipulate over time. Many adolescents will take things to a drastic level, hurting themselves, due to the extreme bullying by a person whose insecurity or jealousy kept him treating everyone in his punishable acts. This is the bully. The bully is unable to feel empathy but understands you and so will take power over you by controlling you well enough to push your buttons and know what to say to hurt or manipulate you to follow them and believe in them, or they will physically bully you usually through a fight in a schoolyard. Bullying is all around us, a co-worker who is belittling others, a family member picking on us at the holiday dinner table, or someone in the highest political office threatening others, is all bullying. I remember being bullied and pushed around twice as an adolescent, Once around 8 and the second time I was 13 but always because other girls were making fun and pushing me around, which in both instances, the situation ended up with me physically fighting, one on one, fists up! Looking back, I cannot imagine actually getting into a fight, and I don’t remember how it turned out but I think the problem went away as I see now that I would not stand for their guff and as a young child thank god I had the strong will to fight back and not allow their bullying to continue. I put a stop to it the only way I knew how to, by lashing out physically, other people may not have been as successful. This is really very hurtful for the child who is being bullied and will remain with them through life as scars. This has become a serious mental health issue and this viscous circle can and must be controlled. The only action is to stop the person in his actions. If you are watching on, report him. If a child or adolescent seeks help in their parents or teacher then this must be looked into seriously, put a stop to right away, and punish the bully!! Academic citation – Psychology today; Non Academic citation - Google: Bullying.
Geon-Mo (Ed) Song – Key Word Assignment: Bullying I recall one of my earliest memories of regret is when I was 9 years old, when I had a close friend who was being bullied in my grade 3 classroom, despite that I remember my friend as a very thoughtful and considerate person. My friend was branded an outcast and he was being bullied physically and verbally because he once had a heated confrontation with one of the children in class who had considerable social gravity and power within his cliques. I regret that I couldn’t stand up for my friend because I was scared, and to this day I find myself harboring certain resentment towards myself for being afraid and to individuals who bully others who are vulnerable and weak. Later in life, I realized resentment is corrosive, and it was something I had to let go. My lack of tolerance for certain behaviours would trigger my past experiences, which made harbor emotions that didn’t represent the best side of me. Thankfully, I found solace in trying to channel those emotion into artistic platforms, and found the right people to humble me and encourage me to study various perspectives that helped me stand on a better ground. In Amrit K. Dhariwal’s Article on Delinquency, Bullying and Depressive symptoms in Adolescence, Dhariwal observes that one should take on a “comprehensive approach” to bullying, which underscores the psychological study of bullying behaviours. 1Burke calls attention to the need for addressing the problem and determine how one should approach such phenomenon often prevalent in adolescent experiences. Adolescent bullying can occur in a variety of circumstances. One may experience bullying in romantic relationships, between a group of friends, boys and girls. In many precedents of bullying that’s been documented, one of the common causes that is addressed is the need to impose control, or to exercise one’s power over another. In a relationship, a partner can exercise his or her power physically. A boy (or a girl, since it is usually a boy who is physically stronger in a hetero-sexual relationship) who is emotionally reliant on his partner would try to use strength, fear and physical intimidation to exert power. Bullying can also take shape of emotional and verbal abuse. Similarly, the causes of non-physical bullying such as verbal abuse are rooted in psychology—to bring others down and reinforce a sense of power, thereby feeling more secure using cynicism and condescension. Dhariwal notes sometimes the act of bullying was served to achieve a goal. On the other hand, he noted certain aggressive behaviours were recorded from teens with depressive symptoms, which occurred reactively in self-defence. 2The observance of reactive outburst of aggression adds to the discussion about the causes of aggressive behaviours. Sometimes an act of bullying entails a proactive goal of achieving power, whereas reactive outbursts have a slightly different nuance. Dhariwal notes bullying for instrumental gain is highly organized and less emotional, whereas the reactive form of aggression involves more intense emotional response from provocation. As teachers, understanding the psychological roots of bullying and aggression gives us a blue print as to how we should approach children, what are certain signs, and when actions should be taken. More interpretations are necessary, as each individual is complex based on their upbringing, interests, and biases. For more information on this subject, please refer to Dhariwal’s article. Although I do not make a direct reference in the article, I also found very intriguing contemporary representation of bullying in adolescent dating from American TV series “Euphoria”, which tackles the anxiety-ridden teenage life with empathy and consideration.
1
Amrit K. Dhariwal, Delinquency, Bullying and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescence: Contributions to Dating Aggression and Differential Links with Proactive and Reactive Forms., Page 4. 2
Ibid., 10
Jasmine Dyer 216953309 Keyword Assignment: Call of Duty Call of Duty is a first-person shooter video game franchise published by Activision. Starting out in 2003, it first focused on games set in World War II, but over time, the series has seen games set in modern times, the midst of the Cold War, futuristic worlds, and outer space. As of February 2016, the series has sold over 250 million copies. Sales of all Call of Duty games topped US $15 billion. The newest game was released October 25th, 2019 for Microsoft Windows (PC), Xbox One and Playstation 4. The game takes place in a realistic and modern setting. For the first time in the franchise's history, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare supports crossplatform multiplayer, meaning a person on a Playstation 4 could play with a friend who has an Xbox One. Call of Duty is central to the study of adolescence and health because it is a game that almost every teen plays or has played, it has been around for 16 years and is still extremely relevant and it allows for friends to play together on teams or against one another. The current generations of children and teens are intrinsically motivated by games and commercial video games have an important role in the classroom to assist learning of a range of crucial transferable skills. Although video games are perceived by many as commercially driven distractions, they can actually be useful if utilized properly. It has been proven that video games have been linked to increased motivation, more varied learning methodologies, and performance at least equal to that achieved by traditional means, but with greater enjoyment of the learning process itself (Tannahill, N., Tissington, P., & Senior, C. (2012, June 25)). Call of Duty incorporates team gameplay and opponent/versus gameplay which ultimately creates a platform for collaboration and competitiveness/trying to beat other players to win the match. This game is comparable to another called Fortnite. Both games allow for teams of either random players or friends to play against other teams to win the match. These skills are transferable not only in school settings, (ex. group work) but in the business/employment world as well. If we think about working for a company for example, we are working with other people to create and sell products while competing with other companies that sell similar/ same products. Call of Duty not only creates a collaborative and competitive space, it also provides fast-paced gameplay, where you must predict where opponents will be on the map or what they will try to do. Those playing the fast-paced shooting performed better at a visual perception task, which the researchers suspect have benefits to real-world learning. According to University of Rochester research professor Daphne Bavelier, “In order to sharpen its prediction skills, our brains constantly build models, or ‘templates,’ of the world. The better the template, the better the performance. And now we know playing action video game actually fosters better templates.” (Ferenstein, G. (2014, November 12). As an educator, it is very important to familiarize yourself with the current trends that your students may be engaged with. This can lead to better classroom management, student engagement and motivation, increased understanding of student interests and better overall communication between the students and the teacher. Educators can and should take advantage of the untapped resources within video games to establish contemporary pedagogy that is exciting, interesting, and relevant for the modern day student. Academic Citation: Tannahill, N., Tissington, P., & Senior, C. (2012, June 25). Video games and higher education: what can "call of duty" teach our students? Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/ articles/PMC3382412/ Non-Academic Citation: Ferenstein, G. (2014, November 12). Playing Call of Duty has long-term learning benefits for the brain. Retrieved from https://venturebeat.com/2014/11/12/playing-call-of-duty-has-long-termlearning-benefits-for-the-brain/.
Carefree: Free from anxiety or responsibility.
Adolescence are known for their risky behaviours and carefree attitude. They involve themselves in situations where they do not think of the consequences; whether it being harmful to themselves or others. Teachers should be aware of this behaviour and provide advice to adolescence so they can be mind-full of their actions. Care-free is central to the study of adolescence and health because it is an action and mindset that many adolescence follow. For example; failing to follow rules (e.i. uniform) and skipping class. As an adolescent, actions are done before thinking of the outcomes. This is how the term care-free is related to adolescence and health.
Advice on Adolescence Carefree attitude; https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/dec/10/was-not-good-beingteenager-some-advice Article on Carefree Adolescence; https://www.issup.net/knowledge-share/research/2017-02/carefreeadolescence-risky-business
Celebrity Worship By Jonathan Nicholson Celebrity worship stems from an individual’s, or in this case an adolescent’s, obsession with a celebrity (Ang and Chan 2). This can take the form of appreciation, such as a fan base, or the incorporation of the celebrity’s attributes onto oneself, such as their personality (Ang and Chan 3). In extreme cases, this worshiping can result in the adolescent completely immersing themselves onto the celebrity (Ang and Chan 3). This can take several forms, such as developing a strong reliance on them. Majority of those who practise this extreme form struggle with depression or other forms of mental illnesses as this provides stability. (Ang and Chan 6). In adolescents, one is trying to find their individuality and celebrity worship allows for this to occur. Worshiping can assist in the formation of an identity in a time period where this is difficult (Ang and Chan 3). By incorporating qualities of an idol onto oneself, such as their way of thinking, the individual can form the best version of themselves (Ang and Chan 3). The adolescent is able to experiment and determine with what feels like themselves or what does not. Those who have a lower understanding of their own identity usually practise this more than the average individual as they need more assistance in discovering who they are (Ang and Chan 4). Another form of celebrity worship occurs when an adolescent attempt to alter their body in order to look more like their favourite celebrities. This can lead to body image issues, mostly between the ages of 14-16, as the individual becomes hypercritical of how their body looks (Griffiths). This has also been linked to an increase in eating disorders for boys as a desired male physics increases (Ang and Chan 5). However, studies have also shown that body image worship can be a positive (Ang and Chan 5). There has been an increase in the representation of celebrities with different body types. Celebrities, such as Lizzo, who has a large adolescent fan base, promote body positivity and celebrate their fans. This type of worship encourages adolescents to feel good about how they look. Understanding what celebrity worship is and how it is related to adolescents helps us to know why they hold someone famous to a higher standard. It can help us to know why they emulate a celebrity’s attributes and know when it has gone too far. Celebrities will always be part of an adolescent’s life and it is important to know how this can influence them. Find out more at A Brief Psychological Overview or Adolescent’s Views On Celebrity Worship: A Qualitative Study Work Cited Ang, Chin-Siang, and Nee Nee Chan. “Adolescents’ Views on Celebrity Worship: A Qualitative Study.” Current Psychology, 2016, pp. 1–21. Sunway, http://eprints.sunway.edu.my/595/1/Chan Nee Nee Celebrity Worship_Current Psychology.pdf. Griffiths, Mark D. “Celebrity Worship Syndrome: A Brief Psychological Overview.” Psychology Today, 5 July 2013, https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/inexcess/201307/celebrity-worship-syndrome.
Odette Miranda
THE LONG TERM EFFECTS OF CHILDHOOD TRAUMA Childhood Trauma is an experience of emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, emotional and/or physical neglect experienced before the age of 16 years. A trauma can occur at any time during one’s life time, but the long term effects of childhood trauma are severe often conflicting with one’s psychological development, negatively impacting the livelihood and decisions of the individual over time. Trauma is something that happen unexpectedly, an experience or witnessed something extremely upsetting and the child is unprepared for it, traumatic events such as; divorce, death, physical and verbal abuse, etc. Early adversity impacts the childhood development of adolescents and are of higher risks of psychological and health deficiencies. Exposure to childhood trauma has been linked to attention deficit and hyperactive disorder (ADHD), depression and anxiety, personality disorders, a profound effect of cognitive, social, and emotional competencies and an increased risk for chronic disease. Adolescence who’ve experienced trauma are of higher risks of having drug action, alcohol or other form of suppressants, adolescents exposed to trauma at an early age are likely to turn to drug suppressant to ease their pain. Those who’ve experienced childhood trauma develop self-soothing technique to ease emotional stress or other forms of negative emotions, some become “emotional eaters” referring to food
October 28th, 2019 CHILD/SEXUAL GROOMING Grooming is the slow, methodical, and intentional process of manipulating a person to a point where they can be exploited and victimized. It can happen online or in person, and it is often an adult who builds trust with a child in an effort to gain access and be able to sexually exploit or abuse them. According to Cybertip Canada, about 1 in 10 children in Canada were sexually victimized before they turned 18, and in the vast majority of cases, the offender is known to the child. Furthermore, of 305 cases reported over the past 2 years, 43% involved victims 14–17 years old. In Canada, section 172.1 of the Criminal Code deems the communication with a child through a computer for the purpose of committing a sexual offence as luring, and is considered an offence. Why studying this term is central to the study of Adolescence and Health Examining the effects and proliferation of child/sexual grooming would greatly change how we look at the experience of adolescence. As adolescence can be described as a period of change and growth between childhood and adulthood, many adolescents can become vulnerable to grooming during this stage. During this time, adolescents explore the boundaries of their sexual relationships and identities; in which cases many can unfortunately be misled by sexual predators that use manipulation tactics to gain their trust. As this pertains to adolescent health, there are clearly negative effects on physical and mental health resulting from child grooming and sexual abuse. Studies conducted at Cambridge University on The Effect of Child Sexual Abuse on Social, Interpersonal and Sexual Function in Adult Life have shown that those reporting child sexual abuse are more likely to suffer social, interpersonal and sexual difficulties in adult life. Significant associations emerged between reporting child sexual abuse and a decline in socioeconomic status, increased sexual problems, the disruption of intimate relationships, etc. This can open up new vantages for the study and understanding adolescence as a state of development that is constantly being guided and pushed in certain directions by external factors. Whether these influences guide adolescents’ identities, goals, and sexuality in a positive or destructive direction, it is clear that this stage is a time when youth are increasingly vulnerable and impressionable. For this reason, it is important to consider and discuss this term to make adolescents aware of the tactics employed by individuals with intentions to exploit them, as well as the potential long-term repercussions. As teachers, it is also our responsibility to model healthy and appropriate relationship and dynamics in the classroom and professionally. Extra Readings: Academic Source: McAlinden, A.-M. (2012). “Grooming” and the Sexual Abuse of Children. Oxford University Press. https://booksscholarsportal-info.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/uri/ebooks/ebooks2/oso/2013-01-10/1/9780199583720-McAlinden — Available Online Through the York Library
Non-Academic Source: 6 Subtle Ways Child Predators 'Groom' Their Victims. (2019, October 22). Retrieved from https://themighty.com/ 2019/07/grooming-signs-child-sexual-abuse/.
Comedic Internet Memes
Liam Beal
Comedic internet memes, or just, memes, can be described as “photo media memes” and as an important subset, “character memes.” Both are photos that have been captioned, but character memes are specifically people/characters that have been snapshotted and quoted. Photo media memes, however, are photos of near anything which are captioned. Memes employ humor through devices such as relatability, absurdity, unexpectedness, exaggerations, etc. in both the text and photo, and do not use universal humour, but rather group specific humour. These groups, however, can be very broad and the memes could become universally understood between avid internet users (even then, memes are growing to include non-avid users). For example, comedians’ performances – which use more universal humour – are often found as character memes. To this, the definition of a comedic internet meme can be stated as such: a character or piece of captioned photo media that produces relatable, insider humour through various comedic devices and the adaptation of media. This concept holds an important role in the development of adolescents. Memes are a huge part of everyday life for adolescents as an escape from the world into a new one that contains familiarity and humour. Memes form a sense of community due to their insider humour, but do not require direct social interactions (which is becoming an issue in modern society) and thus provide another avenue to belong to groups, as explained in Gal, Shifman, and Zohar (2016). It is well known that a sense of belonging is important in the developmental process of adolescence and contributing to, and participating in, meme culture is a modern way to connect with other adolescents (Gal et al., 2016, p. 1700). This belonging, however, can have a price. A good number of memes take on self deprecating humour (see Figure 3) which can make fun of one’s depression, attractiveness, sexual activeness, intellect, etc. This kind of humour can provide a look into social statuses and attractiveness of meme users (memers) as studied by Greengross and Miller (2008). They found that self deprecating humour is often used by males that are considered higher in social status and those that use this type of humour are considered attractive, even over long-term use, to the opposite sex. Women, however, do not enact in self deprecating humour as much and prefer not to reciprocate humour in short and longterm romantic relationships. Furthermore, those situated higher socially are found to have lesser self esteem, as found by MsCosker and Moran (2012). Thus, we can gather a lot of information about an adolescent in terms of their social status and self image from the memes they share. Additionally, memes can help to understand another large part of adolescent life – media consumption. Memes provide current insights into popular media (including people). Media is often turned into a meme when it is either ridiculous (often seen in character memes, see Figure 4) or it is well received by adolescents. Therefore, analyzing memes and the recurrence of particular memes (popular memes reuse photos and are captioned differently – creating more relatability) can lead to an understanding of which media is considered popular to certain groups or popular to a wider range of people depending on the universalness of the meme. Memes, on the surface, provide mere seconds of humour to adolescents, but when looked at closely, they can give great insights to adolescent life. In all, memes are wide spread and are used by many adolescents which allow identification of one’s sense of belonging, self image, social status, and media consumption. Their layered meanings are more than just humorous – they provide great avenues to the study of adolescence. For more definitions and examples of memes, see knowyourmeme.com.
Figure 1 An example of a meme, classified as an image macro.
Figure 2 An example of an image macro that was first considered a meme. Template called "Over Attached Girlfriend."
Figure 4 An example of how Donald Trump has been used as a character meme. Figure 3 An example of a more modern meme. The humour used a common type of self deprecating, but there is a further layer relating to the competitive aspect of video games (this particular game is League of Legends).
For more definitions and examples of memes, see knowyourmeme.com.
COUNTER-STRIKE: GLOBAL OFFENSIVE (CS:GO) Marilu Potestio Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) : multiplayer first-person shooter video game developed by Hidden Path Entertainment and Valve Corporation (1)
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive aka CS:GO is all the rage in the online gaming world, especially for adolescents. This game has become very popular in the world of online gaming in recent years following its popularity in the early 2000s (2). Adolescents are drawn to CS:GO as it has created “a distinct and unique culture surrounding it, including the players themselves, professional teams and their fans, esports organizations and leagues, and enthusiastic spectators. A few teams and individual players have also gained widespread international fame and recognition and make a living by playing” (3). Adolescents seek the excitement and skill it takes to play CS:GO, not to mention, the professional aspect which allows them to take part in tournaments which can include cash prizes. The immersion of video game culture in consumer society has become a contentious topic for decades. Parents often complain that their children are “lazy” based on their video game habits. Video games are argued to be a social impediment due to the nature of isolated gaming experiences (4). In regards to adolescence and health, CS:GO can be easily seen as a negative hobby for adolescents due to its violent nature and its potential contribution to too much “screen time”. However, it can be a way for them to express themselves and be skillful in something, especially for those with mental health issues (5). It allows them to have something they love, work hard to improve their skills and make friends along the way. While social pressures in public often cause stress for adolescents, the culture within CS:GO is undoubtedly social (6). With the integration of communication through voice-chat and video streaming, adolescents can communicate with their peers and share experiences (7). Just as teachers are expected to differentiate their instruction based on their students’ individual needs, video games offer a differentiated approach to social integration and participation. It is important that such integration supplements their social lives, but not to be depended on. Like most things in life, CS:GO and other video games should be engaged with in moderation in order for individuals to have a healthy and balanced lifestyle. When studying adolescence, CS:GO c an be useful because it allows educators to see a world where students are not just wasting their time staring at a screen, but learning skills such as hand-eye coordination, problem solving and collaboration. These skills are what educators strive to teach in the classroom but fail to realize that students are learning this outside of the classroom as well, without even knowing. CS:GO is one word that has a lot of meaning in the world of adolescence, as it gives students a chance to develop an interest and express themselves through it. As long as parents and educators are able to provide students with ways of playing this game in a healthy way, it can have many positive outcomes (8). For those who lack confidence to excel or those who are unable to participate in physical activities like sports, CS:GO provides numerous opportunities for students to compete and strive towards skill development. Some adolescents may want to feel part of a community; online communities are generating more potential for personal growth as we move further in our digital age (9). CS:GO a nd most other video games offer adolescents opportunities to be engaged with a community, may improve self-efficacy in their social interactions, and develop many skills. Video games are an important part of many adolescents’ identities and for some, it may be among the few opportunities to engage in meaningful social interactions. CHECK OUT THESE LINKS FOR MORE: Best 19 & Under CS:GO Pro Players...(Teenage Talent) CS:GO - Counter Strike: Global Offensive (Teens React: Gaming) Exploring E-sports: A Case Study of Gameplay in Counter-Strike Real Life Positive Effects of CS:GO
Cultural Identity Farkhunda Muhtaj Adolescence is one of the most complex stages of one’s life. This is the transition period between childhood and adulthood also known as the teenage years. Adolescents are often misunderstood and judged due to this unique transition period. Adolescents go through a lot of mental, physical, and emotional stages during this period of time. One of the most important things they struggle with during this time period is their identity. Their identity is very much influenced by their cultural identity. Adolescents are at a very crucial part of their life where they would like to identify themselves with a unique set of character traits. However, their culture plays a huge role. During this period of time, adolescents often try different things in order to discover their true self. In order to discover their identity, they go through many different behavioural cycles. Based on their cultural values they may be influenced to conform to a certain set of expectations. For example, coming from a Middle Eastern background I was always told to think twice when making certain decisions because my decisions would give a certain impression of the family. In certain cultures, such as mine, family honour is very important. Therefore, your actions directly affect the family. Within some cultures it is very important to assimilate in to the new western Canadian culture while staying connected to your own cultural heritage. However, some adolescents may not want to express themselves based off of their own cultural heritage. This may be due to peer pressure, or they may be embarrassed to wear something because they may feel like they look different. Culture and religion can also be connected. Based on your culture you may be following a certain religion. Some adolescents may want to proudly wear a Hijab, a Kippah, or a Turban while others may be reluctant or ashamed of doing so. Adolescents feel the need to feel valued and important in their social circles in order to feel accepted. Cultural identity includes one’s gender, race, nationality, ethnicity, and cultural beliefs. An adolescent’s cultural environment will most likely play a factor as to how one chooses to express themselves. Some immigrant families find the need to assimilate into their new culture in order to fit in whereas some families may be able to adjust and live with two cultures. Cultural identity is very important because we practice our parent’s traditions from a young age and as we continue to practice them it becomes a big part of our identity. This word opens up a broader sense of meaning to the study of adolescence. It allows one to understand that adolescents go through more than just a physiological change but a whole series of transitions. Below are some helpful links in order to broaden your understanding of the term. https://www.cleverism.com/lexicon/cultural-identity/ https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/36763424/identity.pdf?response-contentdisposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DIdentity_in_Adolescence.pdf&X-AmzAlgorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-AmzCredential=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A%2F20191008%2Fus-east1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20191008T203915Z&X-Amz-Expires=3600&XAmz-SignedHeaders=host&X-AmzSignature=bbd83a3adf00e4ca6f8f37211264408807fb835a8437cc3268da2ddf34e6cabb
Yae (Carrie) Lee
Dieting -----------------------------------------------------
Why this word is important to the adolescence A Canadian data demonstrate that nearly one-half of Ontario teenagers (12 to 18 years) attending public school feel unhappy about their weight. Furthermore, a recent review of adolescent dieting indicated that 41% to 66% of teenage girls and 20% to 31% of teenage boys have attempted weight loss at some time in the past. The media views of “perfectionism” has led to a social conduct that you must be skinny to be “pretty” for girls, and muscular to be “good looking” for boys. This ideology has led many teenage girls to be dissatisfied with their body image, and a way to cope, they attempt dieting through fasting or insufficient consumption of important nutrients. More information can be found in this academic journal. How this word opens up to the adolescent culture Teens today are constantly exposed to the “perfectionism” of body image through social media. The body image standard leads to teens comparing and at times shaming their bodies. This issue is very easy to approach in adolescents because teens start to become more self-conscious with their public image than childhood. However, it is also very easy to be harmed by the side effects because it doesn’t show immediately, but rather accumulates for later. How this word could negatively impact adolescents Most teens do not know the negative health outcomes to unhealthy dieting. Dieting does not limit to only physical consequences but also psychological consequences. Physical consequence: binge eating, eating disorders Psychological consequences: low self-esteem. It can apply a stereotype to the diet culture that he media portrays as an “image” of Dieting. Ex: to impress someone, higher status How this word could positivity impact adolescents Healthy goals can help students practice ways of good goal setting skills, lead a healthy life style, and form a healthy body which become a strong foundation to achieving other goals later in life. Also, dieting can give teens a sense of accomplishment and motivation to paying off hard work. With better awareness in the importance of making healthy eating habits a, and support to make healthy diet plans, it can positively influence adolescents to have a better meaning in life.
T H I C C
D u m m y
https://www.urbandictionary.com/dummy_thicc
Dummy Thicc meme in a Drake Meme
“Dummy Thicc” derives from “meme” internet culture. Learn more about “memes” here: https://academic.oup.com/jcmc/article/18/3/362/ 4067545 The article contains a lot of information, it’s dummy thicc. You can easily and availably find more “dummy thicc” memes on the internet by searching key words: dummy thicc. To yield the best results, search on platforms such as Instragram and Youtube. “Dummy thicc” showcases what adolescents may value in terms of physical beauty. It is interesting to see the shift from skinny beauty to thick or ‘thicc’ beauty. Adolescents and people in today’s society value a big, round buttocks than a ‘flat’ buttocks. This is interesting because in today’s society there are still people who suffer from eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. These people believe being skinny and not “dummy thicc” is beautiful. This dichotomy of how society values beauty is very prevelent and an interesting sight into the minds of adolescenets.
https://youtu.be/XT5dUM_QJxQ
“Dummy thicc” does not nessesarilly have to be about the human anatomy.
e-Sports: Keyword in Contemporary Adolescence-Dayna Densmore Video games are no longer something just for fun; people -predominantly under thirty- are becoming millionaires playing games in competitive leagues. e-Sports, also known as Electronic Sports, refers to competitive sports using video games. Understanding the massive popularity of e-Sports and the implications this has on the study of adolescence is vital to create adolescent-based pedagogy that accurately reflects the contemporary experience of youth. e-Sports are organized competitions between professionals as both individuals and teams. While there have always been amateur video game competitions since video games were first created there is a clear difference in the level of play. Importantly, e-Sport competitions are very popular and often sponsored by major companies. The popularity of these competitions has increased relatively recently as major streaming platforms of the 2010s such as Twitch.tv and Youtube Live have allowed real-time viewership of games. Beyond these streaming services, competitions such as Overwatch League (Blizzard Entertainment’s pro league for their first-person team-fight game released 2016) have matches on television - ABC, ESPN2, and Disney XD all featured games in 2019 (Oh 2019). Time and money is sunk into these massive competitions due to their huge popularity. In only a few years this industry has become massive - global e-Sports revenue was expected to reach 1.1 billion in 2019 (Russ 2019). This lucrative industry is one funded by young people. e-Sports, both watching and playing, are a young person’s activity. A poll by the Washington Post and University of Massachusetts Lowell discovered that nearly three quarters of Americans between fourteen and twenty-one either played or watched multiplayer online games in the past year; this is a larger percentage than any other age group (Guskin 2018). Even on a professional level adolescents are primed to enter leagues as soon as they turn eighteen; many different major gaming leagues have ‘academy’ teams geared toward highschool students too young to enter the professional league. Beyond this, the competitive commitment to e-Sports by adolescence can be seen in the wide array of leagues for academic institutions, specifically North America’s Highschool eSports League and TESPA. The rise of eSports goes beyond simply watching something for entertainment. Even outside of the professional league it is a deeply social activity. Twitch, the primary streaming platform for eSport professionals and amateurs alike, features a chat box beside the stream of the games. Viewers of the stream interact with both other viewers and streamers through this chatbox. Besides this, the social domain of eSports is prevalent in every game: people form friendships online, find identity in groups, and even make teams together. The social aspect of eSports is important in the study of adolescence as it impacts how adolescents understand themselves and one another, and features a unique new way to bond and create identity. It is difficult to find academic literature focusing specifically on e-Sports and those who are consuming it. While editorial papers and online articles exist in troves, there are significantly less published by academic institutions. Most papers concerned with adolescence and video games focus on the intrapersonal implications of video game addiction and escapism rather than the interactive entertainment and social domain of e- Sports. In order to better understand the impact of eSports on adolescence, critical study of the social, mental, and even physical effects of being involved in playing or watching eSports must be conducted. Suggested Further Reading: Hanghøj, Thorkild & Nielsen, Rune. 2019. Esports skills are people skills. High School eSports. Web. Accessed 2019. https://www.highschoolesportsleague.com/ Works Cited Guskin, Emily. “Teenagers are fueling a competitive gaming tidal wave”, Washington Post. Web. Mar 9, 2018. Accessed Oct 24, 2019. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2018/03/09/teenagers-are-fuelingane-gaming-tidal-wave/ Oh, Ashley. “How to watch Overwatch League season 2’s opening week”, Polygon. Web. Feb 14, 2019. Accessed Oct 24, 2019. https://www.polygon.com/2019/2/14/18225057/overwatch-league-season-2-streamhowto-watch Russ, Hilary. “Global esports revenues to top $1 billion in 2019: report”, Reuters. Web. Feb 19, 2019. Accessed Oct 24, 2019. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-videogames-outlook-idUSKCN1Q11XY
Rebekah Walker 214818223 October 28, 2019 EDFE 1101 Key Word Paper: Family A single key word that is central to the study of adolescence and health is the term family, which is meaningful to both adolescence and health. The term family means a group consisting of parents and children living together in a household. In more meaningful terms, a family consists of the people who support and love you, and the people you can confide in and trust. The word “family” is central to the study of adolescence and health because family can be a place where both potential resources for health and/or possible threats to wellbeing may arise for adolescence. family clearly plays a critical role in the promotion of adolescents’ well-being, by providing a positive support system within which youth can explore their changing identity. For example, the protective function of family has been shown to be an important factor in the prevention of risk behaviours in youth and adolescence. In addition, positive relationships with parents, low conflict, high levels of support, and open communication, are especially important for teens/adolescence as they navigate the physical and emotional changes into adulthood. This being said, there are still some important family-based risk factors that can occur, even though adolescence is a time of peak health. For example, adolescence who experience high levels of conflict and/or low levels of support from their parents, are more likely to engage in risk behaviors, and may be more likely to struggle with depressive symptoms. The term “family” is studied in detail in relation to adolescence, but still continuously opens up many vantages for the study. Some things that can be done to open up new vantages of the study of adolescence, could be informing families and teens/youth in how to participate in creating a meaningful adolescence for both the family and the child. For example, both adolescents and parents need to know more about how to participate in a healthy family context that will train healthy adolescents with more effective social responsibility, based on their own realistic plans for their future lives. In addition, to understand adolescents in a more realistic way, parents should develop healthy and positive communication with their children to avoid family health problems in the future. Incorporating more family-based inquiries to the study of adolescent development, informs parents on how to lead their children on the right path to adulthood, whilst avoiding any turmoil along the way. However, to have healthy adolescents, both children and parents need to be more knowledgeable and foster better skills about adolescent health and development and about social trends. Doing this will better both the parents and the children to ensure that their adolescence is a positive one. Citations: Shulman, S., & Klein, M. (1982). The family and adolescence: a conceptual and experimental approach. Journal of Adolescence, 5(3), 219–234. doi: 10.1016/s0140-1971(82)80026-2 The Family Environment and Adolescent Well-Being. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.child /trends.org/publications/the-family-environment-and-adolescent-well-being-2.
Justin Cheung
Finstagram “Fake” Instagram A finstagram, also known as a ‘finsta’ or fake instagram, is a second Instagram profile page that people maintain in addition to their real or “main” Instagram account. People have used their finstagrams as a way to express their “true” selves without the social pressure of maintaining an aesthetically pleasing page with beautiful posts on a real Instagram profile. Users typically set their finstas on “private”, which enables them to control who has viewing access to the account’s content. In this private space, users freely share less than perfect photos with their smaller circle of close friends while followers of the main account are limited to seeing the postworthy life highlights, which ultimately frame others’ perceptions of the user. Under the immense pressure to portray an idealized self on social media, we see how adolescents may have found an alternative outlet to display “humour, authenticity and ‘unfiltered’ self-expression” (Dewar et. al., 2019), while maintaining a particular image for their real Instagram’s audiences such as parents, coworkers, classmates or acquaintances. A study conducted at UC Berkeley on finstas users describes the problem of appealing to such a wide variety of overlapping audiences online as ‘context collapse’ and reckons that the creation of finsta accounts is the direct response, allowing users to streamline content to specific audiences while hiding content from others (Dewar et. al., 2019). Thus, the emergence of finstas illustrate a couple underlying forces acting on adolescents including, an intense fear of judgement, the mental stress of social media performance, and the pressure to conform to confusing and widelyranging expectations across various contexts. “I guess for me Finstas are just a separate place where you can post stuff that you wouldn't necessarily post on your Insta because its inappropriate, embarrassing, etc. And only your close friends have access to it. I have family following me and people I work with. Some stuff might not look appropriate or professional.” Carina (Former student) Although we understand the benefits that finstagram accounts offer to adolescents, there is still much research to be done. The implications of finstagrams on mental health are relatively unknown. More research should be conducted to understand the psychological and physiological benefits of finstagrams. On the other hand, the nature of a second, private account promotes a life a duality where adolescents are encouraged to simultaneously portray two incongruent versions of their selves. Furthermore, Dewar et. al. (2019), found social norms for finstagrams including, “humor, authenticity, frivolity, and self-deprecation (e.g. ugly selfies)”. Instead of being able to portray their real selves, perhaps the recent popularity of finstagrams has created a new pressure to post content that corresponds to finstagram norms. In conclusion, we do not yet know whether they actually provide an escape from social media norms or in reality, cause more harm.
Julia Augurusa EDFE 1101 C October 28, 2019 Fitness [fit-nis] noun 1. Health. 2. The state or condition of being physically complete and healthy, especially with the result of proper nutrition and exercise. 3. An understanding of physical and mental well-being. Synonyms: Robustness
Vigor
Hardiness
Toughness
Fitness is defined as understanding the importance of ones’ physical activity and/or healthy eating lifestyle. Throughout an individual’s educational journey, the importance of physical activity and healthy eating are continuously stressed. The word fitness can be understood as an individual who has strength, is in healthy shape and in good condition. In high school, gym class is mandatory in grade 9, but in grade 10, 11, and 12 it is the student’s choice if they want to continue on their fitness journey. Whether an adolescent chooses their elective to be gym or not, there are many other ways to stay active. A healthy lifestyle is encouraged in high school through the many extracurricular activities that are offered such as joining a soccer team, hockey team, cross country or a dance team. Fitness is also indorsed through the food that is served in the cafeteria or vending machines. There are always healthy choices to choose from, which makes it the student’s choice whether they want to infuse their body with healthy food or junk food. As expressed in health classes, the food guide and on social media, ones’ fitness is important to maintain as it can have immediate and long-term health benefits. Physical activity or exercise can improve your health and reduce the risk of developing several diseases. This correlates with a balanced nutrition and/or diet to help maintain a healthy weight, reduce your risk of diseases and promote your overall health. Adolescent years are the most important in an individual because it is where most of the information retained is understood and used throughout one’s life. Fitness could also have an impact on one’s mental health. Mental health disorders are commonly brought upon in an individual’s teen years as they are faced with new situations, relationships and struggles. Fitness can be a coping method to supress one’s depression, anxiety or self-esteem. Fitness is a lifestyle or hobby that an adolescent could adapt to. The sparking question that remains is how one uses fitness in their daily life, with physical activity or healthy eating and does this change in lifestyle help to cope with situations or issues happening throughout one’s adolescent years.
Keyword on Adolescence and Health Fortnite Damiana Piroli October 28, 2019
The Keyword that I choose relating to adolescence is “Fortnite”. Fortnite is an online video game that was developed by Epic Games and was released in 2017. It is available in three game versions: Fortnite Save the World, Create and Battle Royal. Of the three, the launch of Battle Royal marked a cultural phenomenon among teens, drawing more than 125 million players in less than a year and earning millions of dollars a month across the globe. Fortnite’s popularity can be attributed to the fact that it can be played through many platforms making it accessible to all and that it is free! The game involves up to 100 players being dropped from the sky on an island. Players are able to play with one another online and communicate through headsets. The players must construct and acquire items to fight enemies and the goal is to be the last one standing. The global phenomenon of fortnite opens many vantages that are central to the study of adolescence and health as it may have positive and negatives impact on teens. Parents worry that the games repeated depiction of gun violence can have a negative impact on their children. Parents also are apprehensive with the dangers that can emerge from the array of strangers their children are in contact with. Both parents and teachers express concern that students surrounding the game are being distracted and drawn away from school work as teens spend several hours a day playing fortnite. They fear that the adolescences are addicted to the game and display depression, aggressive, anxious and irritable behaviour when they are not able to play. World Health Organizations WHO recently recognized gaming disorder as a condition however scientists, researchers and academic organizations disagree. evidence It is argued that fortnite also has a positive affect on adolescence and their health. It allows teens to socialize with their peers, build teamwork skills, build and create, enhance planning and communication, develop craftmanship and time management as well as self discipline. In addition, the fortnite emotes(dances/moves) that are used in the game to express themselves make it fun and enjoyable for teens to engage in. This global phenomenon also extends beyond teens, it is popular with celebrities who report playing the game, athletes that use fortnite’s emotes as victory celebrations, fortnite dance offs from various groups, or platforms such as Twitch and YouTube that are dominated by the game. youtube Although the impact of fortnite on adolescence and their health may be negative or positive, I believe it is important to study why and how such cultural phenomenon’s exist in order to further understand teenagers.
GAMING ADDICTION (EDFE 1101: Adolescent Development and Health)
BY NICHOLAS MARINGOLA
Gaming addiction can be defined as one being dependent or constant cravings of the need to play video games. Being addicted to gaming can lead to various issues such as insomnia and can affect one’s ability to establish real-life social skills. “Gamers” use various forms of video games to establish online connections while creating a fantasy escape into a world other than their own, this can be a negative as it often has lingering effects on how one acts in “the real world”. EXAMPLES OF GAMING ADDICTION A 2017 phenomenon “Fortnite”, a free to play game has caused an outbreak, and it is said that F ortnite is as addictive as Heroin. Fornite is designed to release adrenaline by putting it’s users up against one another and in battles in which the winner barely survives. The release of a pleasure hormone called “Dopamine” is a contributing factor as to how the game becomes addictive. As the player earns “kills” or finds upgraded “loot”, the pleasure hormone is released and keeps the player wanting to play more. Gaming addiction affects the adolescent mind as it is a new form of addiction, that shares some of the same characteristics as alcohol/substance addiction while being entirely different. Video games such as Fornite are much more accessible to adolescents than those in which we typically associate with addiction. A deeper study into video games could serve as a vantage to educators and those interested in mental health, especially as t he phenomenon of video games are becoming a staple in the American home. Educators can be tasked to try and incorporate some attributes of these games to not only engage students but use what they already love as a point of pedagogy.
Keyword Assignment Sabriyya Bacchus EDFE 1101 October 28, 2019
Keyword: Gang Affiliation The term gang affiliation can conjure several images in one’s head. While these images may be negative, or stereotypical to a group of young men who may look a certain way, consider the values of a gang when compared to the values of a family unit. This comparison may be surprising for some, due to the societal stereotypes associated with gangs versus how people picture their own families and loved ones. However, this is precisely why gang affiliation can be a topic of interest, as it is much more complex than the assumptions it first creates. Youth gang affiliation is commonly associated with the social and criminal behaviours of youth; behaviours that typically stray from the norms of any given society (O’Brien, Daffern, Chu & Thomas, 2013). The word “gang” in itself typically has negative connotations and can be associated with other words such as poverty, drugs, crime, exploitation, guns, violence and murder. However, rather than just purely considering the activities that gangs may engage in, one must also consider the risk factors that cause youth to join gangs and the protective factors that can mitigate joining a gang (O’Brien et al., 2013). Risk factors may include issues such as socioeconomic status, events that take place prior to the transition from childhood to adolescence or adolescence to youth and the peer group a youth is part of (O’Brien et al., 2013). Protective factors can include academic achievement, mentorship, community involvement and relational building (O’Brien et al., 2013). The other side of gang affiliation that needs to be spoken about is the policing of youth. In particular, the policing of Indigenous youth and black youth and in many cases, this is not even officially recognized as a factor of why a youth would be charged or arrested (Government of Canada, 2015). This in itself is problematic, as the societal perception is quite different from the lived experience. It remains that a central element of gang affiliations, or rather a pre-dominant assumption associated with the word, is youth violence. Rather than over-policing youth of colour, as a society we must be willing to do a better job of understanding the trials and tribulations that come along with adolescence, much less when we consider the risk factors many of today’s youth are exposed to. Craig Pinkney sums it up best in his TED TALK, when he says, “our young people our invisible” and “if young people feel they are not part of our village, they will burn it down to feel its warmth” (Pinkney, 2016). As educators, we are creators of the metaphorical village, and keepers of safe spaces for students from all walks of life. In closing, the issue of gang affiliation continues to plague many of the inner city youth who will be our future students. We do a great disservice to our youth when we fail to recognize the realities of their home lives, the role that socioeconomic status plays on their future outcomes and the importance of their health, not just physically, but mentally. Issues such as youth violence and gang affiliation continue to persist because as a society, we are failing our young people. And by default, when we fail our young people, we fail ourselves at a prosperous future. Government of Canada (2015). Police Discretion with Young Offenders. https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/cj-jp/yj-jj/discre/situ-conj/group.html O’Brien, K., Daffern, M., Chu, C. M., & Thomas, S. D. M. (2013). Youth gang affiliation, violence, and criminal activities: A review of motivational, risk, and protective factors. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 18(4), 417-425. doi: 10.1016/j.avb.2013.05.001 Pinkney. C. (2016). The real roots of youth violence. TED TALK. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWNTMmktoCQ
Vanessa Pellerino EDFE 1101 C 28 October 2019
Keyword Assignment: “Hookups” As individuals experience physical, mental, and emotional maturation throughout adolescence, the conversation of sexual relationships becomes increasingly apparent. In a course that focuses on the stage of adolescence and their health, it is imperative that sexual education, relationships, and culture are to be discussed at the forefront of teenage experiences. Although statistics provide evidence which states that not all adolescents are sexually active, most teens explore themselves as sexual beings to various degrees between the ages of 13 and 19. The term “hookups” can be defined as a sexual experience between two individuals, typically as a result of casual sexual relationship. In its simplest form, “Hookups” are often a result of both chemistry and culture. The lens of chemistry refers to the biological changes that occur during puberty and evolve throughout adolescence. As each individual develops, both their understanding of sexuality and willingness to discuss the topic increase. It is interesting to consider the conversation surrounding intercourse as well; What does this look like? What questions are being asked? Who is going to share their personal experiences in order for others to learn? Are students receiving adequate sexual education, and are they being educated to feel comfortable discussing sexual relationships, both casual or committed? It is important to note that experiences with puberty development varies for each individual and statistics are often different as numbers transgress race, socio-economic status, gender, sexuality, etc. The point to be made with the biological domain of “hookups” is to consider the appropriateness (or lack thereof) of sexual relations depending on age and access. Historically, partaking in intercourse prior to marriage was forbidden as a result of a lack of sexual knowledge and religion. On the contrary, casual sexual relationships between adolescents have become increasingly common as a result of a shift in society and uprise in media culture. Television shows, movies, and songs have become increasingly sexual; movies such as Friends with Benefits and No Strings Attached are based on couples that partake in casual sexual relationships for long periods of time, both refusing to admit romantic feelings toward one another to avoid the stigma of a “complicated” committed relationship. In the most causal form, “hooking up” has become one of the most largely spoken about topics in teenage conversation as sexuality is increasingly being explored; whether individuals are simply kissing or hitting “third-base”, the culture surrounding “hookups” insinuates discussion. The focus of this keyword is not to consider the objectives of the term, but rather to acknowledge the ever-growing importance and relevance of “hookups” in adolescent lives and the ways in which educators, parents, and peers can assist in appropriately educating adolescents in safety and trust, but also to encourage this version of autonomy and understanding that most teenagers wish to discover.
IDLE NO MORE- AN INDIGENOUS ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT VISION STATEMENT: "Idle No More calls on all people to join in a peaceful revolution, to honour Indigenous sovereignty, and to protect the land and water"
WHAT? Idle No More is an environmental Indigenous movement that calls all people to join in a peaceful journey to saving our Mother Earth and protecting our land and water. This movement started with four women, three Indigenous women and one non-indigenous women, who all have a strong relationship with our Mother and have dedicated their lives to sharing the importance of this relationship to others and helping to rebuild the strength and dignity of our Mother Earth.
RELATION TO ADOLESCENCE Idle No More is deeply embedded in adolescence since it calls everyone, especially our youth, to bring change to the way we treat our Mother Earth for the generations to come after us. Even though this is an Indigenous movement, they call upon all individuals who walk Turtle Island (North America) and beyond. This movement specifically focuses on our youth since they are the key to the seven generations who follow us. Many movements have been started by schools and individual groups of youth who find this passion on their own or were introduced to this movement by their elders or fellow youth who are encouraged to help educate others to join them. This movement is also deeply embedded in social media and different artistic realms that all affect our youth. Social media is one of the main platforms for this movement and has created spaces for conversation online and educational videos, which in turn; has brought youth to the forefront of the movement who are taking this shared responsibility with their elders. This movement is now found within different artistic streams such as mainstream pop/rap music and well-known artists who have taken interest into this worldwide issue. The motive that is presented to the youth is to ensure that our Mother Earth is happy and healthy and continues to sustain this world and that the next seven generations to come will experience the same. The concept of considering the seven generations is easy for youth to relate to and is not only relevant to Indigenous youth, but all youth. Especially today, with our current state of our dying Mother Earth and with other environmental movements that are occurring around the world, youth are being called to help bring forth this change in many ways, Idle No More being one of them. Understanding Idle No More provides insight to the many issues and complexities that may exist within an Indigenous students’ life. Learning about the history of why the movement is occurring allows us to understand the position of Indigenous youth today. As well, this movement allows us to understand how to be an ally and the importance of Indigenous ally-ship today in North America. Understanding Idle No More also provides insight into the environmental issues that ALL youth face. This Indigenous direction has proven to help bring change within these matters by calling Indigenous peoples to fall back to their grassroot teachings and traditional knowledge. However, this knowledge is being given to everyone to understand the environmental issues we face and how to work on defusing these situations.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: 1)Idle No More official website Check out the current movements and ways to get involved! 2)The Canadian Encyclopedia 3)The women behind the movement 4)Standing Rock Pipeline Protest- Black Snakes Music video 5)Red Winter- Idle No More promotional video 6)Communities coming togetherA music video by Rellik
Influencer By Megan Stevens On social media, the term influencer refers to someone with a large following and utilizes their platform to ‘influence’ their viewers. Influencers can be found on a variety of social network platforms, the most popular being YouTube and Instagram. Almost all influences focus on a specific topic in which they gain credibility in; lifestyle, travel, fashion, make-up, or cooking/baking. When considering influencers, one must examine how they affect adolescents, as they are greatly influenced by pressures in their daily surroundings, which includes social media. According to a recent study by the British firm First Choice, it was determined that 34% of children aged 6-17 would like to be a famous YouTuber when they grow up. Many young adults are now considering not to peruse post-secondary education and want to create a YouTube channel. With this ‘drop-out’ mentality, parents are urging their children to attend university as a back-up plan. Finally, according to a study by Mathias Bärtl, a professor at Offenburg University, found that there was a 0.4% chance of success for a new People/Blog YouTube channel to become successful in 2016 (defined by being in the top 3% most viewed content in their category). Therefore, adolescents should be aware that influencer success is rare and should not be relied on as a career until their platforms are well established. One may ask how YouTube or Instagram influencers make money. YouTuber channels collect ‘AdSense,’ money from the Google-placed ads on their videos. Some YouTubers report earning “$500,000 per year with less than one million views per month.” YouTubers can supplement their income with ‘sponsored content’; promoting a brand or company that provides them with compensation. For example, Lucie Frink posted a video entitled: “5 Days of New Experiences,” which was sponsored by Carnival Cruise Line. “Carnival Cruise Line directly benefits from Fink’s content because her followers are introduced to the company. This new awareness encourages thousands of new customers to consider Carnival Cruise based on the enthusiasm that Fink and her friend share from their experience.” Therefore, adolescent viewers of sponsored content are often urged to purchase a good or service that they may not need, just because their favourite influencer recommended it to them. Most adolescences are consuming influencer content daily, and there are consequences in doing so. Adolescents look up to these social media influencers as role models and strive to be more like them. An extreme example of this can be found in an indie movie entitled Ingrid Goes West. In the film, “Ingrid becomes morbidly obsessed by Instagram-famous blogger Taylor…Taylor posts a picture of her breakfast at her favourite bagel place, Ingrid stops by for lunch the same day. Taylor quotes a passage from her favourite book, Ingrid orders it online right away.” In this example, Ingrid over-identifies with an influencer, Taylor, so much so that she begins to copy her every move. In this way, Ingrid loses her individual identity, as she is copying someone else’s life. “Establishing an identity is a central and usually very troubling task for all adolescents: discovering who one is [and] finding a mind of one’s own.” Influencers can disrupt this task as adolescents may strive to become more like their social media influencer role models and can, therefore, lose their identity. Overall, adolescents need to be educated on the risks of entering the ‘influencer lifestyle,’ as not every YouTube channel generates millions of dollars in AdSense revenue. Furthermore, Adolescence is ‘a process of becoming… a time of challenge and discovery for all.” One must not overlook the dangers of losing one’s identity while following these influencers, as adolescents often base their decisions on their favourite influencer’s recommendations.
Instagram Andrew Nazir Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms in this present day. It is a networking app where you are able to share pictures and videos, as well as stories. Stories allow your followers to view what you were doing at that exact moment it was posted, and it stays posted for 24 hours before it is cleared. Instagram is available for free on iOS and android devices. It can also be accessed on the web from a computer too. After creating a profile, you are able to follow whoever you want, or whoever interests you. If an account is private, the user must accept your request first. There is also a ‘suggested’ section which suggests posts and accounts that may be of interest of you based off of who you follow, and what you like and comment on. There are many different features of the app which attract a variety of users such as highlights. This is where you can post your cleared stories onto your profile even after the 24 hours is up. Instagram is central to the study of adolescence and health because it portrays the ‘ideal’ appearance of people. This could be portrayed through celebrities, popular accounts and certain body types who both males and females try to achieve. These idealistic accounts are usually the ones who have the most followers, and get the most likes and comments on their posts. Although we want Instagram to be a platform of pleasure for adolescence, it can unfortunately be problematic for them as well. As a result of these idealistic accounts and people, the confidence and self-esteem of adolescence then becomes effected. They start comparing themselves to others for reasons such as not having the same amount of followers as someone, or not getting the same amount of likes on their posts. This can then lead to adolescence questioning their appearance, beauty and physique. They may start believing that just because they don’t have a high amount of followers and/or likes, they may not be as attractive as someone who does have a high amount. This usually leads them into starting to post pictures that are edited, or filtered. The problem with this is that adolescence then start to believe that they look better with a filter or edit, compared to the raw picture. This can lead to a misbelief of their actual self, or a standard that they believe they must maintain. Although this is portrayed in both males and females, it is evident more in females. Therefore for adolescence, it turns more into a popularity contest rather than a platform to be used for enjoyment and fun. We as educators should try our best to allow students to understand that they should accept themselves as who they are, and not base appearance and popularity off of a social media app.
https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-instagram-3486316 https://www.familycircle.com/teen/social-media-teens-how-pressure-get-likes-and-followers-hurtingthem/
Alondra del Carmen Instagram Instagram is a social media platform rapidly growing in popularity among adolescents. The platform allows users to edit and post photos of their own, as well as like and comment on others photos. Instagram users can scroll through their main feed and view the photos of the specific people they choose to follow, but are also only a page away from exploring unlimited posts from people all over the world. Users can connect with all of these people instantly through direct messaging or by commenting under a post. The growing use of Instagram by youths can give us insight into their experience of the world and into their health and development as they go through their adolescent years. One of the first aspect of Instagram that can weigh heavily on adolescence is the social pressure to post the “right� things in order to fit in. As adolescents often lean significantly on their friend groups to decide who they want to be, they are likely to cater their posts as to show the version of themselves they believe will gain the greatest approval from their peers. Once this photo is posted by an individual and is validated by the number of likes a photo receives from their peers, an adolescent is likely to repeat this posting process whether they are posting photos that authentically represent themselves or are posting solely in hopes it will help them fit in to their larger peer group. Through Instagram an individual can manipulate the ways in which others perceive them. By noting these behaviors we can observe the relationship between an adolescents need to belong and their self-presentation1. Adolescents that continually edit and obsess over what posts are going to gain the most approval and put their personal value on the number of likes these photos receive can struggle to identify where their authentic inside story ends and their portrayal of themselves and how others read their outside story begins. By mentioning this connection between self-presentation and identity we can study how this may contribute to a distorted view of an individual’s self-concept and could lead to the struggle of forming a genuine individual identity1. The popularity of Instagram among adolescent also unfortunately provides another avenue for youth to exclude, mock, and bully their peers. The rise of social media has also brought with it the growth of cyber bullying. By hiding behind a screen bullying has reached a new high where there is considerable depression among adolescent. Instagram, outside these negatives, also possesses the capacity to inspire free selfexpression.2 The choice to be anonymous or to openly promote your name gives adolescents the unique opportunity to display art work, photography, or create fan pages dedicated to individual genuine likings. When encouraged to use social media platforms in this way, it can also encourage adolescent to find their individual identity, be different, and be proud of themselves all while still having the ability to explore and learn from work similar to their own. Instagram can help us study the tendencies and habits of how adolescent interact with technology, and the world they live in. By viewing how adolescents use Instagram we can get a view of the world through their perspective and gain a better understanding of their well-being and healthy development. 1.) Siwi Sarita, S. and , Julia Suleeman, J. (2017). The Relationship between the Need to Belong and Instagram Self-Presentation among Adolescents. Proceedings on Social Science and Humanities 2.) Stapinski, H. (2018). Opinion | Rediscovering My Daughter Through Instagram. Nytimes.com.
EDFE 1101 A - Tutorial #4 - Kwesi Keyword Assignment
Ayshah Kazi Monday October 28, 2019
Instagram Instagram is a free social media mobile app/platform that allows users to upload, edit, and share photos and videos of their lives with their following. Along with this, it gives users the chance to engage and interact with one another with features like Direct Messaging, Stories, and an Explore page. According to Instagram’s terms of use, users must be thirteen years or older to use the app. It also mentions the company’s goal, some of which include: “Offering personalized opportunities to create, connect, communicate, discover, and share” and “Fostering a positive, inclusive, and safe environment.” Considering the age limitations of Instagram, it can’t be ignored that the primary users are usually of the younger generation, specifically adolescents. Almost every teen that I know has an active Instagram account, and many anticipated their thirteenth birthday so they could finally use the app. If you see a teen on their phone, chances are you’ll catch them scrolling through their insta feed. Having said this, it is evident that Instagram is a new but highly central concept concerning the study of adolescence and health. The Power of a ‘Like’ Numerous studies, like from Nature Research, have revealed that the heightened expectations of acceptance and rejection from social media apps, like Instagram, are effecting adolescents neurologically. Teens are already at a highly sensitive stage in their life due to factors such as physical, emotional, social and identity development, and Instagram’s concept of who has the most likes and comments, or who has the most followers, adds a new pressure of being accepted in society and amongst friends. Dopamine is released in the brain after positive social interaction, and that is the same effect that teens experience when they post a selfie of them on Instagram and see likes rolling in. However, it leaves teens who don’t receive that affirmation of likes feeling rejected or even depressed. In addition, the ‘influencer’ era of Instagram has never been more prominent, and many teens turn to these lifestyle adult bloggers, who often have over 100K followers, to form opinions and gain inspiration for their own lives. A Tool to Understand Teens? However, we often forget that this generation of teens grew up at the height of the 21st-century tech revolution- they are “digital natives.” iPads, Tablets, and screens, in general, are like second nature to them, which is why Instagram is too. That is to say, Instagram is not all bad. It can be used to help study the neurological effects it has on the human brain, as many researchers have already done through fMRIs. This research will help us better understand teens and open new doors to help combat some of the issues they are faced with like peer pressure, acceptance, rejection, and bullying, by being able to develop better education programs and resources to help connect us better with them. Instagram is here to stay, and so are its teenage users. So, if you can’t beat em’, join em’. https://www.instagram.com/accounts/emailsignup/?hl=en https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzUb_GeLDg8 - A helpful video on this topic. https://help.instagram.com https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-03126-x These are great resources to learn more about this topic.
Kanchan Issar
Instagram is the most popular and common social platform among teenagers. It is a photo and video sharing app used primarily on iPhones and Androids that allows you to crop and apply filters to images and videos. It is the second fastest growing app among teenagers in the world after Snapchat. Many teenagers use this online platform for posting videos and other activities. With the help of this app, teenagers can stay in touch with their friends and celebrities. The main reason teenagers regularly use Instagram is: learning about latest trends, meeting or follow new people, and joining in on group conversations. On Instagram, teenagers can develop social and real world skills, be creative, and share their own ideas with friends. However, according to the report by the Royal Society for Public Health approximately 1,500 young people on how certain social media platforms impact health and well-being issues such as depression, self-identity and anxiety [#StatusOfMind]. Teenagers are constantly exposed to numerous information and communication technologies on a regular basis. Instagram makes teenagers feel as if their bodies aren’t good enough as people add filters and edit their pictures in order for them to look perfect and get the most followers. According to the report, young people who spend more than three hours on social networking sites like Instagram are more likely to report poor mental health which includes psychological distress (symptoms of anxiety and depression). In other words, the more social media platforms an adolescent uses, the more likely they are to have symptoms of depression and anxiety. It is not necessarily social media that is causing these health issues; it is more likely the content on the apps such as Instagram that teenagers are exposed to and its hindrance of healthy sleep and exercise. Furthermore, adolescence is a unique, crucial and formative time. It is very important to adopt healthy sleep patterns, problem-solving and interpersonal skills to manage emotions during adolescence. Some adolescents are at greater risk of mental health conditions due to the exclusion, living conditions, depression, anxiety, stress and educational difficulties.1 On Instagram, most teenagers focus on likes or followers and make comparison about their physical appearance. In this way, they spend much less time connecting with their peers in person and more time connecting electronically through social media platforms. Trawling Instagram feeds of their friends or celebrities with perfect bodies, jobs and relationships makes teenagers feel insecure and inadequate. Nowadays, teens take pride in being able to multi-task. For instance, engaging with friends on social media at the same time they are studying. They also feel pressure to post perfect photos, well-written posts, and respond quickly to the Instagram stories. As a result, this causes stress because of the additional pressure, feelings of anxiety, poor concentration and constant interruption during study. Furthermore, apps like Instagram can be very addictive. The fear of missing out causes distress in the form of anxiety of checking these apps among teenagers. They are under the pressure due to the fact that they would miss out if they will switch off from social media. For teenagers, checking social media (i.e. Instagram) causes stress and can have a profound effect on sleep. Moreover, poor sleep is directly related to the physical and mental health conditions in teenagers including obesity, high blood pressure and depression. Lack of sleep can lower the immune system and make it more likely for a teen to get sick, tired and irritable. In conclusion, Instagram has the ability to connect adolescents who may be excluded in their daily life. Instagram as a visual platform deliver the tools that allow teens to earn approval for their appearance and compare themselves to others. Adolescents are especially vulnerable because they are undergoing a lot of physical, social and psychological changes that are a normal part of growing up. They are more focused on the opinions of their peers. Exposure to inappropriate content and the ability to display and consequently receive endorsement through peer validation of risky behavior may entice some adolescents to make poor decisions about what to share on social media. In this way, social media can affect teenagers differently, depending on pre-existing conditions and personality traits.
1
Waddell, M. (2018). On Adolescence: Inside Stories. London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
Instagram has a net negative impact on teens compared to the top 5 social media platforms. (RSPH)
According to Pew Research. 72% of teens use Instagram. 15% say they use it most often than other social media apps
Instagram allows us to looks into all aspects of a teens life. From what they eat, to what they do, and how they connect with others. Instagram allows youth to connect, find news, meet other with the same interest, express themselves, learn new things and more. In recent years, Instagram has become the declaration of an adolescent’s identity. It intertwines self-expression and sharing Figure 1: RSPH about Instagram one’s perspective. It also influences the way they see and who others see themselves. This has created a heighten selfconsciousness in teens. Instagram has also been known to fester, bullying and body image issues. Instagram thrives on comparisons specifically on body image. What they call a compare and despair attitude. On average an American girl spends 6-10 hours on social media. (Forbes). Instagram has been reported to have the highest rates of lack of sleep, fear of missing out, bullying and depression. Some studies say that teens who use social media more than 2 hours a day have increased mental health issues. Bullying can also take place on the app, through comments and private messages. Much of an adolescents’ life, friends and connections run through Instagram. While it is a place of negativity there is also some positive. Many teens express it as a place to find support and keep updated on news. In a Pew Research study 31% of teens say it is positive, mostly in being able to connect. Many teens thrive on Instagram and despite its cons can still not part ways from it. If you would like to know more about this phenomenon check out here and here. By: Marissa Di Taranto
Raemyn Cheema EDFE 1101 Professor Gilbert October 28, 2019 ‘Instagram’ Instagram is a social media platform that allows individuals to share pictures with one another while being able to like and comment on one’s picture. It is a free online application that was acquired by Facebook in 2012. It gives you the option to share your profile with the public eye or to keep your account private. It may seem like many options are given within the scope of this application, and it may seem innocent, but it is in fact, not. Instagram provides a platform for students who are striving to seek for validation with this application, through getting likes and comments. However, in this day and age, bullying is still apparent, and not all the time are the comments presented in a positive manner. This can lead to the high depression rates seen in adolescents because of this social media platform. Everyone is trying to fit in and be the most popular in the world of adolescents without even realizing how one small thing can affect an individual. Adolescents correlate the amount of likes, comments and followers one has with their own lovability and worth, more specifically, self-worth. The lack of reassurance in their everyday life can cause them to feel an internal rejection that can slowly deteriorate their confidence, and this can lead to a wide variety of mental health issues. By acknowledging the negative impacts this application has on its youth, we are already headed one step in the right direction to help adolescents in practicing safe and nice ways in handling their own social media presence. As a teenager, they do not understand the implications of the internet and how, once posted out on the internet, you cannot take back what you said or posted. It will follow you around, so it is important that students know this, and learn to hold themselves up with class, and instead of bringing others down, we can help to create an environment where everyone helps to bring each other up. It is important to not only understand the functions of Instagram, but also to understand the effects of the world of social media in order to better understand and better help adolescents in their journey to find oneself is a safe manner. By better understanding the deeper effects and impacts of this application on adolescents, we are able to see a clearer picture and it is easier to talk to a group of adolescents about how they can seek help if the content being talked about is more relatable to their own lives. Instagram may not be around forever, but it is here now and it is crucial for educators to understand the negative impacts it may have on an adolescent to help better the lives of students by taking on preventative measures to help diminish the presence of bullying through this application. For more information, please click the following links: How Instagram provoke a reassurance-seeking attitude in adolescents Why Instagram is bad for teenagers
Instagram Sabrina Falco
Instagram is a social networking app where people can share photos and videos. Users can follow other users, such as celebrities, family or friends, and can “like” and comment on their posts. Users can also add captions, hashtags or locations to their posts to make them searchable by other users. Users have the option of making their account private for just their followers to see or public for all Instagram users to see. The app allows users to edit or filter their photos before posting, which is very common amongst adolescents, especially females. This word is central to the study of adolescence and health because it helps to understand the negative effects the app has on adolescents. Instagram causes adolescents, in particular females, to compare themselves to unrealistic, filtered and photoshopped versions of reality. Exposure to these manipulated photos have a negative impact on adolescent girls’ self-esteem as it leads to lower body satisfaction (Kleemans et al., 2018). As a result, girls feel that their body is not good enough; therefore, they edit their photos and add filters in an effort to make them to look “perfect”. Manipulated photos, along with all of the unhealthy diets and eating patterns advertised on Instagram can cause adolescent girls to become depressed and develop eating disorders. Instagram opens up new vantages of the world of adolescence since it gives a better understanding of why they feel and behave in certain ways. Adolescents feel pressure to have many followers and receive a lot of likes because it is public affirmation that they are doing good work. They often compare the numbers of likes they get to how many their friends get so Instagram becomes a popularity contest. If adolescents do not receive their desired number of likes, they either buy likes or delete their post (Heal & Green, 2018). The pressure to get a lot of likes causes adolescents to engage in rebellious behaviour. In fact, an adolescent boy went as far as climbing high buildings in New York to take the “perfect” picture, which helped him become popular on Instagram (Heal & Green, 2018). Due to the growing concern about adolescents’ mental health and self-esteem, Instagram has recently stopped showing the number of likes on photos in some countries so that only the person who posts it can see how many. However, getting rid of likes does not resolve this concern due to the fact that comments on posts can still negatively affect adolescents, especially since other users are able to like comments. Comments give adolescents the same affirmation as likes. They can completely change the way an adolescent feels. Knowing that bikini pictures get a lot of comments, adolescent girls will post them when they are sad in order to feel better (Heal & Green, 2018). This gives girls the reminder they need from boys and other girls about how beautiful they are. Instagram comments, however, are not always positive. Bullying often occurs in the comment section of adolescents’ posts, which affects their emotions and self-worth. Adolescents who receive negative comments, such as “ugly” or “slut” on their posts are likely to become anxious, depressed and attempt suicide (Heal & Green, 2018). It is important to know about Instragram in order to understand the world of adolescence because it is part of their everyday life. Adolescents spend a countless number of hours a day on this app, which affects their identity, self-esteem, body image and sense of worth. They struggle to be understood; therefore, Instagram pressures them to try to be someone who they are not. Knowing about Instragram can ultimately help to understand adolescents’ inside stories. To learn more about the effects of Instagram on adolescents, check out these sources: Heal, B. (Producer), & Green, I. J. (Director). (2018). Social_animals [Documentary].United States: Subconscious Films. (Available on Netflix). Kleemans, M., Daalmans, S., Carbaat, I., & Anschütz, D. (2018). Picture Perfect: The Direct Effect of Manipulated Instagram Photos on Body Image in Adolescent Girls. Media Psychology, 21(1), 93–110. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca
Instagram-Tiana Napolitano Social media has become a vital context in the daily lives of adolescents. Instagram specifically, has become increasingly popular and, in turn, has become central to the study of adolescence and health. Instagram is an interactive application that allows users to generate and share content with others through the use of photos and videos (Vannucci & Ohannessian, 2019). Adolescents use Instagram as a platform to satisfy their needs including identity expression, social connection and support, and entertainment. The ways in which Instagram is used and how often it is used varies amongst adolescents, and therefore, has differing results of psychosocial functioning. However, in general, Instagram plays an important role in the lives of early adolescence due to the influence of identity exploration, autonomy, friendship, and peer acceptance that occurs during this developmental stage. Due to the hormonal shifts to brain structure and function, sensitivity to environmental and social stimuli impacts the psychosocial development and function of the adolescent (Vannucci & Ohannessian, 2019). Such psychosocial functioning includes the ways in which adolescents internalize and externalize problems as a result of using Instagram. Instagram may increase risk for internalizing problems including anxiety and depression. Frequent use of Instagram degrades emotional well being as it allows other users to publically post positive or negative comments on shared photos and videos. In response, adolescents experience shifts of self-evaluation that intensify their sense of peer acceptance. Peer relationships are the most influential social group within adolescence and therefore, make peer acceptance integral. Public social commentary and feedback facilitate dysfunctional interpersonal behaviours and coping strategies that impact the adolescents self-evaluation and, in turn, contribute to worsening moods, constant validation, and upward social comparisons (Vannucci & Ohannessian, 2019). Conversely, this creates a fear within adolescents related to negative evaluations during social interactions, as well as missing out on activities and functions viewed on Instagram. Instagram facilitates externalized problems amongst adolescents as it influences individual perception, thus, persuading adolescents to imitate behaviours seen within the application that others perceive as being valued. As result, adolescents are more likely to conform to the social norms that are present within valued groups. Such groups may include celebrities who endorse unrealistic physical features or social influencers who engage in delinquent acts as a way to provoke entertainment and laughter. In response, adolescents will alter their photos using editing apps as a way to fit in with the social norm. Instagram opens up new vantages for the study of adolescence as it allows emotional, mental, and social impacts to be studied. Such information could be used to alter the application in a way that creates a more positive online atmosphere and a platform that allows adolescents to express themselves without judgment. Instagram has already taken action by eliminating “likes�, providing the option to turn off public commenting, and allowing users to make their accounts private. An example of further action that can be taken by Instagram can be to limit and filter the content that can be viewed by adolescents. Additionally, Instagram opens up new vantages through the many positive influences it elicits and the effects it has on the daily lives of adolescents. For example, Instagram has the ability to strengthen friendships, reduce feelings of isolation, and enhance participation in social movements and community events (Gordon, 2019). Given the dominant influence Instagram has on the lives of adolescence in today’s world, the application is not only integral in the study of adolescence and health, but also, provides a basis for new vantage points that can be studied, altered, and modified. References Gordon, S. (2019). Surprising Ways your Teen Benefits from Social Media. [website]. Retrieved from https://www.verywellfamily.com/benefits-of-social-media4067431 Vannucci, A. & Ohannessian, C. (2019). Social Media Use Subgroups Differentially Predicts Psychosocial Well-Being During Early Adolescence. Scholary Journals, 48 (8), 1469- 1493. https://izismile.com/2011/06/16/before_and_after_photoshop_22_pics-17.html (The link above provides a visual example of how adolescents may Photoshop their pictures in an attempt to conform to social norms presented within Instagram)
Lisa Bialy Instagram Engagement In our modern society, social media has become a major part of our lives with new networks being introduced. These networks are created to help connect people on a larger scale using both the platform and visual engagement. Adolescents are often the main target audience for these new platforms and can have changing viewpoints of it. Instagram allows people to post both images and videos to their feed, giving others the option to comment and like the post. This engagement affects adolescents, who are drawn into the network. By having access to this resource, adolescents can use it for their benefit but can also be negatively impacted. Instagram allows people to either privatize or make their pages public. By doing this, people can have control over who gets to follow them and see their feed. For some this can be seen as a benefit because it gives them the opportunity to receive more likes and comments on their pictures and videos. This in turn can help them expand on the site and gain benefits based on how many followers and likes they receive. Having people engage with posts can be beneficial as it can help boost an individual's self esteem and provide them with an income. Receiving positive feedback on an image gives individuals, especially adolescents, confidence in themselves and makes them feel appreciated. In some cases, this support can help adolescents and others become successful on the network. They can gain connections and expand their image into other areas. By having engagement on your feed, adolescents can gain income from outside platforms who want to connect with the individual and the image they portray. Instagram Benefits. Although, Instagram can have some benefits, engagement can often cause problems for individuals. Many adolescents follow people who are known as “influencers” and will try to emulate what is in their posts. They will try to copy and achieve the type of lifestyle that is being portrayed on the pages. Constantly seeing perfect images and videos can affect how a person perceives themselves and those around them. Adolescents who want to be accepted by their peers often assume that they need to look and act in a certain way based off of what they see on Instagram. They may change how they dress and what they do in order to get followers and have more likes. Trying to alter their images or comparing their own likes to someone else's can cause some people to be affected by mental health. They may become depressed and anxious about what they post as they feel they are not being noticed by the people who follow them. Recently, Instagram removed the ability to view another person’s likes. This feature allows people, especially adolescents to worry less about only posting images and videos that people will enjoy. They can have the opportunity to post what they want. Instagram engagement offers adolescents the ability to connect with others and can help build confidence, by having the support of those who follow them. It can also negatively effect adolescents who try to change who they are to be similar to those on the site. Instagram Use and Effect on Well-Being & Self-Esteem
IPhone by Sid Patel
IPhone is a smart phone developed and launched by Apple in 2007. IPhones, like many other smart phones, can do many amazing things other than letting user talk and socialize. For example, iPhone can let user text message, take pictures, listen to music, watch videos, surf internet and so on...Thus, iPhone is a big part of everyday life, especially teenagers’. An IPhone is a big part of teenager’s life not because the wonderful feature it has but also because it define a teenager’s social status among his/her peers. And that creates an unhealthy social pressure on teen that ultimately challenges a teen’s self identity Most teenagers today own an iPhone as opposed to other phones based on systems such as Android or Windows. An article on iphoneincanada.ca state that 82% of teens in US own an iPhone today and 86% plan on getting one as their next smart phone. These staggering numbers suggest that most teens today have created a group of iPhone user vs. non iPhone users. A teemger with an Android-based phone, for example, will feel isolated and may compel him/her to reckless behaviour. For example, in January 8, 2018 a man from Waterloo, Ontario was arrested for a gun point robbery of an iPhone from a 17-year old. These cases suggest that owning an iPhone does not only affect teenager’s social identity but also put them at risk of physical violence. Popularity of an iPhone amongst teens has made the iPhone a status symbol. According to a research paper published in National Bureau of Economic Research in USA (written b Marianne Bertrand and Emir Kamenica), Apple product such as iPhones and ipads are a close indicator of being in “high Income” group. The paper found that owning an iPhone predicts user in “high Income” group with probability of 69.1 per cent. While owning an iPad put user in “high Income group” with probability of 66.9 per cent. But what about Android users? The paper suggests that if you own a high paying android phone, the chances of being in a “high income” group is 59.1 per cent. These numbers clearly indicate that just owning an iPhone will isolate in individual in a group of “high income” vs. “low income” whether that individual is a millionaire or a bankrupt. These findings compartmentalize teenagers of coming from a rich family vs. poor. IPhone is not just a Smartphone, it is a status symbol. Owing an iPhone puts a teenager in a separate group then not owning it. This segregation of a teenager not only hurt the society but it also affects a teenagers’ personal sense of being. To keep up with the popular demeands, 84# of teenagers today owns an iPhone. This staggering number will only rise as time goes on. IPhone is an ideal tool for predicting a teen’s social as well as cultural belonging in a school. This creates s financial dilemma for teens who cannot afford iPhone and that ultimately affects teen’s future. References: 1. Bertrand, Marianne, and Emir Kamenica. “Coming Apart? Cultural Distances in the United States over Time.” 2018 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone 3. https://www.iphoneincanada.ca/news/teen-survey-iphone/ 4. https://www.toronto.com/news-story/8041656-man-arrested-in-gunpoint-robbery-of-iphone/
Keyword: The Joker Shabir Salihi October 28th, 2019 The Joker is a contemporary prevalent icon among adolescents that many young people follow to find meaning and purpose in their lives. In the context of the Joker, many teens find it to difficult to perceive the character as a protagonist or antagonist. The Joker in the scope of the fictional and DC comic world is a masked clown supervillain, psychopath, narcissist, and schizophrenic who causes havoc and strives for an anarchist society. In reality, the Joker character is glorified for his heroism in overcoming; adversity, stigmatism, and condemnation that society pitfalls him in. Thus, it is safe to say there is more than what meets the eye with the Joker, the keyword showcases the Joker as a complex character that questions our inner struggles and underlying issues that we encounter on a day to day basis. Nevertheless, the Joker acts as a springboard in creating conversation around realistic uncomfortable dilemmas in the realm of adolescence and health. Hence, it is critical to adolescent development and is done by expanding our horizon through pop culture figures like the Joker. The Joker character depiction serves as a central concept to mental health by paying tribute to people suffering from mental illnesses. Moreover, the Joker in its latest release addresses the societal pressures to fit in when faced with disabilities. Furthermore, the persona of the Joker is a representation of the one in five people that live with mental illness in North America battling with depression, suicide, drug addiction, and anxiety to name a few. More importantly, the Joker is an outlet for teens to sympathize with despite being marginalized, underprivileged, disadvantaged, or rejected in this bizarre world we live in. In addition, the Joker character is coined off the idea of experiencing one bad day as a jumpstart to living an eternally miserable life. Thus, the Jokers notion of ‘living one bad day’ can be studied as a framework of mental health that young people experience during the time of adolescence and believe to be true about their existence when dealing with a negative outcome. It is imperative to understand the study of the Joker character as a pedagogical view to shed light on mental health in a positive manner and strive towards destigmatization that many teens fear to express which leads to health implications. Therefore, the Joker is an agent of change imposing teens to break through sensitive barriers and is an essential character study to the course in terms of health. Adolescents range on a spectrum of teens ‘going through it’ from a violent, depressed, happy, or even curious state of mind prompting the need to find answers to attain purpose in life. The Joker serves as an answer in the adolescence culture that teens idolize by identifying with the ordinary problems common to both like being; shunned, bullied, failed, depressed, and outcasted thus, normalizing these feelings. The Joker character and films deliver a key message that is central to the course by acknowledging adolescence as a difficult transitional period that contribute to the development of adolescents; sexually, physically, and psychologically. New vantages can be explored due to the impact the Joker plays, linking adolescent behaviours to present events unfolding in our societies today. Teens perceive the Joker as a channel to build confidence and are fascinated making irrational decisions and using the icon to justify actions like mass shootings. Hence, adolescence is described as a time encompassing risk-taking behaviour to achieve understanding of oneself that teens project onto the Joker to seek solace, pleasure, and reward. ‘The Joker’ further advances the study of adolescence by sparking conversations through other pop culture depictions like, 13 Reasons Why and The Outsiders that many adolescents resonate with. Ultimately, the Joker aids to the study of adolescence by implementing proactive support systems much needed by teens such as; Bell Lets Talk, CAMH, and Victim Services that were not accessible decades before or spoken of. To learn more about the Joker in terms of adolescence, health, and characteristics check out the following sources: Academic Source: This journal article gives an overview of the Jokers motives that can be contrasted with public outbreaks and the influence the Joker character plays on the audience causing an identity crisis. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1041&context=criterion Non-Academic Source: This blog post provides a psychological view of the Jokers tendencies that are innate to the human nature and as well as linking it with mental health. https://medium.com/@adityavats/understanding-joker-a-psychological-view-90da73bfd557
Christina Giovannoni Keyword: JUUL The vaping industry has skyrocketed since 2017 with the domination of a new device that has made the practice of vaping convenient and more significantly, social. The company JUUL Labs Inc., was established in 2017 and quickly grew revenue from its vast production and retailing of electronic cigarettes containing nicotine salts in each individual pod. The pods are even sold flavoured, further enticing consumers to purchase the JUUL for its “satisfying” and sleek effect. The company markets the JUUL through targeting an older audience and encourages “adult” smokers to quit the habit. In fact, their mission statement directly emphases that the “JUUL is not appropriate or intended for youth” which can be located at the link provided above. However, as the company gained recognition, it began to impact youth across North America and it no longer became a mechanism to quit smoking, but rather a social activity that teenagers participate in with their peers. Considering the increasing number of youth using the JUUL, future educators should be made aware of the implications and consequences the device has on adolescence. According to studies conducted by academic scholars from the Medical University of South Carolina, the JUUL has major health repercussions on youth and has even been classified as a gateway to other drugs. Vaping has been reported to potentially affect long term brain https://www.ontario.ca/pag development, which can be detrimental to adolescents as they continue to e/no-smoking-n 1 grow. Not only are users inhaling the vapour, they are also ingesting the liquid contained in the pods. Studies have also shown that the unexpectedly high levels of nicotine contained in the JUUL can revert the user back to cigarettes, which contradicts the purpose of the JUUL or e-cigarette generally. Most importantly, health research shows cognitive development in the adolescent may be delayed through the consistent use of the JUUL. Educators should understand the attitudes and behaviours in their classroom can shift based on the number of students vaping in and out of the school. Despite the widespread signage that the province of Ontario has enforced in public settings, students tend to disobey the rules and vape indoors. Yet why are teens so attracted to the JUUL? The marketing techniques the company imposes on youth (supposedly unintentionally) has easily drawn this group to the device. Their methods have captivated individuals to purchase the product and consume it accordingly. For instance, the photo to the left indicates that 66% of teenagers believe their vape solely consists of flavours. This is a common misconception among teens, but a quality that JUUL Labs prides on. This word https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics 1 has opened new vantages to the study of adolescence. For instance, this one object is capable of expanding the scope of the adolescent experience. The JUUL can become a gateway to the study of social pressure, cliques, and the use of other (more harmful) drugs. There is importance in the role of social control on teens. Exactly how far will teens go to try and be “cool” or “fit in” to diverse peer groups despite the device’s physical penalties? The role of media is also prevalent because as they are constantly exposed to it, it becomes simple to fall victim to vaping since it is glorified in this regard. Click on the following article for more information about the JUUL and how students manage to hide the device from their teachers while simultaneously vaping in the classroom: https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/15/health/juul-e-cigarettepartner/index.html
Keyword Assignment: Kim Kardashian By: Alessia Spidalieri There are certainly many words that can describe the essence of adolescence, whether it be verbs, items, feelings etc. However, I have chosen to discuss “Kim Kardashian” as my keyword which I feel describes adolescence. Every time an adolescent opens up their smartphone device, tablet or laptop, they are likely to see an image of one of the Kardashians. It could be an image she has posted of herself, an advertisement of a product she is selling, or a commercial for her reality show. Kardashian has 150 million Instagram followers and is one of the most followed celebrities in the world. The reality is, Kim Kardashian’s influence is profoundly felt throughout the world, and especially to adolescents. Kim Kardashian lives a very luxurious and lavish lifestyle. She posts pictures on her social media platforms of her million-dollar super-cars, mansions in Hidden Hills, exclusive closet with limited edition bag and shoes as well as her super exclusive vacation destinations. It is easy for anyone to be envious of her lifestyle or desire it in some way. However, adolescents are especially likely to idolize her lifestyle because they are young and impressionable and have likely been seeing images of Kardashian and celebrities like her for most of their lives. This can be particularly dangerous because adolescents can think that this way of life is realistic and attainable- when in reality it is the complete opposite. They are likely to subconsciously compare themselves and their own lives with hers and feel less adequate. In the article from the “Daily Beast”, a therapist named Stephen Johnson told the author of the article that when kids are asked what they want to be when they grow up, most of them respond by saying “rich and famous” (Greenfield). This is very dangerous because the lifestyle they are hoping to obtain is unattainable and unrealistic. This can affect their ideas about self-worth and self-acceptance. In the Daily Beast article linked at the bottom of the page, the author states something very interesting. She says that the “American Dream has turned into an American nightmare” (Greenfield). By this she means that the American Dream was once something attainable through hard work and determination. However, now, it represents something totally luxurious and unrealistic, something that cannot be achieved by hard work by most ordinary people. This is a direct product of social media and the way that celebrities, like Kim Kardashian, can portray themselves online. Social media only shows what people want others to see. This allows for people to only show the “great” highlights/moments in their lives and avoid showing the real moments that occur for ordinary people. Kim Kardashian is also a symbol of “beauty standards”. She is on the cover of countless fashion magazines, and she is ‘beautiful’ by society’s standards. She often endorses weight-loss pills and diet products, which can be harmful for adolescent’s to be exposed to. They can compare themselves to her and think that they need to purchase these weight-loss products to feel ‘beautiful’ and conform to society’s expectations. Body-image issues are real issues that adolescents face every day. I chose this word because every adolescent knows who Kim Kardashian is. She represents a popular culture that so many adolescents are familiar with. Her influence is extremely interesting when studying the development and health of adolescents. Studying Kim Kardashian and her impact on teenagers opens up possibilities to study ways that popular culture and media affects adolescents. Here is an interesting YouTube video regarding the “Kardashian Effect” on teens: For more information and further reading: click here (Daily Beast magazine) and click here (academic)
Written by Elisa Iacono The owner of Kylie Cosmetics, reality TV star, and social media influencer who rose to fame alongside her sisters, the Kardashians, and her parents, the self-proclaimed “momager” Kris Jenner and Olympic gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner. The 22 year old’s influence on adolescents is evident by her 148 million instagram followers and estimated net worth of US$1 billion, according to Forbes magazine. Her social media is a blend of marketing and personal life; she often features her daughter Stormi who she shares with rapper Travis Scott, or she can be seen promoting a new eye shadow palette. The original product that launched her cosmetics line in 2015 is the Kylie Lip Kit which was marketed as a way to achieve Jenner’s signature pout, following months of speculation about her noticeably larger lips. She denied rumours of cosmetic procedures, telling E! news, "I love lip liner and over lining my lips. But I don't even care anymore. I'm like whatever, just say whatever you want." Adolescent internet culture did not take Kylie’s claims seriously as her dramatic lip transformation became so notorious that it started a trend called the #KylieJennerChallenge, in which teens sucked on a shot glass to temporarily plump their lips. She has since admitted to getting cosmetic procedures to increase her lip size, but that has had no negative effect on Kylie Cosmetics. When she isn’t using her lips as a marketing tactic, it is instagram photos showcasing her physique which are influencing the minds of young people today. She, along with her sisters, have made careers off of publicising their personal lives and presenting their social media personas as reality. There is some concern regarding the influence Kylie Jenner type influencers have on perceptions of the female body, especially when they do not disclose the surgical enhancements and other resources it took to achieve their figure. There are many conflicting messages circulating now about body image that create somewhat of a paradox for primarily teen girls, as well as boys and non-binary youth. On the one hand, young women are realizing they have the right to do whatever they wish with their bodies, but on the other hand, they are still being fed unattainable beauty ideals. Research has shown that exposure to cosmetic surgery reality tv leads to an increase in body dissatisfaction among adolescent females (see link below). The issue lies within the perpetuation, marketing, “clickbaiting”, and commercialisation of an ideal body type, which Jenner has most likely been victim to herself. In addition, a singular ideal body type excludes representation of different races, sizes, and disabilities, which only serves to fuel insecurities. Useful links: Study: The effect of cosmetic surgery reality tv shows on adolescent girls’ body image Kylie Jenner's Instagram
The League of Professional Gaming-Aidan Chang Video games have always been a huge part of pop-culture, ranging from Call of Duty, to Super Mario, and even in more relevant times, Fortnite. With the growing popularity of video games, many have begun to see it as a potential career path as well. From YouTuber’s to Streamers, just about anyone with a camera could make money through playing video games. However, one platform that takes professional gaming to the next level is none other than Electronic Sports, or E-Sports for short. Riot Games’ own League of Legends being the poster game for the highly competative E-Sports, continues to show the rapid growth and success of the genre. Being a worldwide phenomenon, League of Legends stands at the forefront of the quickly growing popularity of E-Sports. E-Sports takes professional gaming to the next level. Bringing millions of adolescents from around the world, E-Sports is doing its job in slowly incorporating itself into the mainstream world. A great example of the rising popularity that is E-Sports, according to statistics conducted by Cristina Gough the League of Legends 2018 World Championship Finals “attracted 99.6 million viewers from around the world” in total, and had peaked at 44 million people watching at once (Gough). With its increasing popularity, more adolescents have grown interested in not only watching E-Sports, but are considering pursuing it as a career. Learning how E-Sports can affect adolescents in their development could prove interesting. In comparison to sports, a study from Sara Pederson and Edward Seidman did a study of how team sports relate to self esteem and concluded that their “support for a pathway linking team sports achievement to self-esteem development through team sports self-evaluations in a population with notably limited variance in both the predictor and mediator.” (Pederson, Seidman 420) With many more popular games like Fortnite, Starcraft II, Counterstrike: Global Offensive, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, each with their own E-Sports League, the E-Sports scene is incredible. With more diversity than mainstream sports like basketball and soccer, video games reaches out to a much wider audience and continues to help contribute towards the growth and development of adolescents. The possibilities are limitless for the phenomena that is ESports. Gough, C. (2019, May 10). League of Legends championships viewers 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2019, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/518126/league-oflegendschampionshipviewers/. Pedersen, S., & Seidman, E. (2016, September 11). Retrieved October 25, 2019, from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.964.2975&rep=rep1&type=pdf.
James Fawcett
Loner Loner is a term that is often used to describe someone that spends majority of their time alone. The term can be used in many ways, for example it can be an insult, or it can be used as a self descriptive word. The term has multiple applications but is primarily used by adolescence in a school enviroment. The term loner can be used to insult someone who is seen as rejected from most social groups. It can be used to degrade someone, using the word to emphasize a person’s loneliness and how a person will never be able to make friends or form meaningful relationships. The title loner can be used to make it seem like someone is unapproachable and unfit for basic social interactions. Some people enjoy being called loners, seeing it as a way to distinguish themselves from others but this is not universal as many loners do not desire solitude but are forced into social isolation by peers. The word is most commonly considered as a negative or insulting word, but it can also be used in a self descriptive manner, which isn’t meant to be negative. Someone can prefer to be a loner favouring solitude over the company of others and use the term loner to explain their preference for being alone. Being a self-described loner is a choice that some take pride in, willingly ostracizing themselves from the mainstream as many loners see being part of large social groups as undesirable. Loner is most commonly used by teenagers in secondary school as it is often used in environments with established social groups where it is easy to see if someone doesn’t fit in. Loner isn’t a term that is exclusive to the secondary school environment but being referred to as a loner during these years can have massive effects on an adolescence’s social development and self worth. Being labeled as a loner can have many effects as it could lead to depression from constant rejection or the development of a happily independent attitude. If you’d like to know more about the term loner, the urban dictionary definition of loner can be found here and a BBC article about being a loner can be found here.
Maple Leaf’s – Connor Rutledge These are not the Maple Leaf’s that scatter your yard in the fall or the trees we get syrup from. No, we are talking about the Toronto Maple Leaf’s, a hockey team from the city of Toronto and one of the most influential sports team. From water cooler talks, to family dinners, when the Maple Leaf’s are playing, it is the only thing people are talking about. Toronto is a hockey city and there is no denying it. Many young people day dream about having the chance to play on the Maple Leaf’s and have their home city cheer them on. The dream to make a team and become the best player serves such a great purpose in so many people’s lives. It allows them to create goals for themselves and something to strive to be. Since 1917, the Maple Leaf’s have been bringing out a better side of people and help bring a city together because on the ice, we are all the same. The Maple Leaf’s inspire a nation, and adolescents, to be more active both physical and mentally. The Maple Leaf’s is a topic that everyone can relate to, whether it’s being at the game or watching it on tv, not a day goes by when it is hockey season that we cannot find some report of the Maple Leaf’s. When looking at the Maple Leaf’s, it is hard to see them without looking at the impact on adolescences and their development. The Maple Leaf’s help to promote a healthy, active lifestyle for people to follow. In the phase of life known as adolescences, participating in physical activity is very important to development. The Maple Leaf’s encourage adolescences to get out and get active in sport and in hockey. They demonstrate a fun way to get exercise and focus on more than just on ice activity, but a healthy lifestyle in general. A healthy active lifestyle is very important in an adolescence’s life and development to help them grow and mature. The Maple Leaf’s show how a healthy diet as well as physical activity can be crucial to development. They give adolescents very good role models for them to follow and strive to be. The Maple Leaf’s also encourage a sense of team, in which strong friendship are made. Being part of a team can help teach adolescents how to work alongside their peers. In high school, many people feel a close connection with their peers, in which an activity like hockey can increase that bond. Many people who play on a sports team can learn how to get along with other very easily. Learning how to work alongside others to try and achieve a common goal is an important aspect for adolescents to learn and develop for later on in life that the Maple Leaf’s emphasis on. It is hard not to see a social status hierarchy being formed within adolescent circles. It may not be appropriate but even when it is not on purpose, it is hard to deny its existence. Most of these social statuses are imposed by peers and is based on what you do or participate in. The game of hockey creates social levels among adolescences, as in most places, playing hockey comes with a sense of popularity. In many high schools across Canada, if you play an elite level of hockey, you will also experience an increase in popularity among your peers and in school. Being popular comes with new social pressures but for many adolescents, the positives far outweigh the negatives that come from playing hockey and climbing up the social scale. Maple Leaf’s have a tremendous amount of influence over adolescents, especially in the sphere of playing hockey. From the times family and friends gather together to cheer for a single goal, to the crucial physical activity that is so important for adolescent development. The Maple Leaf’s allow us to look at how an outside force and mentorship can have such an influence.
Keyword: Marijuana Marijuana use and abuse is a growing issue among Canadian adolescence. “Marijuana use” may refer to the consumption of substances such as flower, or processed substances like oils, and edibles in the form of confectionary and baked goods. Cannabis use abuse in youth has been on the rise since the early 2000s. Use of cannabis and cannabis related substances can seriously impact adolescent development. Adolescences are susceptible to many mental and physical health problems when engaging with illicit or controlled substances. Young consumers of drugs are also more likely to perform poorly in school, engage in risky sexual activities, and form behavioural issues. The study of marijuana use and abuse is central to the study of adolescent health and development because of the risks associated with its use. Marijuana use and abuse by adolescences usually begins around age 13/14, the transition years between primary and secondary school . Substance experimentation or abuse may arise in youth due to several factors. These factors include peer pressure, depression, stress, low selfesteem, and bullying. Some adolescences may use cannabis for recreation purposes, while in other instances, abuse it for self-medication. Addictive substances can be found nearly everywhere in today’s society, that is why it more important than ever to make sure adolescences are informed about the dangers of marijuana use and abuse, even more so than already being taught. There are many misconceptions held by youth about marijuana, it’s properties and its effects. With the Trudeau government passing recreational use laws in the federal Cannabis Act on October 17, 2018, the stigma surrounding cannabis has decreased. Many common misconceptions include; marijuana isn’t addictive, marijuana isn’t harmful because it’s a plant, marijuana effects affect people differently. Thoroughly educating youth about that factors associated with cannabis use is as important as the health curriculums current efforts to sway adolescence from tobacco and alcohol use. Studying substance use and abuse in youth is beneficial to the study of adolescent health and development because it gives educators insight into to what may be going on in the lives of their students, their “inside story”, and what signs educators need to be on the lookout for. There are many visible signs of marijuana use including: sluggish behaviour, “tired eyes” and red eyes, lack of response, difficulty with recall, and overall poor performance. It is important for educators to know the signs, get students the help they need, and keep the school community safe and drug free. Although the study of marijuana and marijuana use in youth is not a new one, constant updates need to be made to provide accurate and up-to-date information. With tools such as this, educators will be able to stay in formed with new social trends and intern develop the tools required to dispel misconception, and properly educate their students on the facts of cannabis use and abuse. For further research and readings on Marijuana use among adolescences, I chose to include two academic sources and one non. The first reading is a report from Cancer Causes & Control 2008 titled, "Alcohol, Marijuana, and Tobacco Use Patterns among Youth in Canada", and offers research and statistics regarding Marijuana use among youth. The second is a report from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, titled Canadian Youth Perceptions on Cannabis from 2017. I chose to include both because they both offer statistics, great insight, and information about cannabis use respective to their era’s. A “compare and contrast” of the two makes for a great historiographical approach and shows trends over time. The third resource is an article published by CTV News which and discusses the legalization of cannabis edibles, their wide availability, and the growing risk they pose to children and adolescents in Canada. By: Kristian Tuerke
Media/Social Media , Angela Cardillo Media and social media are at the root of the study of adolescence and health, linked to many sources. It can be looked at in many different ways, from various perspectives, in various situations and individuals/groups. I would like to focus on “social media” and how it has been a very influential resource for adolescents. Growing up in today's world, society is focused on what “media” and social media is offering, portraying and communicating to us. Adolescents feel the need to follow, engage in or buy into the latest trend society is offering or persuading. As students grow, they are being introduced to and pulled into different types of “media”. Teenagers are spending hours frequenting instagram and snapchat, while people in their 30s and older may be into facebook as their source of media. People in their 50s and above are more into reading and watching media in the news. As generations are changing the media is changing as well. We are constantly brought into this stereotypical world through these media changes. Adolescents are facing a lot of “pressure” with self “impressions” and “finding oneself”. A great deal of what they are seeing, hearing and believing stems from forms of social media. Media can also be linked to health. There are many resources media can offer to show us what is the latest health benefits to help our body (fad diets, popular foods-health foods, supplements, exercise routines). Media is assisting us in determining what we believe is good for our bodies and how to be in touch with fitness routines. Due to age or various other facts, many adolescents lack the knowledge and experience of making educated decisions of their own about their body/health. They then turn to media to see information to make their decisions. They may not figure out the lasting effects or consequences their decisions during adolescence had. It is important for people to be aware of their health so they can use media in a more positive way; it can help provide us with valuable knowledge (workout routines, meal plans, recipes, ideas). There are many resources such as articles in the media to keep society updated on product recalls, latest fad diets and workouts. Social Media, can have a negative impact on some people. Older generations are rather unfamiliar with this whole idea of cell phones and app use. As for adolescents it's crucial in todays society. As a teacher candidate I also had to adapt to this concept of cell phone use in schools. Social media is much like an addiction. Adolescents crave it. They cannot go more than a few minutes without checking their latest notification. Due to this craze, there have been car accidents, punishments, cell phone band policies. Media is a distraction and has created a reflection of how an adolescent can be self imagined. For some people struggling with their identity, they may find it hard to adapt and step out outside of this media driven world. Media and social media reflect so much on a “perfect” image, but is there really such thing? I feel as though there are few teenagers that are not influenced by the media these days and it is sad to hear. It can be overwhelming when social media becomes a staple in someone’s life. Now a days, it seems that nothing is kept private, it is all displayed on social media (pictures, photographs, screenshots of text conversations, etc). Adolescent youth have stated various times; “if you didn’t post it, it didn’t happen”. As we get older and mature, gaining knowledge through education and experience, media can produce more beneficial knowledge. It can be looked at more professionally, from various aspects and can be seen as a guide and source of information. An example of social media which I found most interesting and think would appeal to adolescents in school would be Kylie Jenner. She is a self made billionaire through social media. When teaching I would use this example in order to hook students into the topic of media/social media or use it as a case study. I think students would find it intriguing and its current example of social media power which most people are familiar with. I believe media and social media are keywords which are at the root of adolescence and health. Social media opens up new vantages for the study of adolescence; it is a topic that is of great importance for adolescents currently and should be discussed and researched in order to determine the effects; both current and long term. Academic article focuses on How-using-social-media-affects-teenagers .
I ED/EDFE 1101 A // Keyword Assignment // October 28, 2019 // Emma Valent I meme /mēm/ noun As per Merriam-Webster a meme is an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture. An amusing or interesting item (such as a captioned picture or video) or genre of items that is spread widely online especially through social media. The term “meme” was coined by Richard Dawkins in 1976 to describe small units of culture that spread from person to person by copying or imitation. In recent years, we have seen the rising use and creation of “Internet memes” through the participatory culture among many digital users, specifically with adolescents. In the book, Memes in Digital Culture, Limor Shifman says, “the “Internet meme” is commonly applied to describe the propagation of items such as jokes, rumors, videos, and websites from person to person via the Internet.” She aims to bridge “the yawning gap between (skeptic) academic and (enthusiastic) popular discourse about memes. Users seem to have sensed that the meme concept encapsulates some of the most fundamental aspects of contemporary digital culture.” Shifman goes on to say that “memes shape the mindsets, forms of behavior, and actions of social groups.” Memes are a central term in regard to the study of adolescents because they’re often created by that group of individuals and used as a means of visual communication. Adolescents use memes to draw attention to areas that are capturing their attention. They juxtapose short catchy text with images to convey what they’re feeling or going through, what they’re struggling with or what they’d like to communicate to others. We can use the study of memes to make connections with adolescents especially when they’re sharing sensitive thoughts and feelings. It’s also important to recognize the potential harmful effects of memes due to their nature in terms of online creation and presence. Creators need to know that they’re going to be held accountable for anything they generate and spread online. Memes can be created and used by youth as a way to talk about difficult issues like mental health, depression and anxiety. Because of their light-hearted nature they make it easier to discuss difficult subjects and to connect with those who share similar feelings. i-D Magazine posted an article online where they interviewed various meme creators, when discussing the positive effects of memes they said that “this sense of openness allowed them to start or participate in conversations they wouldn't usually ignite.” Memes have “emerged as a unique language to support our generation's growing mental health dialogue.”
MEMES by Ana-Maria Todoric
What are “memes”? In the Merriam-Webster dictionary, “meme” is a noun; an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within pop-culture. Origins of the word goes back to 1976 by Richard Dawkins. He coined the term “meme” (a portmanteau of mimesis and gene) by analogy with the biological notion of a gene, to refer to any unit of cultural transmission (Dawkins, 1976). Both genes and memes are characterized by (i) gradual propagation from individual to society; (ii) reproduction via copying and imitation; and (iii) diffusion through competition and selection. The reality is that “Internet memes” (also known as image macros) is a fairly accurate representation of popular media and daily issues. It is so deeply entrenched in millennial circles and pop-culture. It is not just humour and wordplay but a social bonding (on many social platforms). It is a display of multimodal creativity and expression; an integral part of social(izing) message conveyed using these image macros. Not only is it images, but anything on the internet that is a trend can therefore become a meme itself. For example, we have the “pain meme” on youtube that boomed in 20122013, a trend and certain style of “vlogging”/storytelling, of young adolescent girls with handwritten flashcards and emotive music to narrate personal experiences of bullying, suicide, abuse, eating disorders, anxiety and mental health. You can find more about this topic in the book “Youth Cultures and Subcultures: Australian Perspectives” by S. Baker & B. Robards (2016), pages 173-181. As educators, we should know and be aware what memes are and therefore relate to the adolescents today. Check out the video below to learn more! What Are Memes Really? | Marcus. | TEDxYouth@HCIS “Sometimes memes seem to not represent anything at all, but no matter what they represent or what they don’t represent, they are indeed ideas worth spreading.” – Marcus, 2017.
Christien Rivard Key word assignment
Memes For this assignment on a key word related to adolescence I’ve chosen the word “Meme”. A word that refers to a subset of internet subculture popular among youth and young adults, ranging from middle school aged children to young university students. Memes have become very popular in the last few years, especially among generation Z who may also refer to themselves as “Zoomers”, a play on the term “Boomer”, a group who are too young to be considered millennials. In fact, the term Zoomer is often considered a meme in and of itself. As the Zoomer generation is characterized by its lifelong relationship with technology, the internet, and social media, having been born in the last decade they are very tech savvy and have a firm understanding of what memes are, especially introverted youth who spend lots of time “residing” on the internet. To this end we must first define what a meme is. Memes and meme culture are closely tied to the internet and can be very broad in its definition, encompassing a wide range of subject matter. To put it simple memes are jokes on the internet. Memes can be defined as a picture, a word, a sentence, video or any form of digital media spread by the internet that has a relatable and humorous content, even if this humor is dark, absurd or unintelligible to older generations. Google defines memes as – “a humorous image, video, piece of text, etc., that is copied (often with slight variations) and spread rapidly by Internet users.” – Memes are effectively a cultural medium, spread across the internet, mainly by social media and public or private online forum. Popular site where memes originate are 4chan, imgur, reddit and others and are then spread though social media platforms. What makes a meme good, or “dank”, is its relatability to internet users, most prominently Zoomers. Because of this the content is often geared to young people but surprisingly broad. Memes can be lighthearted and funny, but also tragic, sad, dark or even sadistic with topics not excluding things like loneliness, depression, anxiety, or conspiracy theories. Though these memes do exist they are not the norm but do shed light on a generation increasingly pro-occupied with anxieties about the future, and a lack of hope. Often memes are based on simple “first world problems” such as relationships, school, homework and assignments, awkward social encounters or ordering fast food at the drive thru. Memes require prior understanding of context as they often explain very little, sometimes being just a few words or a single picture, and can seem to make no sense to someone not familiar with their content. Because of this, memes provide a sense of community to those who understand them, they feel as though they are included in an inside joke, and can relate to the meme and by extension the other user who made the meme or shared the meme with them even if they do not know one another. For youth struggling with mental health issues this can help them feel as if they’re not alone. If they find a meme of about loneliness or depression, they can relate and feel as if someone else is going through the same experience. However, depending solely on memes for this purpose can be a sign of internet addiction or dependence. Memes are often far from the school environment as most teachers may know the term but have little understanding of what memes are, they may view them as a distraction from school, but by understanding popular memes we can develop a more thorough understanding of youth and the issues they face.
Mental Health in Adolescents
Angela Gordon
Mental Health is the state of a person’s well-being in the mind (including psychological, social and emotional well-being) which impacts their thinking, feeling, behaving and overall development. Providing early treatment and diagnosis in adolescents is important to eliminate further issues before entering their adulthood. According to (CAMH), “it is estimated that 1020% of Canadian youth are affected by a mental illness or disorder – the single most disabling group of disorders worldwide”. There are various types of mental health issues in adolescents such as anxiety, ADHD, depression, behavioural disorders, etc. As mental health in youth is a severe issue there are treatments available including emotional-focused therapy, play therapy, group therapy, etc. The keyword is central to the study of adolescents and health due to the common occurrence of youth diagnosed and deaths resulting from mental illnesses. There is failure in today’s society in addressing mental health issues in youth including developmental and intellectual disorders. The keyword is also central to adolescents and their health due to its focus on the mind. The “mental” is the most important part of health. The mind is needed for many functions as humans. If one’s mind is not in a good place it can have a large and/or negative impact on the rest of the body. For example, a teenager wants to get their body healthy and plans to start working out. The teenager must have positive thoughts/or mindset in order to encourage them. Eliminating these positive thoughts there will be no drive towards exercising or getting good results. Mental Health opens up many new vantages for the study of adolescents by giving their peers a broader understanding of their mind (the person with mental health) resulting/leading to understanding how and why they behave the way they do. Mental health also gives them the ability to educate and help others. For example, a young man has been diagnosed with depression. The young man’s peers, parents, teachers, and other adults in his life will be able to understand the reasons for his different behaviour without judging him. His peers will also be able to identify any traits of mental health issues in themselves and those around them. Mental Health also brings awareness and knowledge to the right measures to be taken with those diagnosed/or not. For instance, if an adolescent is demonstrating abnormal changes in mood, fears, or obsessions the individuals around them will know what is required to solve these issues including seeking help, treatment, and counselling. To learn more: Tillmann, S., Tobin, D., Avison, W., & Gilliland, J. (2018, October 1). Mental health benefits of interactions with nature in children and teenagers: a systematic review. Retrieved from https://jech.bmj.com/content/72/10/958. Fast Facts about Mental Illness. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://cmha.ca/fast-facts-about-mental-illness.
non·bi·na·ry·gen·der /ˌnänˈbīnərēˈjendər/ adjective
a spectrum of gender identities that are not exclusively masculine or feminine; existing outside of the gender binary. Related terms
genderqueer, agender, genderfluid, transgender.
Non-Binary Gender In 2019 gender and sexual orientation are understood to exist on fluctuating spectrums going far beyond the limitations of LGBT titles. Non-Binary individuals experience gender in a way that cannot be easily divided into the traditional ideas of male and female; sometimes feeling somewhere in the middle, switching between genders throughout life, or even identifying as genderless through the title of agender. These various identities are often accompanied by new gender pronouns such as ze/zir/zem, or most commonly the singular they/them. While most queer people do not advocate for the destruction of gender altogether, they do call for a deconstruction of gendered upbringing. Avory Faucette explains this perfectly when zie says: I would argue that growing up “not knowing the difference between men and women” is actually a good thing, because there is no inherent difference. […] Teaching children the difference between men and women is at its heart about teaching children what traits adult members of society typically consider male and female, and about teaching children to ridicule or find strange traits that do not “match” a person specific gender (Faucette 75.)
Non-Binary Adolescent’s Non-Binary identities are incredibly relevant to the lives of teenagers today as “participants [in online non binary activism] are often teenaged or college-aged students identifying somewhere on the transmasculine spectrum (76.)” The majority of non-binary activism is currently taking place on twitter, tumblr, and other social media platforms, meaning young people are exposed to gender politics and related issues more than any other age group.
Social Construction The growing presence of LGBTQ+ individuals is no doubt a product of changing socio-political factors ranging from the legalization of gay marriage, to popularity of television programming such as “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” However, it is also a product of teenage rebellion and the deconstruction of societal rules from previous generations. Forcing young children to adhere to gender norms and assume individuals’ gender based on appearance is, “ a form of social control that presumes our current system of gender is “right” and “natural” without questioning it (75.)” However this process of shifting understanding and asking questions about gender identity allows for personal freedom of expression; which is why I believe it is a teachers duty to bring discussion around this topic into the classroom and ask students what their pronouns are. As Avory Faucette said, “asking the question doesn’t change the fact that most people will respond in the way we expect. But for those who don’t, the question gives us freedom to present in a way that some may see as inconsistent with our gender identities (80.)”
To learn more about this topic check out: • • •
Faucette’s: Chapter Four of “Fucking the Binary for Social Change: Our Radically Queer Agenda.” www.jstor.org/stable/42981932. Trans Equalities: “Understanding non-binary people and how to be respectful and supportive https://transequality.org/issues/resources/understanding-non-binary-people-how-to-berespectful-and-supportive Vice: Interview with a non-binary teenager https://www.facebook.com/VICE/videos/1848734608773913/
Aaliya Bhayat Keyword: Paid Posts on Instagram Many social media platforms, especially Instagram, there are ways to make some money through posting photographs of brands for advertising purposes. Although this may seem suspicious, Instagram has guidelines that give permission for paid posts to be made, granted that influencers note that they have been sponsored. Many people fail to realize the shocking number of adolescents who fall under the category of people who are paid to post certain images up, whether it be for advertising clothing, or even themselves. Adolescents as young as thirteen years old are often tangled up with posting photographs of themselves in revealing clothing, not out of liberty or expression, but because they are being paid to do so. The capitalist culture that many countries, such as Canada and the United States, are indulged in allow for paid sponsorships to be an easy form of income for adolescents today. As teenagers spend a lot of time on social media, their perception on self-consciousness and body image can change. Paid sponsorships can bring insecurity as there is a certain image society deems appealing. Fifteen year-old Danielle Cohn is one of the many influencers who is susceptible to these posts, often gaining concern over “provocative” posts that made her millions. Although managed by her mother, Cohn does not feel forced to post on Instagram. However, as a young adolescent, she may still have the impression to think that her posts are liberating, although just being used to sell to other young teenagers, as well as being viewed as a sexual object. For example, on September 15th, 2019, Cohn posted a photo in lingerie with the caption “I mean I wouldn’t mind kissing you.” Cohn’s looks and advertising style may seem a bit inappropriate as she is still a minor, but these decisions are promoted by her mother, which may aid in Danielle’s willingness to post these photos and captions up as a good business move. Therefore, the audience is aware that Danielle’s mother is using her daughter’s internet fame as a marketing strategy, exploited on her daughter, and not as Danielle’s own decision to post. Some parents find such acquisition of money to be a great way to earn an income fast and easily, even if it means showcasing their child like an object in order to do so. In a world where money is seen as one of the most beautiful things in life, an adolescent trying to find their identity may use this tactic as a way to fit in and be part of a more popular crowd. Such a strategy is only further enforced when the parent of a child, much like Danielle’s own mother, is encouraging this behaviour because of the financial benefits that come with it. As Danielle is still in her early teenage years, she still likely follows what her mother would say, and in this case, it is that her posts are for her own benefit. In a way, such a lifestyle can seem self-sufficient, and can act as though a young teenager like Danielle is behaving like an adult who earns money. https://digital-films-com.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/p_ViewVideo.aspx?xtid=53459 https://help.instagram.com/116947042301556 https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/08/posting-instagram-sponsored-contentis-the-new-summer-job/568108/ https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-49794327 https://www.instagram.com/daniellecohn/
Panic Attack Alana A panic attack can be explained as a sudden onset of intense fear that causes severe physical and psychological reactions when there is no apparent danger or cause. There is often a feeling of loss of control of one’s body. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 25% of 13- to 18-year-olds have an anxiety disorder, and just under 6% have a severe anxiety disorder. Individuals with anxiety experience a greater amount of panic attacks in their lifetime. Panic attacks symptoms are typically physical and can range from increased heart rate to nausea or shaking to dizziness. One of the most important things to understand when it comes to panic attacks is that every individual is different for the causes and symptoms of their panic attacks. In relation to the causes of panic attacks, this is also very subjective depending on the individual. However, genetics, stress and change are general causes. In relation to adolescence and health, panic attacks are becoming more prevalent in adolescents (aged 13-18). Panic attacks have the capability of interfering with relationships, schoolwork, and normal development. Within this stage of life, individuals are experiencing a large amount of change. Not only are they changing as people, but the way in which they fit into society is also changing. These variations in the ways that they think and are thought about can bring about a high amount of stress. Issues of independence, identity, sexuality, and relationships define this developmental stage. These defining factors can also be the cause of a lot of anxiety and in turn can result in panic attacks. Panic attacks can occur anywhere, and an adolescent can become to feel isolated because of it. Within this stage of life, panic attacks affect ones physical and mental health. Adults within an adolescent’s life must recognize what the person is going through in order to help them get better. In order to understand panic attacks in relation to adolescents, one must take into account all of the factors that could possible be causing the panic. Social media, parental pressure, individual expectations, peer pressure and education name a few. By acknowledging this trying time in an individual’s life and the ways in which various aspects play a role in the panic and anxiety that they are feeling, parents and educators can better understand their children and students. In doing so, one would be able to better help individuals experiencing panic attacks. In order to help adolescents, it is vital that there is understanding. If students are continuing to experience panic attacks, a medical professional should be consulted as well. By coaching adolescents in this period of time about all the things that they are experiencing and aiding them through the pressures that they are feeling, the stress and anxiety that they are feeling may get better, however just saying that it is a phase will not benefit them in any way. Fixing the issues during this time will benefit them for the rest of their lives. The ways in which panic attacks are understood for adults should not be the same as it would be for adolescents. For more information on panic attacks and adolescence please refer to this website. To read more about mental health and adolescents in the US please refer to this article.
KEYWORD: PARENTAL PRESSURE
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For more information on Parental Pressure & Adolscent Health see: 1) Academic Stress, Parental Pressure, Anxiety and Mental Health Among Indian High School Students 2) Marijuana by Awkwafina
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In a world of rising expectations, competition and selectiveness by post-secondary institutions, parents appear to be elevating their expectations accordingly. As such, pressure on adolescents to achieve and perform academically is very much relevant. Parents “may demand their children take Advanced Placement courses, even in cases where they are told their child is not a good fit for the course and may not be able to handle the work.” In addition to experiencing increased mental health issues such as depression and anxiety as a result of parental pressure, a study in a private high school revealed that more than two-thirds of the students resorted to alcohol and marijuana for ‘stress management’. Similarly, a case study on high school students in India revealed that 32.6% of students exhibited psychiatric symptoms, while 81.6% reported testing-related anxiety. The study noted a positive correlation between parental pressure, academic stress and mental health issues.
Given the number of Ontario teens with mental health issues is at an all-time high and rising at a rather alarming rate, the exploration of parental pressure opens up new vantages for the study of adolescence. Understanding the sources and causes of adolescent mental health struggles, can go a long way in managing them. The exploration of parental pressure would also add to and shed light on well-established adolescent health topics such as substance abuse and peer pressure.
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This concept is central to the study and understanding of adolescent health as it influences their general mental health, sense of self-wroth, relationships, and academic performance. Adolescence is a time of self-discovery and experimentation. Any source of pressure or influence on their development during this time of uncertainty and malleability, is one which should be explored in great detail to determine its negative and positive impacts.
Parental pressures to achieve and the sense of failing to meet such expectations is also a topic which finds its way into popular culture. The song Marijuana by Awkwafina, is one of a girl apologizing to her mother for failing to enter her mother’s occupation of choice. The chorus sings: “I’m sorry Mama, that I am not a doctor; that I rap about the vag and I smoke Marijuana.” Many adolescents particularly those belonging to certain cultures, are all too familiar with this default parental occupation choice of doctor. Ranjana Strivastava, an author and oncologist, describes her experience with a teen seeking her advice on how to tell her parents she does not wish to become a doctor. The teen states “They have invested their whole life in my brother and me…they would be really disappointed in me. That would break my heart.”
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With respect to adolescent health, peer pressure is often at the forefront of all discussions. An equally important source of pressure however, is all too often ignored: parental pressure. This type of pressure is exerted by parents or guardians and predominantly focuses on academic achievement and the pursuit of specific, revered occupations.
By: Nia Ghomashchi
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Justin Ross Peer Pressure is the act of direct influence on people by their peers to change a variety of aspects of themselves, such as: attitudes, values, or behaviors to conform to that of the pressuring party, or even to encourage, albeit forcibly, a single action. While the connotation associated with this word is most commonly a negative one, peer pressure could potentially be used for both positive and negative outcomes. Those who utilize Peer Pressure are often individuals held in a higher regard by the one being targeted, or hold a position or place of power/influence over them. These positions can vary from situation and age group involved, whether due to a social place of power, such as a more popular student or clique, or from a person who holds a more literal position of power, i.e. a superior at one’s work or someone in a trusted position. Peer Pressure is significant to the study of adolescence and health due to the wide range of applicable scenario’s and abuses that it can be involved in. When observed strictly through the lens of adolescence, it is clear that peer pressure often plays a large role in this very developmental period. With most days and hours spent with peers, whether in school five days a week, extracurricular activities, or even simply spending time with friends, adolescences are often in a place where their actions can be observed and judged by others. Continuing on this, adolescence is a time where one works to learn about themselves, and shape the person they want to be. Many factors go into this shaping, and a major one is the appearance, support, and expectations of those around them. As previously stated, peer pressure is not inherently good or bad, context is often key. The need to conform is a major factor in adolescence, and this factor can lead to negative experiences. As such, peer pressure has been connected to the rise of abuse with substances such as nicotine, alcohol, and marijuana. Peer pressure can create positive experiences for adolescents, as it has been known to help with school grades. Peer pressure is also unique in the case of adolescence as it affects every adolescent differently. Factors like location, age, gender, ethnic background, financial status, family life, and even more have an effect on the effectiveness of peer pressure in one’s life. Peer pressure opens up new avenues into the study of adolescence as it focuses less so on the individual, and more so on the effect that the totality of one’s relationships and how they can influence them. It can dive into the biological and mental development of an adolescent and which key neural mechanisms support its effectiveness. Understanding the biology behind certain societal actions would immensely help those seeking to understand why actions were taken, especially when there was no prior example of a similar behavior. Study into peer pressure can better allow those who will become teachers to better notice the factors that combine to create the power dynamic that is often found in said pressure. Creating a safe space where opinions and voices are held in equal regard and met with respect could have an effect on the effectiveness of peer pressure. Reviewing group dynamics and alienating choices, behaviors, and tendencies that can be seen as manipulative could also have a similar effect. The Two Faces Of Adolescents’ Success With Peers: Adolescent Popularity, Social Adaptation, and Deviant Behavior. https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/peer-pressure.html
Emily Chen Keyword: Performance Adolescence is an act of performance. This term is central to the study of adolescence and health because adolescence is all about learning where a person fits into the world. Rather than focus purely on peer pressure which is so commonly used, the term “performance” places an emphasis on how the way teenagers act is an outwardly presentation that may not reflect their inward self. Teenagers are beginning to become more exposed to media depictions that they may have been more sheltered from as a child. They start seeing that attractive people look a certain way. Beauty standards become a pressure for all genders as they try to conform in a way that their peers approve of. Dove released a video titled “Body Talk Conversations with the Mirror” where a young girl is seen talking down to herself while comparing her body to a friend’s (Dove Self-Esteem Project). Dove launched its “Campaign for Real Beauty” in 2004 after a global beauty report they commissioned revealed that out of 3200 women survived internationally, only 2% of those women considered themselves to be beautiful (Millard 147). This campaign is mainly targeted toward women by filling their advertisements with “real” women of all body types and skin colours. By doing this, Dove hopes to expand what the perception of beauty is and create an atmosphere where people can be their “real” selves. Works Cited Dove Self-Esteem Project. “Body Talk Conversations with the Mirror.” Youtube, 14 August 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZws4w6foEU. Millard, Jennifer. “Performing Beauty: Dove's ‘Real Beauty’ Campaign.” Symbolic Interaction, vol. 32, no. 2, 2009, pp. 146–168. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/si.2009.32.2.146.
By: Daniella Mazzon Photoshop: The act of manipulating an image. Photoshop has become increasingly popular in the last few years among adolescents. With the increase attention towards social media such as Instagram and Snapchat, with their main focus to post pictures, photoshop has become extremely popular. Photoshop is commonly used to edit a person’s appearance such as sliming their waist or blurring acne, in hopes of looking more “attractive”. Photoshop has resulted in adolescents turning to cosmetic surgery as a solution, in 2012 there was 160,000 surgery performed on teenagers compared to in 1997, where only 60,000 cosmetic surgery occurred. Photoshop in itself is a form of art that, if used moderately, can provide aesthetic qualities to images. However, it can be taken to the extreme where it becomes “a requirement in the production of commercial images” often considered blatant in the fashion, film, magazine, and social media industry. It is very difficult for teenagers to use social media without feeling negative about themselves. We are constantly comparing ourselves to unrealistic images that have been manipulated, creating this false hope related to beauty standards. The impact these edited pictures have on oneself is incredible, it results in many people developing a hatred towards their appearance. It causes themselves to want to alter the way they look through Photoshop, ultimately, taking a toll on one’s mental health. The use of Photoshop has increased drastically in the last several years, it was reported that 68 percent of people edit their selfies through some sort of photo editing app, either on their mobile or desktop before sharing it with someone else. Photoshop creates a false representation of reality, people have become increasingly skilled that it is sometimes difficult to spot if an image has been altered or not. Adolescents now feel they need to conform to these beauty standards being portrayed through social media and start hiding themselves behind filters or photoshop. Photoshop can cause a whole bunch of issues related to depression, mental health, eating disorders and body dissatisfaction. Photoshop is increasingly popular in today’s culture and on social media, therefore we need to inform adolescents how to love themselves without using photoshop to feel good.
Preferred Pronouns.
Danielle van Voorst
The concept of preferred pronouns originates from the LGBTQ+ community and are a way to acknowledge that some folks do not identify with their assigned genders. We all have preferred pronouns, even if you are a cis individual who feels comfortable with you assigned sex and gender! A preferred pronoun is essentially the pronoun an individual wishes to be referred to as, it’s that simple! Preferred pronouns range greatly depending on the individual and their gender identity. Choosing to use an individual’s preferred pronouns is the easiest way to show your solidarity with the genderqueer community and to demonstrate that you respect this person’s gender identity. It is key to keep in mind that a person’s outward appearance does not always reflect which pronouns they are comfortable being referred to as, and the best way to avoid conflict and confusion is to ask them! As educators, it is important for us to understand the nature of preferred pronouns. Being misgendered is a difficulty that many of us have the privilege to never been concerned with, but being misgendered can be painful and often conjures a myriad of hurtful emotions. When working with adolescents, a safe, and positive environment is critical for meaningful learning. Being an ally to trans and non-binary folks is not a difficult task by any stretch, using their preferred pronouns is the first place to start! Sexuality and gender are often very personal topics, so, when an individual shares their preference with you, you have the opportunity to extend your respect and be a positive, validating force in that youth’s life.
/ nonbinary
To read more about a fabulous campaign for LGBTQ+ folks try: Nbdcampaign.ca ; the cite has many resources and information for allies and LGBTQ+ members alike!
Prejudice and Identify - Matthew
Identity formation can be a difficult time for the adolescent especially when group dynamics can influence prejudiced attitudes and behaviors (Benner, Crosnoe, and Eccles, 2015). As a concept with an impact on an adolescent’s overall health, prejudice can lead to behaviours that evolve and change over time when examined through the lens of a group. The following brief discussion will posit that despite what the presented image implies on first glance, adolescent identity formation in relation to prejudice is fluid and is subject to change quickly, especially under the impact of group pressures and influences. With the idea of change as central to understanding prejudice and identity formation within groups, the image presented may in fact be misleading as a static marker and artefact of adolescent attitudes: namely a fraught and seemingly prejudiced confrontation between an Indegnous Elder and a Youth wearing a political slogan on a baseball cap, seems to indicate that the adolescent is fixed in their behavior and the group is exerting an influence. This pressure to conform is real and does have an impact on the youth short-term; however, it can and often does change, pushing adolescents away from previously held views over time (Badger and Miller, 2019). As a static image, the youth appears to show hubris and prejudice. Peers in the background of the image can be viewed as encouraging the youth in his attitude. To be sure, conforming to peer expectations matters greatly and should not be minimized from the vantage of the adolescent’s behaviour influenced by feelings of wanting to belong and the thinking of how to act out in order to align with the group expectations (Benner, et. al., 2015). That the adolescent may change later on in their attitudes and behaviors opens up interesting avenues for an understanding of the complexity within the adolescent vis-a-vis group dynamics. Individual adolescents operate within social groups that have influence on behavior: how decisions are made to change thinking and behaviour is not entirely clear; what are the influences that drive a potential change is also not clear. What is clear is that attitudes and prejudiced behaviours amongst adolescents do change, often leading to the reverse of the behaviour exhibited in the presented image, which is quite hopeful and presents a counter to the rather bleak representation in the image (Badger and Miller, 2019). This change can be all the more interesting in the study of adolescents as it often takes place within the same group settings that led to the exhibited prejudiced behaviours in the first instance; that is, the same groups that drove the behaviour in the first instance may also be driving its change of course. References Badger, E., & Miller, C. C. (2019, April 1). How the Trump Era Is Molding The Next Generation of Voters. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/01/upshot/trump-era-molding-youngvoters.html Benner, A. D., Crosnoe, R., & Eccles, J. S. (2015). Schools, Peers, and Prejudice in Adolescence. Journal of research on adolescence : the official journal of the Society for Research on Adolescence, 25(1), 173–188. doi:10.1111/jora.12106
Stephan Figueira
Puberty
Puberty is the period during which growing boys or girls undergo the process of sexual maturation. Puberty involves a series of physical stages or steps that lead to the achievement of fertility and the development of the so-called secondary sex characteristics. The physical features associated with adult males and females (such as the growth of pubic hair). While puberty involves a series of biological or physical transformations, the process can also have an effect on the psychosocial and emotional development of the adolescent. (Melissa Conrad Stoppler) A major factor in the growing of adolescence is change. Change happens in several different ways such as risk taking, behaviour, puberty, emotional changes, independence, transition, friends, sexual, social and etcetera. I am focusing on physical and mental changes in adolescence such as puberty. There are several physical changes during puberty that happen at different times, boys and girls also experience puberty differently and individuals at different times. Girls are usually first to experience puberty before boys, girls between 8-13 years old and boys between 10-14 years old. Girls usually experience a change in breast development at first then pubic hair, hair under the arms, acne, hip figure, and body limbs may develop at different times and rates. Boys will experience changes such as: genitals will start to grow (penis, testes, and scrotum), pubic hair will appear, a growth spurt is common, body figure will start to develop (shoulders, hands, head/face), facial hair and hair on other parts of the body. During puberty a boy’s body will produce more testosterone which at this point he will be able to produce sperm. A girl’s body will have their menstrual cycle (period), which at this point the body will shed blood generally once a month. This could be a painful process leading up to the monthly cycle. (Stanford children’s health ) During puberty another factor is cognitive changes. As this time teens are still developing and the brain is still maturing, so they are not the cognitive maturity level of an adult. This can cause impulsive decisions, lack of judgement and poor decisions. Teens can lack sleep, become moody. Adolescence will make the point clear that they are becoming self-independent. Some teens find puberty a difficult time to experience and it could lead to depression and mental health issues. Parent’s need to support teens by being open with their emotions and feelings to set an example that it is “ok” to talk about emotions and feelings and will help teens open up with their feelings and emotions. (Bridging the Gap) Sometimes adolescence will be curious about what is happening and why their body is changing. To have a talk with an adolescence prior to or during the time of going through puberty might help them understand what is going on with their body. Keeping them educated about the process and that certain things are normal at around certain ages and letting them know it is normal everyone goes through it may help to be comforting to them. To support an adolescent going through a hard time during puberty it is important to maintain a strong relationship with them and their friends while maintaining a figure of a role model. In doing my research I found a sufficient amount of information on the male and female body going through puberty, however resources on binary gender were limited which is a topic that many may have questions about. Puberty may include different features for binary genders such as body, identity, and expression as one may be still learning about who they are themselves as a person. Genitals given at birth might differ then what one feels they are, during puberty is a time for self-discovery for one as a person. (Gender spectrum)
Cognitive immaturity- refers to youths' still-developing thinking skills which are not yet as sophisticated and reliable as those characteristics of adults. For more information on puberty you can look at the links attached. A great video to watch is:
Puberty changes. Articles to have a look at on the topic of puberty are Cognitive development, and Variation in the timing of puberty.
When we are born, some of the things we do as babies is cry and sleep. A lot of sleep. But when we’re awake and our eyes are open, we’re looking around and observing our environment. We observe objects, we’re touching things and we also feel things just to name a few. And we observe colours. From a very young age, for the ones who are fortunate to see colours, we start to see the beauty of colours. We are still very innocent beings and as we develop, we learn about our environments from our care takers. As we grow and develop into our adolescent years, we are faced with many challenges, one of them being peer pressure. We have a want to be accepted by our friends, which sometimes can come with a hard to pay, and we’ll end up doing and saying mean things and even more than that, we’ll dislike people because of their skin colour and further to that, we’ll dislike them for their cultural beliefs. Racism is an ever-growing problem that exists in all societies and cultures, and can be rooted back to even our previous generations where different races were treated differently based on their colour of skin and/or their cultural backgrounds. And when we break it down further, cultural racism is a problem that is not new to our society, and we witness it on a daily basis in our everyday lives. Nobody wants to be called a racist, and racism itself generates its ugly head from many different facets of life. To be more specific, cultural racism is when racial remarks are made about a specific group from a different cultural background, which we can trace roots of cultural racism to the mid-nineteenth century, when we have read and witnessed how racism was prevalent towards Aboriginals in the schooling systems as well as slavery of Black people. As we continue to research and study adolescent behaviour, it is in my belief cultural racism is taught to us from our much younger and developing days. From the time we are babies we observe our caretakers, and we learn behaviours from them that we believe is normal or good behaviour, and we end up passing that behaviour and lessons on to others, such as our friends or even siblings. Adolescents will always be under the supreme pressures of being like by their friends, and although they may not have been educated by their parents on racism and the harm and hurt it can cause to others, because we don’t want to be disliked by our friend, we’ll participate in hurtful activities. “Here’s the bottom line, according to Peppers-Bates, an associate professor of philosophy and director of the Africana Studies Program at Stetson University: The old “cultural racism” of blaming African Americans for centuries of structural racism resulting in entrenched economic, educational and social inequalities between whites and blacks is nothing new.” https://www.ajc.com/lifestyles/you-want-cite-stats-about-black-people-let-talk-abouthistory/d591cOdBVAcDQWPNoUAYuN/
“As overt racism declined, cultural racism took its place.” https://deettajones.com/many-types-of-racism-5-terms-know/
RESILIENCY
Adrian Rosanova
Resiliency refers to ones ability to adjust or recover in the face of adverse or changing conditions. Otherwise stated, resiliency is a mindset that permits one to confront obstacles and pull through despite personal or external expectations. In the face of an ever-growing epidemic of anxiety and depression, us teachers find ourselves at a very important stage in a young persons life. We all encounter hurdles in life. Cultivating the skill of mindfully reevaluating a situation and developing strategies to bounce back are essential. Perhaps coping mechanisms such as anxiety and depression are strategies that are manifested through caregiver relationships in early infancy. Nevertheless, while such responses are beneficial in acute terms, they become detrimental to health when they persist over the long term. While adolescence serves as a second awakening to ones earliest moments of infancy, resilient coping strategies can be instilled to invoke a sense of personal containment. In this respect, one is capable of internalizing various manifestations of their own stress, such that they can become more cognizant and accepting of adverse conditions. Western thought has indoctrinated a belief system that celebrates the control and concealment of emotions. Internalizing various feelings creates a psychic disequilibrium that truly endangers the child. Resiliency gives one the ability to recognize the value of emotions, thereby allowing one to be comfortable in a state of discomfort. Certainly, an inadequate means of containment by caregivers develops children with significantly different responses to external events. This cognitive shift ultimately guides how a child perceives their own reality. Resiliency plays a key role in allowing an understanding of ones own subjectivity. It gives one permission to be vulnerable and comfortable in moments of despair. In his thoughtful dissemination of the underpinnings of mythical stories, the author Joseph Campbell suggests that each of us is personally responsible to discover who we are. While such a statement appears trivial, it requires one to confront their own deepest insecurities. Resilience than, serves as a cognitive tool to help one cope in their quest to discover who they are. It offers an opportunity for one to embody coping mechanisms while they confront their own internal demons. In a state where one experiences a constant flux of identities, resiliency serves as the anchor to keep adolescents afloat in their tumultuous reality. It gives them an emotional foundation to address internal states of angst as they navigate their way towards independence. If you are curious about personal characteristics of resiliency or how education can foster resiliency, check this out. Or, if you seek something less technical, Bruce Lee has insights on getting through hard times.
Brandon Kharazmi 10/27/2019
Keyword Paper: Rough-housing Rough-housing or play-fighting is an essential activity to the development of all adolescents. It has been documented in several journals and studies that kids who have had more physical play with other kids are not only more sociable, but are less likely to get into trouble with the law in their adult years. This is because children who grew up rough-housing have a better understanding of limits and their own strength. Youth should have the ability to test their capabilities and see what is and is not acceptable. We have seen in recent generations that kids are given less and less opportunities to physically run around and freely play with each other. This is resulting in children who are not as socially competent as their predecessors. In addition to this, the lack of physical activity is showing an increase of childhood obesity rates which only further deteriorates a child's social aspects. Rough-housing is something which allows kids to make friendships, bonds, and establish social hierarchies. It allows kids to understand the difference between when two people are play-fighting versus actually fighting. Again, various journals have documented how animals like dogs and cats play with each other for similar reasons, and that animals who do not get to play with each other encounter social issues in their adult years (similar to humans). Rough-housing should be considered a crucial life activity for adolescents and should be studied carefully as we can not allow later generations of kids to fall behind as the world becomes more and more advanced. It has been seen that having the ability to freely play can enhance a child's academic and social skills from improving their language skills to reducing their social anxieties. To neglect the benefits of rough-housing and rough-play in children is to deny them a pivotal aspect of their development. Western societies have become so concerned with the well-being of youth that it has become too controlling, and too restrictive with that adolescents are and are not allowed to do. This has resulted in the massive reduction in play which is causing the increased social behaviours which adolescents are facing. As important as it is for kids to focus on their reading, writing, math, and science skills, it is important to make sure that the mental well being of kids is not forgotten. If adolescents are not properly socialized when they are young, they will grow up into uncooperative, socially awkward, and depressed adults who have trouble making connections and forming friendships. For these reasons, it is important to give children the play they need to fully develop. As the saying goes, we should let kids be kids. Sources: Academic:Wenner, M. (2009). The Serious Need for Play. Scientific American Mind, 20(1), 22-29. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/24940063 Non-Academic: Oldfield, E. (2015). Playtime is crucial for a child’s development - cut it at your peril. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/sep/17/playtime-child-development-learnin g-cut-at-peril
Pawarroo 1
Natalie Pawarroo Jen Gilbert & Zaitun EDFE 1101 Tutorial 1 28 October 2019 Keyword – Seeking Seeking is the action of searching for something. In this case, what will be explored is seeking for a self. It is a journey taken within one, rather than a physical journey, though physically seeking something may be a part of this journey. The action relates back to each definition provided in the link that is attached. Questioning, searching, thinking: each is a part of the seeking that must be brought to the attention of any individual interacting with adolescents. The word, seeking, is central to adolescents and health because one’s adolescence is all about figuring out who they are, what they like, who they like, their sexuality, etc. It is a time in a person’s life when they are beginning to learn and understand more, but are still missing so many pieces. Sometimes even in learning more, what they do know is shaken, causing them to feel as though they know even less than before despite having gained new knowledge. The more that is learned, the more questions there are, the more seeking that occurs. There is the constant action of seeking answers, even when they do not know they are doing so. Each person goes through adolescence trying different things, exploring, learning. Until one has done this, and reached a point where they are comfortable, the action of seeking for a self is embedded in each day. However, even after the defined “adolescent age” that people think of when referring to adolescence, this action can still continue and be prevalent. One could have moments of adolescence, or simply never have moved on from it. The ages of 12-18 do seem particularly relevant when considering this action of seeking for the self though. For many, not enough exploring, or knowledge of the world is known at those ages, and therefore the knowledge of self cannot develop either. Seeking is more necessary for them. And in many cases this action of seeking for a self is good. There are mistakes on the journey, but mistakes that aid in one’s understanding of themselves eventually. But, it can be a harmful action. Seeking for a self can be hard. Figuring out what route to take, what really represents the person one is: all of that requires so much energy, patience, and thought. It can go either way. This is why when people study adolescence, the understanding of this stage of seeking for a self is so important. One must consider how much is going on at that time in a person’s life, and how looking for the answers and trying to understand things is a lot to deal with. It can change them from one moment to the next, and those studying them have to see that there is more than just hormones causing this. There has to be more consideration for the life of the adolescence being taught, and everything going on in their mind rather than just shrugging things off as “just how they are”. https://parentandteen.com/developing-adolescent-identity/ https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/the-adolescent-brain-beyond-raging-hormones
SELF-ESTEEM
Sarah Zimbalatti
Self-esteem refers to the magnitude to which a person feels positively or negatively about them self.1The term “self-esteem” encompasses a person’s feeling of; worth, self-acceptance, and self-respect.2 Evidently, self-esteem fluctuates throughout life, as it is elevated during childhood, significantly decreases during adolescence, specifically for girls, progressively increases during adulthood, and then finally declines again during old age.3 This fluctuation is important to note, as it indicates the fact that social environments, maturation, and stages of life have an influence on a person’s self-esteem.4 Self-esteem is central to the study of adolescence and health because they experience puberty, which is possibly the most significant moment and process of change that a person experiences throughout their entire life. 5 Therefore, the degree of an adolescent’s self-esteem is exclusively vulnerable because of puberty and the changes they encounter physically, socially, psychologically, etc.6 Body image is a substantial factor towards an individual’s self-esteem as its influence, similar to that of self-esteem, is associated to selfacceptance, self-worth and confidence.7 The representations of body image are important matters to dissect in order to understand why an adolescent’s self-esteem might be high or low. The representations of body image portrayed in the media severely impact an adolescents’ identity, convincing them that they must conform to a mould, losing their distinct identity.8 This is additionally troublesome for adolescents, because despite external pressures, they are already internally struggling to find themselves.9 Standards of body image represented in the media affect an adolescent’s self-esteem, manipulating their ideas of beauty and making them feel less than.10 Self-esteem and body image are central keywords towards studying adolescence and their health. This is because social media sites are the most universally used sites by adolescents, and such sites are responsible for creating body dissatisfaction, eating disorders, and are accountable for establishing impractical ideals that adolescents internalize. 11 An adolescents’ self-esteem is also heavily impacted by their peers, because during this stage of life, the influence of their peers takes precedence.12 Peers solidify norms and standards, focus discussions on appearances, and mock those who do not conform to such ideals.13 That being said, an adolescents’ self-esteem is impacted and susceptible to being low/ negative, as they are surrounded by external pressures of unrealistic media standards and representations, which is then solidified by their peers, who are crucial members in their life. The topic of self-esteem opens up new vantages for the study of adolescence, especially considering they are in a state of liminality, trying to fit into a stage where there is a lot of uncertainty, as they are not a child, nor an adult.14 In comparison to any other cohort, adolescents struggle the most with negative self-esteem and body image,15 and such struggle is connected to the changes, i.e. puberty, that they are experiencing.16 Recognizing the importance of self-esteem in an adolescent’s life is crucial, considering that “low self-esteem has been related to symptoms of depression and anxiety...high self-esteem may serve a role as a coping resource and protective factor...[and that], self-esteem therefore seems to play an important role in relation to how adolescents judge their life as a whole”(p.2922)17 Therefore, parents, educators, and society must take bigger strides towards this issue, and work towards training and boosting adolescents’ selfesteem, such as; positive affirmations, repressing destructive dialogues,18 and deconstructing unrealistic media representations,19 considering that adolescent girls place responsibility on themselves for not attaining impossible standards, rather than placing blame on the media.20 Resources to learn more about self-esteem: Adolescence and Body Image: From Development to Preventing Dissatisfaction Centre for Clinical Interventions- Self-Esteem
Self Image Self- image is a central word, relating to our adolescents in our society and generation. Selfimage is how an individual perceives themselves in regards to their looks, intelligence, and personality. This is something that has an immense effect on adolescents socially, behaviourally, educationally and mentally. Adolescents from early teens to late teens are in constant struggle to have a certain self- image or to keep up with their image due to public figures they see and are exposed to on social media, groups they see at school and through seeing different financial, socially classed individuals. Self- image for adolescents is very important and requires so many components that vary from as simple as what generation of iPhone, or MacBook someone has, to their hair style, body shape, makeup, clothes, shoes, backpacks. Our generation has become more and more on making an image statement. For Example technology is no longer a resource, but an image statement. Having the latest iPhone or samsung, can make or break peoples opinions on you. Girls are being pressured into growing quicker by wearing makeup at such a young age, and questioning their body shapes. Boys are in competition of who has the most “hype beast” style, (wearing the most brands, fashion forward things), or whom is taller than the other. Furthermore, groups are formed in schools due to the self- image of an individual, such as the so called “cool kids”. The importance of fitting in is greater than showing one’s intelligence or great capabilities and talents. Adolescents find themselves comparing themselves to others, affecting their confidence, self opinion of themselves, their families, self- esteem and their mental health. This not only affects mentally, and physically, but educationally as adolescents become insecure, anxious, bullied and discriminated. Firstly, an example is from a personal experience growing up in high school. As I immigrated to Canada at the age of 5, I found myself struggling to blend in, most extremely high school. Considering I moved to Canada at such a young age, growing up I always thought I did not blend in with others due to being an immigrant. Once I reached high school I was shocked with the mass importance of self-image. Individuals were constantly bullied on appearance along with myself. Sometimes I wished I was in a uniform school, although I did and do respect the importance of no uniform, as individuals are able to find themselves through their style, and is a great form of self expression. The importance of allowing students to find themselves in fashion, style and other components of self- image is very crucial, although adolescents are forced to think they may not be better due to certain things they may not be able to have. Secondly, another example is in my school practicum, where I work with students between grades 7/8. One of the first things I noticed was the conversations students would have amongst one another regarding their clothes and body size and shape. Students compared their sneakers with one another and acknowledged the most latest styles and “it” trends, excluding those whom did not. Over all, self-image is something all adolescents are affected by especially in today’s generation, being in constant exposure on the internet, media, advertisements, and music. As a future educator, my goal is to be aware of adolescents and their want to a good self-image, but also to unite and connect students from all backgrounds, cultures, styles and interests. As an educator it is important for students to not form in their small cliques/ groups but to respect, talk and help one another. Therefore, self image is an immensely important topic to be spoken about in adolescent development and health as it not only affects their self- esteem, but can lead to deeper mental health problems. Citations 1. Dr. Phill Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_yP5wsGmM8 (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_yP5wsGmM8. 2. Dr. Phill Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INNwWpXxP28 (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INNwWpXxP28. 3. Beaudoin, P., & Lachance, M. J. (2009, July 2). Determinants of Adolescents' Brand Sensitivity to Clothing. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com 4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTv52wNT7KA : (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTv52wNT7KA.
SEXTING NICOLE PAGGIOSSI
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WHAT IS SEXTING?
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SEXTING IS SENDING OR RECEIVING SEXUAL MESSAGES THROUGH TECHNOLOGY SUCH AS A PHONE, SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM, EMAIL OR WEBCAM. SEXTING IS A WAY FOR PEOPLE TO EXPLORE SEXUALITY, TRUST, BOUNDARIES AND INTIMACY. SEXTING CAN INVOLVE THE USE OF WORDS, PHOTOS OR VIDEOS. SOME EXAMPLES ARE: A MESSAGE WITH SEXUAL LANGUAGE NUDE OR SEMI-NUDE PHOTOS OR VIDEOS PHOTOS/VIDEOS OF SEXUAL ACTS LIVE CHATS INVOLVING SEXUAL ACTS
FUN FACT ACCORDING TO MERRIAM-WEBSTER DICTIONARY THE FIRST KNOWN USE OF THE WORD SEXTING WAS IN 2005.
SEXTING AND ADOLESCENCE ADOLESCENCE IS A BIG DEVELOPMENTAL STAGE IN SOMEONES LIFE. DURING THIS SPAN OF TIME, MANY ADOLESCENCE EXPLORE MANY DIFFERENT THINGS, ESPECIALLY SEXUALITY. HOWEVER, SEXTING HAS BEEN LINKED TO ADOLESCENCE ENGAGING IN SEXUAL ACTIVITY, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, AND EFFECTING THEIR MENTAL HEALTH.
SEXTING AT THIS YOUNG AGE CAN LEAD TO BULLING AND BLACKMAIL, IN WHICH CAN ADD TO POOR MENTAL HEALTH. ACCORDING TO A 2013 KIDS HELP PHONE SURVEY OF ADOLESCENCE WHO HAVE SENT SEXTS IN THE PAST: 49% WERE SENT IN A RELATIONSIP 43% WERE SENT TO SOMEONE THEY LIKED 31% SENT THEM TO SOMEONE ONLINE 20% SENT THEM TO SOMEONE THEY DID NOT KNOW
STUDIES HAVE SHOWN T H AT Y O U T H T H AT ENGAGE IN SEXTING ARE 5 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO BE HAVING SEX, MOST WITH MULTIPLE SEXUAL PARTNERS. ADOLESCENCE ARE HALF AS LIKELY TO USE CONTRACEPTIVES. BEING SEXUALLY ACTIVE TAKES A RISK TO B E M O R E E X P O S E D T O S E X U A L LY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS AND UNINTENDED PREGNANCIES.
SEX
THERE ARE LINKS THAT SHOW ADOLESCENCE W H O S E X T H AV E A MORE REBELLIOUS OUTLOOK AND BEHAVIOUR AND ARE 4 T I M E S M O R E L I K E LY T O DRINK ALCOHOL, ARE 3 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO ENGAGE IN SMOKING MARIJUANA OR CIGARETTES.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE
AS MENTAL HEALTH IS RISING IN THE LAST 5 YEARS, ESPECIALLY WITH THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY. THERE WAS AN EXAMINATION ON SEXTING AND POOR MENTAL HEALTH. IT WAS FOUND THAT YOUTH WHO SEXTED EXPERIENCED SYMPTOMS OF HIGH ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION.
MENTAL HEALTH
FOR MORE INFORMATION CLICK HERE GIVING THE RIGHT KNOWLEDGE TO ADOLESCENCE CAN EDUCATE THEM ON HOW TO ACT RESPONSIBLE THROUGH ETHICS AND MORALS, BEING RESPECTFUL, AND SAFE ONLINE INTERACTIONS.
EDUCATION
Sexting
Kaya Ratnasabapathy
Sexting is sending or receiving messages of a sexual nature through text or email, these messages could include nude or sexy photographs. Sexting is significantly more common among adolescents that are in dating or sexual relationships. Sexting is viewed as a taboo. Parents and guardians of adolescents’ need talk to youth about online safety from a young age, instead of ignoring it or reacting in a harmful way. Talking to young adolescents as you would about getting into a strangers’ car, you should let them know that texts and emails should not include nude or semi-nude photographs. When adolescents get older, they should have more direct and specific conversations regarding sexting. These conversations should include consent and coercion, speaking specifically about pressuring a partner and sending/forwarding sexts without consent. Adolescents that discuss sexting with their parents are less likely to sext, and if they do, they are less likely to have a traumatic experience doing so. Sexual coercion can include using pressure or threats to have sex with their partner that does not want to, insisting on having sex without a condom or pressuring someone to send sexts and/or nude photos. Coercive sexting is linked to a broader pattern of dating violence; adolescents that were coerced to send sexts were also pressured by their partner to have sex, and have sex without a condom. People are very attached to their digital devices and technological advancement cannot be ignored. Technology is an undeniable part of adolescent development. Research promotes including sexting and electronic communication in health education for adolescents. Research acknowledges that problematic behaviour, like no regard for consent surrounding sex, and dating violence can be lessened with proper education about consent and sexting safety. Sexting reflects adolescent curiosity, it should be recognized as a developmentally appropriate action for adolescents to take part in. Education about sexting safety and electronic communication needs to be made accessible for adolescents to be informed on how to make safe decisions. Instead of reacting, educators must be proactive at providing adolescents with the knowledge of the dangers that revolve around unsafe online behaviour. Educating adolescents about coercive sexual activity, specifically sexting can provide a safe environment for teenagers to be, naturally curious.
To learn more… https://journals.scholarsportal.info/pdf/0044118x/v50i0007/891_ooaotlcsaadp.xml https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/12/well/family/teens-are-sexting-now-what.html
Sexual Identity Georgia Venianakis The word ‘sexual’, in the term sexual identity, refers to attraction based on sexual desire and the word ‘identity’ refers to an individual’s understanding and conception of themselves. In combination, sexual identity is defined as how one thinks of themselves in terms of who they are romantically and/or sexually attracted to. It can be represented as a scale and may vary over time and with changing circumstances. Sexual identity can be shaped by a variety of social and cultural factors. Additionally, sexual identity can change throughout a person’s lifetime and may or may not align with biological sex, sexual behaviour, or actual sexual orientation. Sexual identity is central to the study of adolescence and heath because during adolescence, specifically during the teenage years, is when sexual identity is explored and established. Many teens engage in sexual exploration and explore their sexualities. Adolescence is a crucial stage for sexual identity formation, as most teens are beginning to discover their minds, their bodies, and understand who they are. Sexual behaviour, especially during early or middle adolescence, does not necessarily reflect present or future sexual identity. Adolescence is a time where curiosity and self-exploration are prominent and common amongst youths. The goals for these youths who are exploring their sexual identities are the same as for all teens- to promote healthy development, social and emotional well-being, and optimal physical health. This word opens up new vantages for the study of adolescence, as it opens up the world to different perspectives, beliefs, and self-definitions. As the term ‘sexual identity’ has become more mainstream and acceptable, the study of adolescence has become essential when it comes to understanding what sexual identity is and what it entails. Sexual identity, as a term, allows for new vantages to explore and understand the different aspects and components that come together during adolescence to create a person. For example, the parental vantage point has immensely improved because of the increasing amount of information that has come out of studying sexual identity in adolescence. the study of sexual identity opens up new vantages in regards to the topic of adolescence because it is still a fairly new concept that has only been explored at the surface level. Sexual identity and its components are still being explored, resulting in continuous learning and education regarding its impact on and during the adolescent period of development.
Salesha Karim-Picco
Shame Shame is commonly defined as an intense painful feeling characterized by thinking you are inherently flawed and unworthy of belonging (Velotti et. al., 2017). These feelings can be triggered in adolescents by their family, friends, or teachers. A student can feel ashamed daily, whether it is participating in class and getting an answer wrong, rejection by their crush, or failing a test. These events can lead students to believe that they are unworthy of connection and cause them to disengage in many aspects of their lives, including the classroom. That fear of disconnection can also lead to destructive behavior such as drug use and aggression. Triggers of shame can differ greatly among students. The fear of being seen as unwanted or experiencing an overwhelming feeling of attention can be a trigger. A student can be at the top of their class and still choose to minimize their achievements because of the shame they feel. This trigger is a result of a voice that is incessantly telling them, “who do you think you are?” and “what makes you so special and entitled?” On the contrary, students may also feel shame because they are underachieving in the scope of their class. In this case, the voice inside their head is telling them “I’m not ____ enough.” Both triggers are completely different yet they both result in low self-compassion and self-confidence. Some students are better at quieting these voices than others; these students have strong self-confidence which is essential in quieting the negative self-talk. Helping students build this self-confidence and resilience is essential in teaching students how to recover from negative experiences. Too often, understanding the difference between shame and guilt is essential as a parent and educator. Guilt is associated with a situation or action. “You did something bad” versus “you are inherently bad” is the difference between guilt and shame. In acknowledging this difference, we are building shame-resilience in teens. When we allow, and even expect adolescents to make mistakes, we are helping them to grow. It is so important to be authentic and imperfect. By practicing this, we are not only strengthening our own sense of belonging, we are setting the example for teens.
Figure 1: Self-shame and inadequacy is often followed by disengagement. It's easier to hide in a bush than it is to make an effort, be vulnerable and face your shame.
As educators, it is important that we clearly state our expectations and consequences for certain behavior. Shaming is not helpful or productive. It is important to ensure that a student understand that they are not inherently flawed, but their choices may be. It is crucial for adolescents to learn how to make mistakes. In an environment where they have unconditional support they can learn how to stand on their own.
References 1. 2.
Patrizia Velotti, Carlo Garofalo, Federica Bottazzi & Vincenzo Caretti (2017) Faces of Shame: Implications for Self-Esteem, Emotion Regulation, Aggression, and Well-Being, The Journal of Psychology, 151:2, 171-184, DOI: 10.1080/00223980.2016.1248809 Brené, B. (2010, June). Brené Brown: The power of vulnerability. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability
Keyword: Slut-Shaming
The definition for slut-shaming, as a hyphenated word, cannot be found under a single definition in the Oxford Canadian Dictionary. Instead its rudimentary meaning must be plucked from its counterparts as individual words. Slut being defined as a derogatory noun for “a promiscuous woman.”(Barber, 2004) and the verb shaming meaning to bring or force shame on someone or something. (Barber, 2004) On their own, the meanings remain severe, but in combination they become something far more sinister. As Sherri Gordon brilliantly writes “Slut-shaming is a form of cyberbullying where girls are targeted on social media and bullied through degradation or humiliation for their sexuality.What this means is that girls are often ridiculed for the way they look, the way they dress and their presumed level of sexual activity.” (Gordon, 2019) Both the dictionary and Gordon’s definitions make clear that the term stands for a heinous form of bullying and harassment of sexuality directed specifically at young girls and women. The images above provide more insight on slut-shaming and the degradation and associations that come with it. In the top right corner of the second picture it is noted that slut shaming can ruin lives. This is probably due to the kinds of descriptive terms that are associated with the women who are labelled as sluts such as dirty and disgusting. These would most certainly take their toll on any persons mental wellbeing and self esteem, especially if the associations stick to a person. This appalling and violent descriptive language becomes associated with women simply based on personal trivialities and private matters such as clothing preference, daily behaviour, dating patterns, and sexual activity. Although it seems rational that personal choices, sexual and otherwise, should remain the private business of the person making them, a study by the American Association of University Women has shown that, “One-third of all middle and high school students experienced having someone make unwelcome sexual comments, jokes, or gestures about them.” (Hill & Kearl, 2011) In fact it has been shown that slut-shaming is one of the most common forms of sexual harassment that young female students in both middle and highschool endure. (Hill & Kearl, 2011) It is for this very reason slut-shaming is an important term to delve into when thinking about the mental wellbeing and development of adolescents today. It is a prevalent topic because it is ongoing and impactful in the most devastating of ways. It is important that young women are able to thrive in school environments where they feel empowered and free to be themselves. Women and girls should celebrate their sexuality rather than fear it for shame and ridicule. By considering this term in studies of adolescent health new avenues for prevention of slut-shaming and promotion of healthy and positive views on female sexuality and the body could be recognized and applied. Better knowledge and understanding in this area could bring more clarity and understanding to the female experience, as well as to female adolescent mental health; especially regarding self esteem, ideas of the body, eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and self harm. Perhaps by paying more attention to slut-shaming, what it is, does, and means for young girls, a difference can be made to promote better positivity towards female sexuality for both adolescent and adult populations. For more information on slut-shaming and childhood and adolescent sexual harrassment check out Sheri Gordons article The Effects of Slut-Shaming on Teen Girls as well as Cathrine Hill and Holly Kearl’s study Crossing the Line: Sexual Harassment at School. References Barber, K. (2004). Students Oxford Canadian dictionary. Crossing the Line: Sexual Harassment at School. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.aauw.org/research/crossing-the-line/. Gordon, S. (2019, September 17). The Effects of Slut-Shaming on Teen Girls. Retrieved October 23, 2019, from https://www.verywellfamily.com/the-effects-of-slut-shaming-on-teen-girls-4605.
Silkyn Graham Snapchat Snapchat is a social media app that proves to be used all over the world. Through snapchat one can talk to people in multiple different ways. Using snapchat people can send photos to one another, videos, and simply send messages. When using snapchat people are able to snap photos of themselves and chat at the same time. Snapchat allows for people to share what they are doing in that moment. The original use for snapchat was for people to send pictures of themselves lasting for a short amount of time. People used to be able to send photos that people wouldn’t be able to save and only access in that moment. Now users are able to replay snaps and screenshot them, this adds a dangerous feature if one is sending explicit photos. Snapchat has multiple filters where people can change their appearance, voice and completely change their face. Snapchat is a way of connection and relating to people’s lives, which is why it is central to the study of adolescence and health. Using snapchat there are multiple features, adolescence do not need to be afraid or self-conscious about their features because they can easily hide behind filters. There is a feature that hides blemishes, adds makeup to the face and eyelashes and also allows people to hide behind images such as the “dog filter”. Using snapchat allows adolescences to obtain confidence through the use of sending images. The adolescences are in control because they are sending photos to whoever they want. Some adolescence uses the app to talk to others, keep streaks and some us the app for inappropriate use, such as sending nudes. Snapchat is such an open app in the sense of people sharing everything in their lives. People use the app to share good days and bad days and to record their daily experiences. Celebrities and influencers use the app all over the world, and through video snapchat users are able to build a connection with celebrities through the simplicity of being ‘involved’ in their lives. Snapchat is central to adolescence because they are being influenced through celebrity’s lives. Users are able to see exactly what celebrity’s lives, such as Kylie Jenner looks like. On snapchat Kylie Jenner posts multiple videos of Stormi, her daughter, the Kardashians, her family and events that often go on in her personal life that are unavailable by the outside camera. Snapchat users have an inside connection with celebrities because they are seeing un edited cold cut videos of what is happening. Snapchat opens up new vantages for the study of adolescence because one is able to get a better viewpoint of the lives that the adolescent is living. Through the use of snap chat, based on the pictures and videos that the adolescent is sharing, one such as a mentor or parent can understand what is currently going on in one’s life. If the student is sharing pictures speaking about death or suicide, one can know that the student may be going through a rough period and that those around him/ her need to help them get help. One can also see the student’s location and what they are posting snapchats of when they are supposed to be in class. New vantages are also opened up about adolescent’s tastes/ personality. Through snap chat one can see what the adolescents like due to what/ who they are following. On snapchat one can follow/ add different celebrities/ influencers. One can also follow different tabs, there are tabs such as; Daily mail, cosmopolitan, horoscopes etc. The viewer is able to see the likes and interests of the adolescences and who they look up too. There are also hair and makeup pages, wrestling etc. Based on the stories that the adolescents watch the study of adolescence increases because one can get an inside view/ standpoint of who the adolescent is becoming. Academic Reference: Tillman, M. (2019, June 11). How does Snapchat work and what's the point? Retrieved from https://www.pocket-lint.com/apps/news/snapchat/131313-whatis- snapchat-how-does-it-work-and-what-is-it-used-for. Non- Academic reference: What is Snapchat? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://whatis.snapchat.com/.
“Snapstreak”
Josh Ublansky
The term “Snapstreak” describes a simple concept that can actually reveal a lot about the psychology and social dynamics behind the values of friendship and social status in today’s youth. Created by the social media platform Snapchat, the idea is as follows: send a picture to someone every day for as long as you can. A Snapstreak exists between 2 people: every consecutive day that you both send a picture to each other, the number goes up by 1. If a full 24 hours passes without both people sending the other at least one picture, the streak is broken and goes back to zero. Best friends can have Snapstreaks of over 1000 days, meaning they’ve sent pictures to each other every day for 3 years straight, and many teens take this seriously. The feature is unique compared to other forms of social media for a few reasons. For one, most other platforms seem to push the idea of quantity of connections, displaying the number of “friends” or “followers” you have at the centre of your profile. But this, the main quantifiable statistic of Snapchat, is based on the quality of your relationship with each individual. Another is that your Snapstraks are completely private: Whereas most social media profiles show how successful you are to the world (listing followers, following, likes, etc.), the length of a Snapstreak can only be seen by the two people involved. While it seems like this whole idea promotes more genuine relationships instead of competition and showing off, Snapstreaks can still be used by many as a way to quantify friendships and measure social status. Whether it’s subtly waving your phone screen in front of everyone to make sure they see it or posting screenshots of all your streaks on other social media platforms, this has become another thing for adolescents to be proud of and brag about, even though the nature of Snapchat works to avert that toxic trait of Internet culture. As someone young enough to have experienced this first-hand, I can vividly recall many times I thought someone genuinely cared about talking to me, only to one day get a snap of a plain wall with no caption except “streaks.” At that moment you realize it’s all fake, and they’re only keeping contact with you so they can revel in the glory of large numbers on their screen. Although shallow, it’s hardly done to purposely be hurtful. Snapstreaks do seem less about bragging and approval from others as other social media formats, and more about one’s own personal sense of accomplishment, connection, or belonging. Adolescents have various reasons for keeping a Snapstreak going, including entertainment, popularity-seeking, or making sure you keep in touch with friends who moved further away so at least you have a daily schedule and don’t forget each other while caught up in life (Lorenz, 2017). Studies have shown that posting on social media may actually make people feel less lonely (Deters & Mehl, 2012), so Snapchat might also be a good way to get the same rush of self-expression and being heard but without the anxiety that it’s on the internet forever and the possibility of regret. This is because it’s more of a safe space where your photo is only seen by the people you want to see it and it disappears after 10 seconds at the most, so people have comfort knowing that it’s temporary and won’t come back to haunt them. At their core, Snapstreaks (and Snapchat in general) represent a fine balance between the validation and belonging of social media combined with the intimacy and privacy of genuine personal relationships. Sources and Further Reading: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1948550612469233 https://www.businessinsider.com/teens-explain-snapchat-streaks-why-theyre-so-addictive-andimportant-to-friendships-2017-4
Social Anxiety
Billy Cheng
What is Social Anxiety Disorder? Social anxiety refers to intense feelings of anxiousness, fear and worry one goes through in social situations. It is the constant fear of doing something embarrassing, and the worry of being judged and criticized by others. Social anxiety goes beyond having the jitters in acceptable situations such as when giving a presentation or asking someone on a date; it is ongoing fear of the normal everyday social activities such as talking to people, eating in front of others, speaking up in a group of people, and attending social gatherings.
Why is social anxiety important to the study of adolescence and health? Adolescence as a phase is full of anxiety, in regard to identity, social status and fitting in. For those who are confused about where they fit in at school, they may become reserved, shy and socially anxious. Social anxiety disorder usually begins in early adolescence and can develop suddenly after an embarrassing or traumatizing experience, or slowly over time. Adolescents who have social anxiety disorder have a persistent worry of social and/or performance situations such as school, parties and sports activities.
What are the signs and symptoms of social anxiety? • • • •
Feelings of anxiety, fear, worry, shame, embarrassment, helplessness and sadness Thoughts such as “I’m so dumb” and “I’m going to say or do something stupid” Behaviors such as keeping to oneself, poor eye contact, mumbling, avoiding social activities, not participating in class, refusing to go to school, and staying home instead of hanging out with friends Physical sensations such as stomachaches, sweating, shaking, muscle aches and tension, irritability, feeling detached from one’s body and losing control
Examples of how social anxiety opens up new vantages for the study of adolescence By examining social anxiety, one can learn how to help those effected to manage and overcome it and to build higher self-esteem and confidence. The end goal is to allow students to be comfortable in social settings without the fear of being judged. Social anxiety undoubtedly poses a significant problem to an adolescent’s social and psychological development. This constant fear of being perceived less than by others hinders the individual from developing the self-esteem to realize his/her identity and capability, as well as building on the confidence to interact freely with others. In studying social anxiety disorder’s impact on adolescence, one learns how to effectively remove this barrier to development, and ultimately help adolescents to unlock their true potential.
Citations-To learn more about social anxiety, refer to the following two links: https://anxietycanada.com/disorders/social-anxiety/ https://books-scholarsportal-info.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/en/read?id=/ebooks/ebooks0/apa/2012-0905/1/201019902#page=14
Social Comparison Veronica Rocha The term “Social Comparison” or “Social Comparison Theory” can be used to describe a multitude of different aspects of comparison through societal/social influences. However, in today’s day and age, it is commonly used and researched when referring to the impact that social media plays on people through comparison to others. Specifically, the most susceptible to this phenomenon, is adolescence. This idea of “social comparison theory” came to be as the idea that it is a natural part of life to compare yourself to others, as this is part of our “identity formation” (Social Media Comparison & Teen Mental Health). While this is a vital part of one’s life experience, it can also be very harmful, especially now that seeing an outward appearance of anyone and everyone’s life is so easily accessible through social media. This is especially detrimental to adolescence, as they are a group in the midst of building their identity and figuring out who they are and who they want to become. Due to the carefully curated images people portray as their seemingly perfect lives online, adolescents look to themselves and experience envy, issues with self-esteem, and regret (Social Media Comparison & Teen Mental Health). This idea is central when discussing the study of adolescence and health. This is because as aforementioned, comparing yourselves to others is a very normal and vital part of adolescent’s identity construction process, however, high levels of technology use is associated with increased levels of these behaviours and more risks (Nesi and Prinstein 4). Social media has influenced social comparison to move from the private sphere to the public sphere (Nesi and Prinstein 4). This allows for an overuse of social comparison, making it an issue on a much larger scale. Research suggests that with this influence of social comparison theory through social media, individual adolescents with already low self-esteem and a skewed self-identity may be influenced into increased loneliness and depressive symptoms. It is also important to remember that this influence can be good or bad depending on different circumstances. For example, for “popular” adolescence, this social comparison through the internet can actually raise their selfesteem and worth further, through positive feedback from their peers. Also, gender plays a role as well. In terms of gender, females are more likely to compare themselves to others online in terms pf physical attractiveness to others, which in turn, draws an association to even more depressive behaviours. (Nesi and Prinstein 5). This concept of social comparison theory, which in contemporary society, is widely seen through the lens of social media, can aim to work towards new viewpoints for the study of adolescence. This is because, understanding the gravity of it may help to lead more conversations on how to help ease this pressure on adolescence. This can be through promoting more body positive messages or accounts online, and even giving more promotion or openings to sites or places that specialize in helping adolescence suffering from depressive symptoms because of this. Works Cited Nesi, Jacqueline and Mitchell J Prinstein. "Using Social Media for Social Comparison and Feedback- Seeking: Gender and Popularity Moderate Associations with Depressive Symptoms." J Abnorm Child Psycho, vol. 43, no. 8, 2015, pp. 1427–1438, doi:10.1007/s10802-015-0020-0. Accessed 26 October 2019. "Social Media Comparison & Teen Mental Health." 4 January 2019. Newport Academy. Accessed 26 October 2019.
Keyword: Social Media Influencer By: Carin Isa This word is a career or life path chosen by a person who predominantly appears on social media, has a significant following, and is able to Influence many to do, buy or engage in particular goods or services. Such social media include, Instagram, Snapchat, Youtube and others. Instagram Influencers use aesthetically pleasing photos, short videos, or longer videos for InstagramTV to show off an outfit or product, often times with tags to the retailers of what is being depicted so that others might also view or purchase them. Often times, there are affiliate links and sponsorships between Influencers and companies and a discount code is sometimes given along with the description in order to entice followers to buy these products. The title of Influencer can be attained by anyone with a significant amount of followers and enough partnerships with companies such as makeup brands, teeth whitening kits, vitamins or clothing. They also must have a significant type of influence over a target audience (usually adolescents) in order to produce enough revenue and generate popularity. To learn more about Social Media Influencers and their connection to marketing products please see this article. This word is very important to the study of adolescent health and development because it is a major influence in what they wear, buy, or even eat. It helps us to understand what might be important to them in order to “fit in” and also how they gage the importance of influence by examining which Influencers are the most effective. It introduces a new type of career path for them as well, if they wish to pursue it, since anyone is able to achieve this as long as thy are able to gain followers and popularity through social media and many influences also starting their careers off as adolescents themselves for example James Charles (pictured). Adolescents are constantly being fed the new fad or trend by people they watch and trust everyday, so in terms of marketing this is the best way for major companies to get their products across to younger audiences. This can be both positive and negative. Often, things like Fashion Nova clothing are tagged for adolescents to shop for cheaper trendy clothing, but more controversial things like “sliming tea” and harsh teeth whitening kits are advertised as well which can lead to deeper issues like eating disorders and compromising health for beauty. We can also study adolescent influencers themselves to see how being in a role that is able to influence so many other might affect a young person (James Chalers). Influencers are relatable, often with their posts taking place in their own bedrooms, and then leading to bigger and more elaborate places like expensive trips to Europe as they rise to fame. So adolescents might see themselves having this same progress one day or just feel closer to the influencer hence buying more of the things that are advertised by them. By examining the negative and positive characteristics of influencers and their messages, we are able to achieve a new vantage of studying adolescents, their moral standing and also what might affect them more than others now as opposed to years earlier. We can examine the effect that an Influencer/ Youtuber like Sierra Schultzzie, who promotes body positivity, can have on an adolescent versus an influencer like Logan Paul, who was infamous for his controversial video featuring Japan's Sucice Forest. Social Media Influcencers offer a new and interesting insight into the worlds of modern adolescents today and should be studied as an important keyword to their development and health.
Emily Lam
Social Media Influencer What is a Social Media Influencer? A Social Media Influencer is a social media user who has a large audience due to their credibility in a specific industry. Instagram is a photo and short-video sharing site that promotes peer to peer interactions with the ability to like, comment, and follow specific people. Instagram is one of the most popular platforms for Influencers to connect with their audience and promote their brand. Many Influencers have a theme for their accounts to target specific audiences such as beauty, fitness, and fashion. In June of 2018, Instagram surpassed 1 billion active users making it one of the most used apps worldwide.
Beauty and Fashion Influencers Beauty Influencers dedicate their Instagram pages to promoting makeup and skincare. Kylie Jenner of the Kardashian family, has over 149 million followers. On her page, she promotes several beauty brands including her own, Kylie Cosmetics. Kylie Jenner is known for her presence in the beauty industry for several years and built a reputation and is trusted by her followers to give them the highest quality products. Along with makeup, Kylie also posts fashion photos showing off different designer brands. Kylie Jenner can make over $1 million per sponsored post on her Instagram. Kylie Jenner’s style is often tightly fitting clothing to show off her figure. With a large portion of her followers being young adolescent girls, body image is a large aspect of social media.
Fitness Influencer A Fitness Influencer’s Instagram page promotes workout routines and inspirational messages to influence people to be more fit. Simeon Panda is a fitness trainer with over 5.5 million followers. On his page, he posts his workout routine and healthy recipes. Many of his photos are of him in the gym working out without a shirt on to show off his physique. With many Fitness Influencers, the main goal is to be highly muscular with low body fat.
Body Image Body image is the subjective picture or mental image of one’s own body. With social media and specifically Instagram, adolescences are exposed to many images in a short period of time. With social media, there is an emphasis put on what society believes is the ideal body type. Regardless of gender, adolescences are led to believe in order to be popular like Social Media Influencers, they must look and act a specific way. Many Beauty and Fitness Influencers depict ideals that are not achievable by most people. People will engage in strict diets and exercise routines to achieve a look that is unsustainable.
How do Social Media Influencers affect adolescents? During adolescences, there are a lot of changes happening physically and mentally in a young person. Social Media Influencers are only posting on Instagram what they want their followers to see. Teenagers need to be reminded of healthy lifestyle choices and while Influencers are fun to follow on Instagram, they do not have to listen to everything they say. Although Social Media Influencers may display an ideal lifestyle, it is not the only lifestyle that exists. Adolescence is the time of self-discovery where they are learning who they are and how they want to represent themselves to their peers.
EDFE 1101 Julia Frank
Keyword: Squad The term “squad” is a noun used commonly among adolescents and in adolescent popular culture to refer to a person’s group of friends. Squad can be used as a synonym for gang, posse, group, etc. While the term can simply refer to one’s group of close friends, it can also be used to describe a set of people with a common attribute or interest, for example the members of a team or a club may also be referred to as a “squad”. In this way, to claim a group to be one’s squad is a way of identifying with that group, and thus makes a statement about one’s own identity. Additional informal definitions and examples can be found here. What is the influence of a squad on adolescents? In order to investigate the relationship between the role of a group and the impact on an individual, one first must recognize that “adolescents may be influenced both by their friends' behaviors and by the features of their friendships” as found on page 1312. The idea that adolescents can both influence their peers and be influenced by their peers, leads to the conclusion that adolescents highly value the views and opinions of their peers. Within the study of psychology, it is known that “adolescent development is driven by the bidirectional processes of selecting environments (e.g., friendship groups) and the subsequent influence of those environments on adolescents (e.g., behavioral choices)” taken from page 578. Here we see that “friendship groups” are driving forces of adolescent development, and thus it can be argued that when an adolescent chooses to identify with a particular squad, they give permission to influence and be influenced. The role of the friend group is more prominent for adolescents than for most other ages of development. This is because “adolescents define their social identities according to how they are similar to and differ from others, finding meaning in the sports, religious, school, gender, and ethnic categories they belong to” from Introduction to Psychology. Squad dynamics are relevant to adolescent health and development as peer influence and the influence of the group are related to several other factors affecting adolescents, including risky behaviour, alcohol use and physical activity, and academic achievement.
ADOLESCENCE & STRESS Jael Yuzon
Stress is one aspect that affects the physical, emotional, and mental health of a person due to a significant amount of pressure or tension, usually from demanding situations or life events. It can come in different levels of severity, depending on the type of person and life experiences they go through. Although there is such thing as “good stress” and “bad stress”, adolescents usually associate stress in a negative connotation. Stress is central to the study of adolescence and health because during this period and the factors and challenges that occur, many adolescents first experience the feeling of stress during this stage of their life, usually due to societal, familial and self-expectations and pressure. Since adolescents go through phases with many changes, challenges, emotions, and relationships throughout these years, there is no doubt that stress will come into play during these difficult times. Factors such as family, friends, relationships, school, money, media, and selfappearance and identity are the main but broad areas of an adolescent’s life. Each category contains issues and hardships that all contribute to the level of stress in an adolescent’s life. For instance, within the category of school, stress can come from the pressure to do well and achieve good grades on assessments. The pressure is not only from themselves but from the pressure of parents, as well as the society since we are all taught that doing well in school will provide a great job and success. This pressure will then lead to staying up all night for tests and assignments, over consume caffeine, or do anything, right or wrong, to get the high grades that are needed to do well in school. Peer pressure, among adolescents, is also a significant stress factor because most young people have a desperate need of belonging and fitting in with friends and social norms. Individuals in this stage are known to deal with an “identity crisis” where they are lost and confused in finding their identity, which causes stress because they are torn between who they truly are and what society and peers say they should be. This could lead to changes physical and behavioral wise because they feel like the need to change the way they look, dress and behave to be accepted into today’s society. Both examples, achieving high marks and peer pressure, take a significant toll on an adolescent physically, mentally and emotionally. Physical stress among adolescents can look like pain, fatigue, tears and changes in habits such as eating and sleeping patterns. Mental stress can be associated with depression, anxiety, and difficulty in concentration, while emotional stress can be expressed with the feeling of sadness, loneliness, frustration, anger, hopelessness, and nervousness, to name a few. As it is vital to understand and study the reasons why adolescents experience a significant amount of stress, it is just as important to learn how to cope with stress as an individual, or to help someone else who is experiencing stress deal with their issues. Adolescents who go through stress should have a support system such as close friends and family to help get them through such a difficult, challenging, and valuable time of their lives. To learn more about adolescence and stress: Managing Stress in Adolescents (Guide for Parents) Adolescence, Stress, and Psychological Well-being
Adolescence & Stress Stress, as described by the Cleveland Clinic, is a reaction from the body when changes occur. Although stress is usually associated with negative connotations and applications, there are some positive applications to stress. Stress can be used to keep the individual alert to avoid danger, or as motivation. However, there are many negative applications and symptoms of stress. Symptoms of stress include dizziness, general aches and pains, headaches, indigestion, sleeping problems, cold and sweaty palms, tiredness and exhaustion, weight loss or gain, and diarrhea amongst other notable symptoms. Stress may also lead to a negative stress reaction known as distress which can disturb the equilibrium of the body and lead to other notable issues such as depression, panic attacks or other forms of anxiety. During adolescence, stress seemingly becomes much more apparent issue that becomes forefront in describing adolescence or aspects about adolescence. One study reflects that during adolescence, stress is experienced at heightened levels and more frequently than at any other stages of development or age. WHY STRESS?: The reasons as to why stress can be used to embody and symbolize adolescence is directly involved with the numerous changes an individual goes through during this crucial developmental stage. Stress can be used as a response to these numerous changes during this period. As Wadell argued, adolescence in some aspects is the reliving of childhood; that the newfound consciousness of adolescence has a great effect on the individual (47). Some notable changes that may attribute to adolescent stress involves school & academic performance, heightened expectations, beginning to work, and interactions on and with social media and social activity. These changes can help reflect newfound concerns that adolescence have and experience due to them being at such a conscious and developmental stage in their lives; that they are halfway between being a child and an adult, there is a lack of clarity on their place within society and whilst forming an identity of themselves. NEXT STEPS: Stress can be used to open up new vantages when thinking and studying about adolescence. It opens up an avenue into seeing what affects adolescence significantly in their process of thought and thinking. In seeing what induces stress, we can look at avenues to help garner that stress into positive responses such as for a use of motivation. On the other hand, stress can be used to see what affects adolescence the most negatively, and work towards either reducing or managing their stress or become more reflective, combative and aware of stress inducing activities, issues or triggers. Through the latter, different approaches or pedagogies may be taken to help take into account the role of stress on the adolescence and work cooperatively with the negative connotations and applications of stress within these certain triggers and help mitigate them. Some ways to manage and mitigate adolescence stress can be found here: https://parents.au.reachout.com/common-concerns/everyday-issues/things-to-try-stress Additional readings on the effects and causation for adolescence stress can be found here: https://content.taylorfrancis.com/books/download?dac=C2017-0-50132-9&isbn=9781351533867&fo rmat=googlePreviewPdf
Suicide Suicide is when an individual intentionally self-injures themselves causing death. According to the World Health Organization, every year close to 800,000 people die to suicide. According to Statistics Canada, suicide is the second leading cause of death amongst teens 15 to 24-years-old in Canada, preceding accidental unintentional injuries. Death by suicide accounts for almost one-quarter of all deaths in adolescents. It is “estimated that 14% of 15- to 24-year-olds have reported having had suicidal thoughts at some point in their life.” Adolescence is a critical stage between childhood and adulthood in which teens are physically, psychologically, and socially transitioning from one stage to the other. During this transitional stage, adolescents can develop anxieties, fears, and depression. “An estimated 11% of 15- to 24-year-olds have been depressed in their lifetime.” Suicide is a public health problem globally and in Canada where 23 per cent of all suicides are committed by teenagers. Raising awareness and understanding the warning signs of suicidal behaviour can assist in prevention. Schools and those who interact with youth can be a source of support by being compassionate, accepting, and committed to the well being of adolescents. Warning signs to look for that might suggest someone is at risk includes but are not limited to: ● Feelings of wanting to give up on life ● Feeling unsupported, trapped in a situation with no way out or being a burden ● Thoughts and talks about ending one’s life. ● Isolation from friends, family and social activities. ● Drug and alcohol abuse ● Self-mutilation/ cutting ● Depression, anxieties and impulsive moods of anger and sadness. Teens 15 - 24-years-old have “the highest rates of mood and anxiety disorders of all age groups.” These disorders can play a role in the development of suicidal thoughts, behaviours, attempts, and death. Teens that are at a higher risk of committing suicide may include and not limited to: ● Individuals that have a mental illness ● Victims of physical and sexual abuse ● Victims of Bullying including vulnerable groups that face discrimination ● Individuals exposed to others that have suicidal behaviours including a family history of suicide or previous suicide attempt Intervention is key to teenage suicide prevention. Knowledge of the warning signs and risk factors may help to facilitate early intervention. Increasing suicide awareness in the study of adolescence, health, teaching youth to seek out help, and assisting them in finding sources of professional care is of value. Also, being a good listener, creating a safe space for youth to talk about their emotions shows concern, care and support for their well-being. Helping youth to problem solve and cope with stress will enhance their life skills and form effective intervention. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-003-x/2017001/article/14697-eng.htm#n2 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/070674371506000603
by: Lana Sleek WHAT IS TEST ANXIETY? Many students experience stress or anxiety before a test or exam. Being anxious about an upcoming test is normal and even necessary, providing a little adrenaline rush so students will be more likely to study and prepare for the test. Normal amounts of anxiety can add vitality to the mental performance needed to test well. This empirical study of The Yorkes-Dodson Law demonstrates how elevated arousal levels can improve performance, however only up to a certain point. Pre-exam nervousness can negatively impact performance if they turn into debilitating feelings of worry, dread, and fear. This is what is known as test anxiety. Test anxiety is a type of performance anxiety, a psychological condition in which students experience extreme distress and anxiety in testing situations. High achieving students who put too much expectations or pressure on themselves and have a difficulty dealing with mistakes, and underprepared students who have procrastinated studying are the most likely to experience test anxiety (Mayer 77-78) and suffer from low self-confidence, not understanding that low test scores may not be an indication of true intelligence or ability.
According to the American Test Anxieties Association: 10 million children in North America are affected 16-20% of students have high test anxiety 18% experience moderate levels of test anxiety
Listen to this Self- Liberation from Test Anxiety Recording!
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF TEST ANXIETY? (Mayer 2008) Physical Symptoms -
Heart palpitations Shortness of breath Chest tightening Sweating Stomach ache Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea Shaky limbs or trembling Headaches or body aches
Emotional Symptoms -
Feeling overwhelmed Feelings of helplessness/hopelessness Panic Feelings of shame and worthlessness Feelings of doom or failure Depression
Behaviors -
Unable to concentrate Freezing or “going blank” during tests Angry outbursts or tantrums Exhaustion, fatigue, or faint Insomnia or difficulty sleeping Procrastinate studying until the last minute Negative self-talk
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HOW IS TEST ANXIETY CENTRAL TO THE STUDY OF ADOLESCENE AND HEALTH? Testing by its very nature is being judged and evaluated in relationship to one’s peers – a trial adolescents experience on a day-today basis in and out of the classroom. Test anxiety disturbs the mind and body in the way that any anxiety does, affecting students in how they think, learn, and reason; how they feel about themselves, and their attitudes towards school and learning in general; Waddell states, these factors play an important role in the student’s lives and plays a part in the “extremely high expectations” placed on their shoulders (Waddell 51). Scoring low on tests may also cause negative responses from parents, teachers, and other students, perpetuating low self-esteem and deeper feelings of worthlessness. Adolescents with test anxiety often withdraw from academic and social activities and may refuse to go to school (dropping out), and in severe cases, they may even threaten to hurt themselves (Mayer 80-82). Test anxiety can prevent students from achieving their academic potential, as well as undermine their social development. As a result of the “added pressures of exams” (Waddell 181) and the expectations and anticipations of graduating and starting university, the adolescent is likely to “breakdown” (Waddell 181) as a consequence of trying to balance too much while also constantly being informed of the importance of their success. Understanding the causes and implications of test anxiety can help parents and educators to gain a wider perspective of how anxiety can negatively affect the quality of the student’s life. Teachers often unknowingly contribute to these pressures in their communications with students about tests which might include messages regarding the consequences of examinations, why they might be considered high-stakes, and what the consequences of success and/or failure might be, and these threatening fear appeals increase the student’s anxiety of tests and fear of failure. To help struggling students, Waddell suggests parents and teachers work to “create a positive culture to include an awareness and sensitivity to the trial and tribulations” (51) of this pressure. Teachers can work to create this culture by teaching students relaxation techniques, supporting them to become confident and mentally prepared to write tests by assisting them through stages of preparation and studying, helping them to understand their value is not evaluated based on their test scores, or even by providing alternate methods of evaluation. Minimizing this sense of consequence as well as the actual consequences of testing are therefore necessary steps in reducing the prevalence of students’ stressrelated symptoms and fears. Achievement is measured by more than test scores. Students need to develop social-emotional, health, and creative competencies, including the capacity to think critically, collaborate, solve complex problems, transfer knowledge from one area to another, set goals, and deal with failure. Standardized tests are incapable of effectively assessing these vital and complex areas of learning and would give an inaccurate representation of student comprehension and achievement, yet their importance for their future education, career, and opportunities are stressed to adolescents from a young age. The importance placed on standardized tests is therefore misplaced and pressures students to succeed, which leads to the opposite effect of underperforming despite knowing the material. This cycle further demonstrates how scores from standardized tests are an unreliable measurement. Alternate approaches of evaluation should be considered and efforts should be made in both policy and practice for the purpose of accurate assessment and to minimize negative effects on students’ mental health by reducing the pressures students feel in regards to testing and success. Mayer, Diane Peters. “Test Anxiety.” Overcoming School Anxiety: Separation, Tests, Homework, Math Phobia, and Other Worries, AMACOM, American Management Association, 2008, pp. 77–82. Waddell, Margot. On Adolescence, Routledge, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/york/detail.action?docID=5426767.
THIRST TRAP
A Thirst trap is an alluring photo posted on social
media (often Instagram or Snapchat) for the purpose of gaining attention and praise from an online audience. Thirst trap can be both a noun and a verb, as one can thirst trap by posting a “sexy” photo or acting in an “attention-seeking manner”. One can also be referred to as a Thirst Trap for being sexually attractive. To “thirst” or “be thirsty” as slang means to be desperate for something. This something is often sex. Emerging from selfie-culture, a Thirst trap is then a provocative image meant to “trap” others in their sexual desires so that they will shower the original poster with attention in the form of likes, emojis and comments. Thirst Traps are popular posts amongst social media stars- both “insta” and actual celebrities who share images ranging from a close-up to their butt in a denim thong (2003, Rihanna) to a mirror-selfie featuring the clear outline of their genitals (2015, Cash Out). In 2015, The Cut logged the most common comment responses to Thirst Traps ranging from “Model status,” “Wifey,” “Marry me,” “Notice me,” “Follow me,” to the more graphic “Sit on my face.”
The keyword Thirst Trap is important to the study of adolescence and health as teens are engaging with the term arguably more than any other age group. Their favourite celebrities are posting them, they’re liking and commenting on them, and many teens are even posting Thirst Traps themselves. During puberty, teens are increasingly looking to social media as a platform to shape the presentation of their emerging identity as young adults. In On Adolescence, Margot Waddell stresses the “inextricability” during the transition of adolescence, “of sexuality and character formation”. By experimenting with their sexual identities, Waddell suggests that young people are attempting to “break out of the constrictions” imposed upon their sexualities so that they may achieve “a sense of sexual potency” (Waddell, 55). This word opens up new vantages for the study of adolescence as, for many young people, posting Thirst Traps and engaging with them are a way to explore their sexual identities in a world completely separate from their parents’ realities. This is especially true for young women, who often create online identities split from the self that their parents know. By imitating their online idols in suggestive Thirst Trap images, teens can try on different sexual identities for potentially millions of people. For many young people, the people whose opinions matter the most are their peers. The level of engagement a Thirst Trap post receives can also directly impact a young person’s self esteem. If a post gets a lot of “likes” and positive comments, the poster may enjoy this attention and continue to create and post Thirst Traps in efforts to feel liked, admired, adored and accepted. Such feelings may be difficult to achieve in many teens’ lives. As problematic as Thirst Traps may be, engaging in this kind of online behaviour is one way teens explore their sexual identities and receive attention for said exploration.
Read More: Here, here, here, here, and here!
Santina Sandra Giuliano
Keyword Study
201986405
TikTok If you see a teenage girl on her phone, it’s highly likely that she is
watching TikTok videos. If she’s up in her room, she’s likely making and remaking the perfect TikTok video that she can share with her friends. According to Business Insider, TikTok was the number one free downloaded app in the US in September 2019 and has had over one billion downloads worldwide since its inception. As reported by MediaKix , 60% of TikTok’s active users in the United States are 16 to 24 year olds. Given the social media’s app’s pervasiveness and popularity among adolescents, TikTok will be explained in relation to how it affects the health of its primary user: teens. What is TikTok? TikTok is a dynamic video creation and sharing app that allows users to create or view short videos. Users can simply view and comment on other users videos, or they can create their own videos, and choose to share them. A user can have either a public or private profile. Usually set to music, users can often be seen dancing, lip syncing and duetting with other users. They can create original content, or use another user’s video as a template for their own. The content in TikTok is often seen as funny, satirical, and often contain memes . Why is TikTok central to the study of adolescence and health? According to Buzz Feed News, “TikTok is being embraced by a younger generation that snubs Facebook and Twitter but loves Instagram. It’s not only a place for creativity but a place for the exercise of personal branding — a place to highlight your personality or craft one from the ground up. As much as TikTok is about memes, it’s also about just looking cool, being funny, and getting likes”. However, a recent study published by British medical journal The Lancet, reported the link between social media use and poor mental health, most notably in adolescent girls. The study which was published in January 2019, found the more time teens spent online, the more likely they experienced “depressive” symptoms. A recent Canadian study published in the Jama Pediatric Journal also found significant associations for every increased hour spent using social media, and an increase in depressive symptoms. With research increasingly revealing the link between social media use and mental health issues, further inquiry is needed specifically on TikTok given its popularity among this age group.
The Infamous Danielle Kahn
TikTok and the study of adolescence If we were to try to understand adolescence through the vantage point of TikTok, we would be able to see how teenagers, especially teen girls are yearning to try to find their identity, or at least, attempt to create one. The different videos they create, using the various filters and formats available, enables them to try on different appearances, personalities, and then see which one resonates with their friends or followers. TikTok also can be studied to in attempt to understand what psychoanalyst Margot Waddell refers to as, the “outside stories” teens try to construct for themselves. What are they trying to tell us through the videos they create? Who do we think they want to be? How do they want to be seen? Why do they like, view, or comment on the videos they do? TikTok offers us a crucial view into the minds of the adolescent, their need for belonging and acceptance as they try to construct an image of their self that they find socially acceptable, as demonstrated by the likes they receive. To learn more about TikTok visit Your Guide To Using TikTok To learn more about Social Media’s effect’s on Teen Mental Health visit The Lancet
TikTok TikTok is a free social media video application where users have the ability to create their own videos by putting creative visuals to popular music or voice over. The app was previously popularized under the name musical.ly, until being rebranded in late 2018 when the two applications merged. Much like other social media applications, such as Instagram or Twitter, TikTok allows users to browse and interact with others’ content, follow other profiles, like posts, include hashtags and leave comments. Users can choose to have a public account for all other users of the app to see, or a private account, restricted to only those users who are ‘following’ them. With over 100 million users, most of the adolescent age, it is evident that TikTok is central to the study of adolescence. According to the Washington Post, via a study conducted by Common Sense Media, teens spend an average of 9 hours a day on entertainment media. The capacity in which social media consumes the lives of adolescents makes it inevitable in having an influence on their health. The addictive nature of social media, and the validating high that comes from a ‘like’ or ‘follow’, can become destructive. When an adolescent becomes reliant on this type of validation, in generating their own self-image, is when it has been taken too far. We must encourage adolescents to use social media in a positive healthy way and help them to understand there should be limits in using it. While this may seem like an easy task, the nature of the social media world is that everything is connected in a multi-platform way. Companies and influencers use several different platforms of social media to target their audience of adolescents. This leads to an ever consuming and in-your-face system which is difficult for adolescents to detach from. James Charles, a beauty YouTuber, is one of many influencers who has a presence on TikTok and uses it to reach a wider audience. The video demonstrates the cross-platform use of media as described. (Double Click to play) TikTok’s content predominantly consists of the same concept remade by its users. This act of choosing to re-enact a video that the user thought was ‘cool’, is itself an act of reassurance and validation on the part of the user. We can use TikTok as a source of analysis and questioning in the ongoing trend of adolescents mimicking what they are being fed as cool, funny or interesting. Citation/References: Parents will find this article by Common Sense Media useful in understanding the basics of TikTok and risks it poses to the safety of its users. This article explores the psychological effects of likes and other aspects of social media on the adolescent. Stefanie Fellin October 28, 2019
Victoria Elliott Keyword TikTok
ED/EDFE 1101 Adolescent Development and Health
TikTok mission: To Capture and present the world’s creativity, knowledge and precious life moments! Tiktok (verb) a social media app created for sharing lip-sync, talent and comedy videos, for age 13 and above (Court Proceedings ) not to be confused with Tick tock (the movement on a clock!) the App originally launched in China 2016 as Douyin, it was then reintroduced worldwide as TikTok in 2017, by byteDance, a Chinese tech company that owns a variety of Apps is owned by Yiming Zhang, now worth a staggering $75 Billion. TikTok was a rebrand of the well known App Musical.ly which alone was a hit with 200 million followers. Tiktok has become the one of the fastest growing social media Apps in the 20th century, with 500 million active monthly users that is 15% of the world’s population are actively using TikTok, 60% of these users are 16 to 24 years old. We now have to look at what could possibly be the attraction of TikTok for 300,000 of the world’s youth? If we look at adolescents as a process of becoming, It is a time of challenge and discovery for all “the hour of the stranger” (Waddell 2018), then what better way to express and discover oneself but by play acting. TikTok’s main attraction is becoming the muse of a chosen music genre, allowing the user to create and act out any scene they feel like sharing, connect with friends and admirers through likes, comments and duets and with the chance to become Tiktok famous what is not to love? As with any online medium you do have to consider how safe the app actual is, the app does have privacy settings so only friends can interact with your posts. Whilst researching TikTok there was a theme in teenage adolescent’s posts of inappropriate sexual innuendo’s but again in the age of discovery is this not normal sexual exploration but now on an online platform. On a whole TikTok is a fun, online app, and a platform to express creativity with a wider audience and by the numbers of users I would say speak for itself. PARENTS LISTEN UP TIK TOK is the same thing as music.aly which was intended for kids and teens to make fun videos. You parents are freaking out waaay to much about this app just because it is labeled "social networking site". If you really want your kid to be protective just put the damn restricted mode Teen, 14 years old Written byteatreeoil7 June 16, 2019 really fun I’m a teenager, and I love tiktok. It’s a fun app to express yourself, make funny videos, and much more. But, the app has a few downsides. There’s violence and other stuff like that. The app is for 13+, but i think it should be 10+. Resources: Variety News https//variety.com On Adolescence, Pg 45 Margot Waddell (2018) www.TikTok.com
Keyword: TikTok TikTok is a social networking app targeted towards teens providing easy to use video editing software for users to create and share short 15 second videos. The platform is largely populated with short lip-synching videos of everyday teens singing or dancing to famous and comic content. TikTok creator ByteDance is a Chinese technology company that originally released the app to the Chinese market under the name Douyin in 2016 and was later re-branded as TikTok and launched for markets outside of China in 2017 [2]. ByteDance then merge TikTok with a similar shortvideo sharing app called Musical.ly. TikTok kept the short 15 second video idea from Music.ly but broadened the scope of its video creation, not limiting it to lip-synching videos [4]. Since its launch TikTok has quickly exploded as a global video-sharing social networking app; between July 2019 and September 2019 TikTok surpassed Instagram, Twitter and Facebook as the most downloaded app in the world. Despite the apps mass success, many millennials and boomer likely have never heard of it. This is because most its target audience are between the ages of 13 and 18 and due to its playful nature it is not surprising why. Despite having potentially never heard of this app and possibly having no intention of downloading it knowing what makes TikTok different than any other social networking app is important because the way in which ByteDance designed the app will have implications for how all social media users and apps reciprocally communicate with each other. The first step to most social networking sites is to build an audience which requires creating new unique material in an increasingly judgemental online world or to be an already beautiful or wealthy idol and get lucky enough to go viral. TikTok removes the paralyzing question of what to post and how to gain a following but filling your feed before you even interact with the app. It relies heavily on artificial intelligence – instead of human editors or a selfselected feed of accounts users chose to follow – to curate personalized feeds. Instead of waiting for the user to interact with it, TikTok starts sending users a flood of content, often viral and fun videos that have recently emerged to their feed and then starts taking notes. Instead of encouraging isolated groups of people with similar interests it encourages users to jump from audience to audience, trend to trend, creating stimulated temporary friend groups where the feedback is frequent and abundant and stimulation is constant. Like all social networking apps, TikTok allows users to build up a following of friends, to post publically and to be followed. In an era of social media and micro-celebs TikTok provides a platform with an even easier way to gain fame without fear of conforming to social trends due to the intentional parody aspect and relatively easy to reach mass audience. Users often imitate trends (hashtags or challenges) and interact within a social playground through repurposing and remixing peer content. The playfulness of TikTok is what makes it significant to the study of adolescence. It provides that ability to reproduce elaborate post-production cinematography on your mobile device and the recording are extremely malleable. The augmented reality adds a make-believe aspect to the virtual playground – a consistent aspect of play, an escape from reality. Popular features allow users to make a duet (split the screen in half and do a side-by-side synchronized video) or to react (post your repurposed response to a video layer behind a small shot of the original). Unlike most social networking apps that are consumption based TikTok is largely production based liberating young people to play and explore their creative side through video creation. Creativity and imaginative play are two important aspects of play in child development. However, the herd mentality of social media and the still developing brain of teens makes them more susceptible to peer pressure and FOMO (fear of missing out) mentalities. Making them more vulnerable to potentially dangerous challenges that surface frequently on the app such as #KylieJennerLipChallenge. The desire to gain followers and feel important has staggering, known and unknown mental health concerns. The complicated pros and cons of online platforms such as TikTok re-enforce the need for adults and youth to be educated on social media literacy to protect their children from risks associated. TikTok has even caught the attention of US officials but not in a good way. They have accused ByteDance of using the app as an overseas-intelligence-gathering operation and allegations around censorship of topics sensitive to Chinese law. ByteDance has denied such accusations but the fact remains that the technology exists to use apps such as TikTok to generate a plethora of images and information about users and in this case young teens and the ramifications of that information being in the wrong hands are still unknown. Victoria McLaughlin
Megdelyn Jang-Naruse Transgenderism Transgenderism is an umbrella term that refers to people who identify with a gender different than their natal sex. Transgenderism may also include non-binary, genderqueer, and genderfluid. One can be male-to-female (MTF) transgender or female-to-male (FTM) transgender. Transgenderism ties closely together with gender dysphoria, where a person feels like their emotional and psychological identity does not connect to their biological sex at birth. This is important in adolescence as children are starting to explore who they are and develop their own sense of self. Many kids are placed in this pre-set box according to their natal sex and could feel a sense of exclusion if they don’t identify with this social construct of pink for girls and blue for boys. As stated in the Trevor Project source, “sometimes we need to unlearn some of our old ideas about what [gender identity] is so that we can really get what gender is all about”. Gender is a social construct. Our youth is brought up in a way that makes them assume they are all cisgender; choosing to identify with the sex they are assigned at birth. During adolescence, children might be feeling a sense of gender dysphoria and they might not be able to identify this feeling. Gender dysphoria represents an “incongruence between the body and the gender identity” (Fisher, 2018). It can be a confusing for an adolescent who does not quite understand where they belong and who they are. Some youth are able to identify as transgendered and might want to go through a medical transition during their adolescence. It should be noted that not everyone transitions in the same manner and does not follow a linear path. Different types of medical transitions are, but not limited to, hormone therapy with testosterone or estrogen, top surgery (surgery performed on the chest), and bottom surgery (surgery performed on genitalia). Top surgery for FTM removes the breast tissue and reconstructs the chest, whereas top surgery for MTF involves inserting implants and reconstructing the chest to reflect a female appearance. Transgender youth might feel conflicted about how they want to transition. Every individual transitions differently and does not go through all the afore mentioned medical transitions. Transgender youth who are discovering their own sense of self, as described by Waddell, need support because without it they have a higher chance of becoming at risk. Parents and clinicians are the best form of support. “The best advice for parents is the same as for all children; to support their children, to foster their strengths, and to model desired behavior” (Silovky). Lack of support can trigger depression, self-harm, suicidal ideation, and an overall deterioration of mental health. Not only is this group of youth struggling within the liminal space of adolescence between childhood and adulthood, but they are also struggling within the forced gender conforming society that they are forced to assimilate to. Transgenderism opens up a whole new study of adolescence and health as it involves another aspect in which youth feel uncomfortable in their body. This group of youth are not only going through the physical changes of puberty, but they are also struggling with their internal gender identity which does not follow these changes. Transgender people might want to hide or get rid of certain physical characteristics that come with the involuntary puberty, such as hiding breasts with binders. Transgender youth are able to use gonadotropin-releasing hormones that supress puberty if they wish to transition with the consent of their guardian. We can infer from Waddell’s piece that identity development is a crucial process during adolescence and this involves gender identity. Transgenderism - The Trevor Project (NON ACADEMIC) Transgenderism - ScienceDirect (ACADEMIC) “Trans Gender Identity.” The Trevor Project, https://www.thetrevorproject.org/trvr_support_center/trans-gender-identity/. Silovsky, Jane F. “Transgenderism.” Transgenderism - an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics, 2008, https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/transgenderism. Fisher , Alessandra D. Encyclopedia of Endocrine Diseases - Hormonal Treatment of Male to Female Transgender. 2nd ed., Academic Press, 2018.
truancy (noun)
Sal Scala
Truancy is described in many different ways—skipping school, cutting classes, playing hooky. Ultimately, whatever the term, truancy refers to any absence from school without permission. However, this definition gets more complicated at a policy level. In Canada, truancy is defined as “being intentionally absent from compulsory schooling” but there are differing standards about when school is considered compulsory (“Should kids,” 2012). Over the past decade, various provinces including Ontario, Manitoba and New Brunswick have raised the “truancy age” from 16 to 18. In these cases, a student must be aged 18 in order to leave school voluntarily; the unexcused absence of any student under this minimum age is considered truancy. In the study of adolescence and health, truancy is important for several reasons. For many youth, there are significant consequences for “habitual truancy” bringing them into contact with the justice system at an early age (Alphonso, 2016). In Ontario, under the Education Act, unexcused absence carries a $200 fine; further, in Simcoe County alone, about ten cases of habitual truancy are brought to the courts. Research has also shown truancy to be associated with low student achievement and high dropout rates, both of which may affect students’ long-term success (Ahmad & Miller, 2015). As a result, researchers have worked to understand the factors contributing to truancy. According to Reid (2005), some such factors may include peer pressure or influence, bullying, poor relationships with teachers, academic difficulty or disinterest, and/or problems at home. With more research, many of the stereotypes about truant youth have been challenged. For example, a recent study by Maynard, Salas-Wright, Vaughn and Peters (2012) has shown that truant youth are a homogenous group—not a group simply comprised of the “problem kids.” In fact, they found that more than half their sample of over 1600 adolescents were moderate to high achieving students; only 6% of the group were classified “chronic skippers.” Recognizing this variation may have important implications for how we understand and approach the problem of truancy in the future. In a similar vein, qualitative research allows for alternative understandings of truant behaviour, straight from the students themselves. For example, Strand (2012) found that some of the justifications provided for truancy relate to the school/classroom environment, to factors students perceived as being “beyond their control.” The majority of respondents in the Strand (2012) study cited poor relationships with teachers as a significant contributing factor, consistent with previous research that “students’ dissociation from school occurs when they feel unwanted.” Other seemingly trivial reasons were identified as well; for instance, some respondents indicated that the noise of the classroom environment was difficult for them to tolerate. Considering all this, developing an understanding of this issue from all perspectives could be useful for making informed modifications to our approach to managing truancy. That is, rather than persisting with the current punitive approach, gaining a sense of what may be driving this behaviour may put educators in a better position to respond more productively—to the benefit of the student, but also perhaps, the education system more broadly.
Natalie Nanton Vape Vaping is an electronic form of smoking in which the user inhales an aerosol into their lungs, which then moves into their bloodstream. Different from smoking cigarettes, vaping does not involve the inhalation of tobacco, thus removing some, but not all, of the negative effects caused by cigarette smoking. Products within the vaporizer consist of “propylene glycol with nicotine, flavouring, and other chemicals and metals”. Companies have created multiple types of vaporizers, including those that are small and sleek with the purpose of attracting its target audience. Vaping is central to the study of adolescence as youth and adolescents are a large portion of the target audience, despite initially being targeted towards adults as a method to help quit cigarette smoking. The use of e-cigarettes among adolescents has risen dramatically, increasing from three percent of adolescents to twenty-seven percent from 2011 to 2015. Adolescents are more vulnerable to addiction than adults who smoke e-cigarettes. The brain is not fully developed at adolescence, consequently resulting in the adolescent brain to be more prone to addiction. The underdeveloped adolescent brain will experience symptoms of withdrawal sooner and more often. Youth are specifically targeted as a consumer through the use of flavours such as “Cherry Crush, Vivid Vanilla and Pina Colada” that attract them to use the product. Despite the argument made by many adolescents, that they only engage in vaping for the flavour, the majority of e-cigarettes contain nicotine. This suggests that adolescents may not be educated on the ingredients within e-cigarettes and consequently, the potential negative effects of smoking them. An increasingly popular trend is for adolescents to vaporize THC. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is used to experience similar effects that are experienced when smoking marijuana, including mind-altering effects. The increased potency that is created when vaping THC can cause serious developmental damage during adolescence. There have been around fifteen thousand cases within the United States dealing with negative health consequences of ecigarettes, many of those cases involved the use of THC. Several of these cases have resulted in a multitude of health problems, including respiratory distress syndrome as well as fluid build-up in the lungs. The critical question to ask is, “Why do adolescents continue to use e-cigarettes after learning about the potential negative effects as well as the deaths that have occurred?”. Analyzing this question may provide new vantages for the study of adolescence, regarding the relationship between adolescence, drugs, peer relationships and autonomy. Adolescence often involves significant amounts of peer pressure. Such peer pressure may lead to experimentation with new activities, such as vaping, as an attempt to fit in with others. Adolescents may also be engaging in such experimentation despite the known negative effects as a way of becoming independent and autonomous from their parental figures. This process results in a more significant vulnerability for adolescents to be influenced by peer pressure. To learn more about vaping devices and their effects on adolescent health and development, check out these websites! https://www.smoktech.com/blog/different-types-ofvapes https://journals.scholarsportal.info/details/08897077/v40i0001/7_utioteyaacfa.xml
Vaping Caleb Shin There are many words that could describe youth and adolescent health, but one that has been picking up a lot of attention as of late has been the use of E-cigarettes otherwise known as vaping. Vaping is the use of a handheld, battery powered device that heats up water into vapour and stimulates the feeling of smoking without burning tobacco. The purpose of vaping was meant for individuals who desired to quit smoking with a less harmful substitute.
However as of recent years, there has been an increase in the amount of youth vaping worldwide. It is important to view this ongoing trend not in a light fashion as it says something significant about the youth today. Not only are there serious health concerns that arise from vaping, but that social issue that follows youth who vape to be more likely to try traditional cigarettes which already have proven unhealthy lifestyle consequences. It is found that from 2011 to 2015 these vaping devices have been increasingly used by highschool students in the US from 1.5% to 13.4%. This drastic increase in vaping from young people is also concerning because of the unknown risks from chemicals and exposure from nicotine. Nicotine is one of the main concerning factors regarding vaping for youth who had previously not been exposed as it can serve as a gateway drug that can get adolescence hooked on other drugs. There may not be a solution to this increase in vaping as it is more important to see the problem as a part of their inside story. Vaping has been really defining what it means to be a youth in today’s society as it has become such a prevalent phenomenon even with its risks not fully understood. Unlike other drugs, vaping is more available to access than other drugs and is not only cheaper, but not seen with such negativity as cocaine, or even marijuana. The use of drugs has always been a theme with youth throughout history but more recently through vaping, although they have many similarities in impact, they have their own benefits and consequences that will shape this generation. McCarthy, Michael. “E-Cigarettes Could Addict a New Generation of Youth to Nicotine, Doctors Are Told.� BMJ: British Medical Journal, vol. 351, 2015. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/26524256. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_cigarette#Youth
EDFE 1101 JG VAPING Vaping is the act of inhaling and exhaling aerosol, fine sprayed substances, produced by vaping devices. These vaping devices are battery-powered and contain a tank or reservoir of liquid. This liquid heats up and turns into an aerosol, which is then inhaled. Ingredients found in vaping liquids include glycerol, propylene glycol, artificial flavours, nicotine, and other toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde and metals. Vaping devices come in different shapes and styles, some resemble cigarettes, pens, and sleek USB flash drives that are appealing to youth. There are also different names for vaping devices, such as mods, vapes, e-cigarettes, JUUL, vape pens, e-hookahs, electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS), and sub-ohms. Vaping is central to the study of adolescence and health because it has become a popular trend among youth. Vaping products such as JUUL are small and sleek devices that resemble a USB flash drive, which makes it easy for teenagers to hide and hold in their hands. These devices contain nicotine; they are colourful and come in different flavours such as mango, fruit medley, mint, candy, and soda, which are very appealing to youth. Teenagers think vaping is cool, and are influenced by their friends and the media. Many youth think these devices only contain water and flavourings, and are not knowledgeable of what is actually found in vaping liquids. For instance, one JUUL pod contains the same amount of nicotine as smoking a whole pack of cigarettes. Studies also showed that youth vaping at a young age are more likely to become addicted to nicotine, which can cause them to become lifelong users of tobacco and also open doors to smoking other harmful substances such as cannabis. Overall, vaping is a concern for adolescent’s health because exposure to nicotine and other harmful chemicals can lead to lung damage and altered brain development. Therefore, nicotine affects areas of the brain that control memory, mood, learning ability, and leads to an addiction. This word opens up new vantages for studying adolescence because there has been an increase in youth vaping. Researchers have identified different groups of vapers in order to understand vaping behaviours among youth, and have also identified those groups that put adolescents at risk for using other harmful substances. These results showed that 29.4% of US 12th graders vaped for experiment, 7.3% vaped to replace cigarettes, and 63.4% vaped for taste and entertainment. Another study also showed that 77.8% of youth between the ages of 15 to 17 tried vape tricks, 83.7% watched vape tricks in person, and 74% watched vape tricks online. Therefore, it appears that teens are turning to these devices mostly for entertainment purposes with friends, and vape tricks being one of them. Vape tricks are the act of exhaling aerosol to make shapes through the use of vaping devices. Vape tricks pose a potential threat to adolescent’s health, since this turns into a habit and then eventually an addiction. Therefore, it is important that we study vaping and adolescence since there are a lot of youth vaping without being knowledgeable of its health effects. To learn more about vaping & adolescence, please check out the following links: Video: Vape pen becoming popular among teens Article: Vape Tricks Picture: Person vaping
Videogames Michael Cacoilo Adolescence is a large encompassing topic that affects everyone differently however, there are common threads that connect us all, one of which is learning. Most spend a vast amount of their adolescence learning and being taught learning styles. These styles often include theory first and experience second, but is this the only or the best way of learning? Could we use a well-integrated medium such as video gaming to change the discussion around learning? While it seems difficult or even novel to think of videogames as a learning tool, they have a lot more to offer than merely a way to spend time. Videogames have often been seen as nothing more than mindless time wasting with nothing or very little that can be learned from them. Videogames are not often a topic associated with education and if they happen to be mentioned, it’s often not in a positive light. Can that narrative be turn around? Are videogames constructed in such a way that they can be seen as a teaching tool? Most videogame platforms are well-developed problem spaces. These spaces are a series of problems that the game designer has meticulously developed. The problems are created in conjunction with specific tools in order to teacher the player how to solve the problems as they unfold. As players begin to develop skills and seek to find more advanced knowledge, a significant shift occurs. This shift is a learning environment being molded solely by the developer, to a learning community of peer to peer teaching outside of the game developer’s control. The players will take what they have learned from failing or succeeding and combine it with experiences that other players have taken part in. This creates a more complex and comprehensive understanding for not only the player but the developers as well. A key aspect of videogame learning is being able to make mistakes over and over again with very little to no penalty to the player/student. This fosters an environment of taking chances and trying different approaches knowing that the player/student will have an opportunity to learn a new way through the task. Could education follow this method of problem spaces and teacher guided learning where mistakes cost very little as long as there is forward progression? Educators should look towards videogames with conscious thought and exploit what they have to offer rather than the often too quick condemnation. We as educators should use videogames that exist and be able to have a hand in developing games for the future.
References: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-zSKTV5Qxk https://moodle.yorku.ca/moodle/pluginfile.php/4281776/mod_resource/content/2/Week%207%2 0-%20Are%20Video%20Games%20good%20for%20learning%3F.pdf
Virtual Reality (VR) Andrew Bundas A term coined in the late 1980s, virtual reality (commonly abbreviated as VR) refers to the use of modeling and simulation through computer technologies, which enables a user to interact with an artificially generated visual or sensory environment. Most commonly, the technology is displayed through headset or helmet hardware featuring an internal stereoscopic screen that rests a short distance in front of the user’s eyes. Using motion sensors (often based on gyroscopic technology), the controller’s movements are interpreted in real-time by the application software, and the on-screen presentation is adjusted accordingly. This is to say that if the headset turns 90 degrees to the left, so too does the in-application camera, delivering a rotated view of the artificial space being presented on screen. The resulting effect is what is referred to as telepresence, a sense of “being there” for the operator, which provokes a thoroughly immersive experience that stimulates emotional and somatic reactions in the user. Virtual reality technology has been in use for decades, with its continued development often being stimulated by the needs and expansions of military and medical fields. The tech has been implemented and utilized in forms ranging from drone piloting, to 3D mapping and exploration of a medical patient’s anatomy, thus allowing surgeons to precisely plan procedures ahead of time. Commercial applications have emerged in recent years with a stronger proliferation of virtual reality technology amongst consumer markets. Companies like Samsung, Sony, HTC and Google have driven VR’s development into entertainment markets; featuring gaming, film and experiential applications designed for casual or everyday users. Virtual reality has already begun its foray into the world of education, where applications are designed to feature both experiential exploration as well as training or simulation environments. Drawing on concepts central to experiential learning, VR can steer student learning to become a more personalized, relevant and immersive process that transforms students’ role from passive observers to active participants. Otherwise impossible experiences are made accessible to students via “virtual field trips” or through training simulation environments, providing opportunity for safe exploration and inquiry. Adolescent users of VR tech, whether in such learning environments or through earlier-described personal entertainment uses, will face health and well-being challenges common to many digital technologies; namely knowing the limits of responsible use, and regarding issues of access to mature content. While opportunities for individual development, growth and learning through exploration environments is significant, users must also recognize the limitations of the technology, and always keep in mind that VR experiences are just that - virtual. To Learn More: ●
In this video, core founder of VR technology Jaron Lanier delivers a discussion and lecture on the subject of VR and the future of its integration into common daily life. What’s most interesting about the talk, however, is that all the presenters and guests are actually meeting virtually, through an application called Sinespace, where they are embodied in digital avatars (Lanier takes the form of a floating dreadlocked octopus).
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A study called Preventing Teen Smoking with Virtual Reality, examined the efficacy of deploying Life Skills Training to seventh-grade students over a virtual reality platform. It found that LST training was highly effective amongst the test group, demonstrating significant mitigation of negative health and risk factors for the participants, and indicating a clear usability of the tech for future applications.
VSCO
Tirzah Cha
[vis-koh] noun
It stands for Visual Supply Company and was founded in 2011. It is an application that allows users to post photos or videos. The user can edit their photos through various preset filters and post their photo to their profile where they can add captions and hashtags. There are various functions in the app including a Feed, Discover, Search and Messaging tab. VSCO co-founder Joel Flory says “we wanted to create a platform that honoured the art [our users] created without likes and comments”. They stated they were not interested in creating another social network and thus there is limited social interaction available on the app. The purpose of this application was to focus more on photography and the art of editing and refining photos. This has attracted many adolescents as it provides anonymity and protection from criticism. They find the design of the application to be interesting as it differs from the norm of social media platforms such as Instagram. Many users find comfort in having a space where they are not faced with the pressure or anxiety of posting photos that will receive many likes or comments. This application provides adolescents a space where they can think and learn about themselves. As we know, adolescents are constantly searching for meaning. They seem to be experiencing a journey in finding a sense of self and understanding of “who am I?” Through this process of becoming, they often search for acceptance amongst their peers and community. Culture of experimental and self exploration is rooted in this transition and can be often tied to the usage of social media. With VSCO however, it has been found that adolescents gravitate towards using it because of the peace it brings in posting their photos. It provides a space where they can have this internal analogue of discovering who they are and finding a mind of one’s own without the pressure of society watching them. Adolescents have been able to build on their inside stories by taking this application and redefining it to generate their own personal meaning. It’s usage demonstrates adolescents way of creating meaning and identity as they continue the search for identity and establishing it. VSCO provides tools and resources that permit young people to express their thoughts and experiences. It also gives insight into how adolescents are now becoming the creators and makers behind their stories. They have become the centre of the learning and sharing experience. VSCO provides a platform for digital storytelling where users are able to produce content that are meaningful to them in a social context. Their photos and videos can be viewed by others and as a result develop relationships with people who matter to them. There has been a growth in social media becoming a method of storytelling in this new cultural and social function. Thus, VSCO has become a tool for adolescents to have a space where they can experiment and share their inside story. It helps them discover and generate meaning through this application, that ultimately contributes to their process of becoming.
Weinstein, E. (2018). The social media see-saw: Positive and negative influences on adolescents’ affective well-being. New Media & Society, 20(10), 3597–3623. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444818755634 https://www.bewebsmart.com/app-review/what-is-vsco/
The term “VSCO girl” first appeared on the widely used software, by adolescents in particular, TikTok. The selfidentification as a VSCO girl seems to be another fad that seemed to be trending among Youtubers and social media influencers with a focused audience of generally female adolescents in July of 2019 and has surprisingly continued into October, 2019. The term has been used by parents as well as teenagers. Parents have expressed their concern with their daughters becoming “VSCO girls”, while others were displeased with the exclusivity associated with the term as it is racially classified to a tall white upper-class girl. The socioeconomically established segregation between adolescents through fads that can generally be adopted by certain social groups is often one of the leading causes to stress-induced group conformity and out-casting of those who cannot conform. Therefore, whether adolescence is understood as a period of time or a state of mind involves a great deal of fads and picked up styles, activities, and desires that are short-lived and often popularized through group settings and adopted through a group mentality where some may feel forced into conformity and others feel in control. The thing about fads is that they seem to be spontaneous and uncontrolled; a lot like an adolescent's life. As explained in the book, On Adolescence, individuals in this time or state of mind often feel, "stranded". They are lost and stuck in a realm of expectations (self, peer, parental, and societal) that seem all too contradicting of one another. They are stranded as they do not have clear guidelines and maps towards "adulthood" and the road to their childhood has been erased from the map all together although it may seem to be partially erased and some spots were missed. Accordingly, as fads such as VSCO girls emerge, the group mentality driven by role models such as celebrities, Youtubers, and social influencers creates a new norm to be adopted. However, in the case of VSCO girls, the issue is not simply a socioeconomic one but also the dichotomy between those who can fulfill the requirements of the VSCO girl, or even the less popular male version’s, “VSCO boy” trends, and everyone else (those who CAN conform but choose not to, others who cannot for cultural, social, religious, or even those who identify as queer but would like to join the trend and are afraid of group rejection). This form of rejection supported by common fads such as the “VSCO girl” one can have serious mental and physical health issues where adolescence feel “stranded” in a different sense as they do not meet the requirements necessary for identification with different groups and do not belong, thus they are often left resorting to extreme measure to meet the conditions. These efforts can take different forms depending on the individual and their own internalization of their group dismissal through their personalized internal stories. Some of which may include, food disorders, anxiety, depression, obtaining these fads and regaining control through shoplifting, emotional self-abuse through activities such as: emotionally disconnected sexual interactions or self-driven isolation. Adolescence itself is understood as a fad; a period of time that “suddenly” makes an appearance with puberty and all that comes with it is "sudden". These behaviors, beliefs, and personality changes are often understood to be temporary and will soon "fade" away. The general view of adolescence revolves around phrases such as: “They will grow out of it; it's just a phase; or even, it’s just the hormones acting out", yet adolescence is a collection of VSCO trends and fads that create meanings and internal stories for their hosts, adolescence. Understanding adolescence is made possible through understanding the group mentality present in the adoption of fads and trends such as VSCO. Further Readings: Blog on VSCO Girls, Academic Article on Fads in Adolescence Causing Social Alienation By: Hala Hassan (214717763)
Weightlifting By Monica Nunno “[Weight training] is a form of physical activity, usually structured and planned, involving intense efforts against a resistance” (p.221). The practice of weightlifting increases muscular strength, joint flexibility and self-esteem in order to improve performance if practiced routinely. In order to strength train, one must use their muscular force applied against resistance. The conditioning for this sport involves progressively increasing the load depending on the athlete’s strength. The scope of weight lifting, in terms of adolescent health includes: growth, strength, improvement in physical and mental health. As adolescents experience puberty their body changes. One’s physical appearance is important to adolescents, and this may be a reason one performs weightlifting as a way to transform their body composition while also developing self-confidence. Weightlifting is an important lifestyle for adolescents who might otherwise experiment with less healthy lifestyle choices such as drugs and alcohol. Weightlifting is reported to “[increase] in neuronal activation, intrinsic muscular adaptations, and improvements in motor coordination (learning) ” . Society often views exercise as a means to lose weight or gain muscle but there are many benefits that will be a result of exercising regularly especially weight-lifting. In relation to the health of adolescents, physical activity has proven to be an effective measure to prevent several diseases while improving overall health. If at a young age adolescents incorporate weight training into their daily routine they can transform their lifestyle entirely to strengthen bones, promote healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels, while maintaining a healthy weight. Weightlifting goes beyond physical benefits and is proven to improve one’s mental health and cope with stress. A new vantage for the study of adolescents are the benefits of weightlifting for women. There are some stereotypes that exist where women are discouraged from weightlifting as they will become “bulky”, “manly” or “too jacked”. It is proven that because women do not produce as much testosterone as men it will be much more difficult to gain huge amounts of muscle mass. Our society believes that women should lose weight, become smaller and look toned rather than build muscle. However, society’s views are changing to accept and encourage more women to perform weightlifting. Women are now focusing less on wanting to be skinny to feel strong and comfortable in their own skin. There is so much more to weightlifting than gaining physical strength it allows one to feel empowered to encourage others to live life to their fullest and strongest potential. Furthermore, working out and specifically, weightlifting is said to create an overall positive personality with a healthy state of mind. Adolescents become more developed, well-rounded individuals who are given the opportunity to constantly interact, learn, grow and appreciate ourselves and others and the structures that help us overcome their obstacles. Through weightlifting, we are granted the opportunity to empower individuals to experience self-love, freedom, and the courage to understand their own self-worth. Therefore, our ability to feel better about ourselves and give our best self to others plays a major role in the lives of adolescents.
Well-Being: Holly Mcmillan Adolescence's well-being effects all parts of being healthy, including and, most importantly, emotional and physical health. Well-being is defined as the state of being comfortable, healthy or happy. Mental health, happiness, and a sense of meaning or purpose is of up-most importance to feeling well but become especially sensitive health matter during adolescence when hormones and bodies are changing, academic and social pressures are high, and family dynamics can at the least be stressed. If any part of adolescence well-being is not managed successfully adolescence can suffer stress, depression, poor body image, poor academic achievement, struggle with relationships with peers and family which in turn can lead to other risky and dangerous behaviours such as use of drugs, alcohol, sexual promiscuity, risky behaviour, depression and sometimes suicide. In fact, according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the second leading cause of death among students. Lisa Horowitz, a pediatric phycologist at the national institute of mental health, stated that "suicide amongst adolescents has increased more than 23% from 2014." (Wam, 2019) Emotional health plays a big part in adolescences' health. Adolescences start high school at the same time that most of them are in the midst of puberty, along with peer pressure, pressures of the digital world and wanting to belong; these factors all contribute to emotional health, which may be the most significant component of well-being. Emotional well-being is equally as important to physical health, but it often cannot be seen, and treatment may not always be so readily available. For example, if a teen has a cold, the flu, or allergies, they would be much more likely to express concerns and seek medical advice. Still, if they are sad, lonely, or feel under pressure, most adolescents are much less likely to seek medical or professional treatment or advice. Physical health is another significant part of adolescence's well-being mainly because It is a time in one's life where the body physically undergoes many changes while simultaneously dealing with hormonal changes and brain development. The development or lack of development of bodily hair, muscle mass and weight loss or gain as well as growth spurts can affect well-being to either build confidence or contribute to adolescence struggling with their body image and confidence. These changes all play a role in well-being. Some adolescence experience intense emotions and mood swings that may be part of maturation, biology, hereditary, all of which play a part in adolescence well-being and contribute to discussion making processes. Adolescent well-being is strongly determined by one's physical and emotional health; both of these then determine how adolescence process information and become resilient and able to manage these emotions and physical changes that occur during this time. When these skills do not develop in a positive and meaningful way the adolescences sense of well-being is jeopardized, and they become at considerable risk for academic failure and frustration, and inability to productively problem solve and make right decisions which can lead to drug and alcohol abuse, sexual promiscuity, risky behaviour and depression. Adolescence is a time when emotional supports are needed from family friends' teachers, employers, physician to assist adolescence in developing optimal well-being to achieve emotional stability. Bibliography: Orben, A., & Przyblski, A. K. (2019, January 14). The association between adolescent well-being and digital technology use. Retrieved from Nature Human Behaviour : https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-018-0506-1?mod=article_inline Wam, W. (2019 , October 17 ). The Washington Post. Retrieved from Health: Teen suicides are increasing at an alarming pace, outstripping all other age groups, a new report says: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/teen-suicides-increasing-at-alarming-paceoutstripping-all-other-age-groups/2019/10/16/e24194c6-f04a-11e9-8693f487e46784aa_story.html
Keyword Assignment
EDFE 1101
Jordan Kaefer
Whip and Nae Nae The Whip and Nae Nae are associated with a viral dance move that has taken various social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube by storm in recent years. This dance grew in popularity and continued to flourish with the very simple and catchy song “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” by Silentó in 2015. Since the two actions were featured heavily throughout the lyrics and music video it resulted in the continuous growth of the prominent dance. The moves are extremely upbeat and as a result both of them reside within the hip-hop genre of dance and music. Overall, the ‘whip’ movement involves the lifting of one leg towards the chest and then quickly stomping it back down while simultaneously rotating the opposite arm outward in order to mimic the foot hitting the ground. The ‘nae nae’ section happens directly after the whip portion is completed as it incorporates lifting the same arm up in the air in a swinging motion while slowly moving a couple of feet backwards. Also, featured in the song and music video, the ‘whip and nae nae’ are connected with other dances such as the ‘stanky leg,’ ‘break your legs,’ ‘bop,’ ‘yule,’ and ‘superman’ amongst many others. However, the notoriety of the dance allows for it to be open to interpretation, innovation, individuality, and creativity. Nonetheless, follow the attached links if you are interested in the official music video; or if you are curious about learning how to do the move yourself watch this tutorial; or if you are eager to see Justin Bieber attempt the dance click on this video from The Ellen Show. Most notably, the ‘whip and nae nae’ is a central concept to study when attempting to understand adolescence and health in a number of different contexts. For example, the dance movements provide academics and educators an opportunity to analyze and/or interpret what is relevant for adolescence in reference to the ideals of dance, music, and social media amongst many other things. It is extremely difficult to specifically define who or what is incorporated within the term adolescence but the process of learning what is trending for this group of people is paramount for inquiry purposes. Arguably, adolescence and health has been described as a state of mind due to the fact that it cannot be categorized within a specific age cohort hence this dance is the epitome of that mindset. Inevitably, the ‘whip and nae nae’ has been performed and reimagined by people of all demographics thus making it a fundamental theory for this course. Additionally, this dance is an important concept for understanding adolescence and health due to the fact that it embodies the notions of energy, silliness, happiness, and community. As future educators, by being knowledgeable and enthusiastic about popular trends it provides us with the unique chance to relate to a student that goes beyond the traditional confinements of the school setting. The reasoning behind selecting the ‘whip and nae nae’ is based on my personal interpretation of witnessing a handful of students in the hallway partake in the dance while at school placement earlier in the year. Although this dance was around when I was in high school it was interesting to see current interpretations. Overall, I felt connected to the students while at the same time it forced me think about how the ideals of adolescence continue to be in everyone, including me. Also, if you want to further your knowledge and insight about the dance follow this brief editorial, but if you want to learn more about the history and evolution of the dance phenomenon from a popular culture perspective you can check out this article.
According to Merriam-Webster, woke is a US slang meaning “aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice)” Arising from African Americans, its was quickly adopted by twitter as a hashtag, and has since been used to refer broadly to activism and from the political right, as an interchangeable term with “SJW”. Its scope does not end here however, woke also refers to communes of people who are woke, like woke twitter, and is sometimes used to describe leftist universities. Woke culture has become intertwined with activism movements important to adolescents such as #BlackLivesMatter and the #MeToo movement. It has become equivalent to political progressiveness (according to the right, political correctness). Here in lies the first issue with woke culture, those who do not escribe to all its political claims are labelled as unwoke. The broadening of the term to encompass activism other than #BlackLivesMatter, allowed the term to become a side of identity politics rather than a term referring to a general understanding of the facts. Secondly, the broadening of woke culture has allowed adoption of the term as an alibi. Being woke is a tool used by white people in attempt to avoid actual responsibility and activism. While being woke about issues is important, being woke itself doesn’t help those who are marginalised. Wearing it as a medal is only tokenism and allows for a sense of self righteousness.
Adolescence is a fragile state, one that is prone to projective identification. Being woke has become something that most adolescents aspire to, but due to the broadening of the term, some feel left behind, and feel a need to fake it (performative wokeness). More disturbing, companies have attempted to use woke to profit. While we should want to educate students about social issues, we must also create an open and comforting environment where individuals can explore ideas. Wokeness is becoming popularized, but also deteriorated as a result. For adolescents this can imitate a fad. We need to study this in order to better educate students on what real activism looks like and what wokeness isn’t. Also, we simply don’t yet understand how this culture will develop in the future, and what the implications of that are. Studying wokeness allows us to explore how adolescents are exposed to, and potentially accept new fads and information in todays digital world. There are so many new dynamic ways information and misinformation spreads. Following the issues propagated by these methods allow us to explore them, and how they ultimately effect adolescence. Furthermore, it allows us to investigate which political issues are important to adolescents and gives insight into their viewpoints. Finally, like all movements, there are those who practice absurdism and extremism. Studying these aspects allows us to investigate spread of misinformation and ways that the adolescent mind is susceptible.
Phillippe Korola
Yes Theory is a YouTube channel that is currently trending on an international level. Their whole channel is about challenging the norms of our lives, and showing people how good it can feel to step outside your comfort zone. Click Here to see a video explaining how an Uber driver was going about their daily lives one moment and skydiving the next.
Ammar Kandil
Derin Emre
Thomas Brag
Matt Dajer
As adolescents it is natural to feel nervous and uncomfortable when we are put into situations that are not part of our normal routines. Yes theory does just this, they take strangers going about their daily lives and give them the opportunity to break it. Click Here to access an entire playlist of some crazy adventures that strangers just agreed to on the spot. Although it made them it made them uncomfortable and most of their family and friends thought that it was a really bad idea they still went through with it. These strangers are relatively young and are part of this new generation of adolescence that are challenging the norms of society. A generation that is scared of seeking discomfort but do it anyway growing in a way that changes their lives forever. In each video the strangers had to develop a quick level of trust and friendship with the members of yes theory. Some might find this just ridiculous and stupid to put your life in the hands of a stranger but in letting go the strangers within these videos ended up really enjoying themselves. Some of you might have heard through the news last year that for Will Smith’s 50th birthday he was going to bungee jump from a helicopter while flying over the Grand Canyon. What people may not realize is that this very jump was posed to Will Smith on YouTube through a challenge video by Yes Theory. This challenge ended up being broadcasted live by Will Smith on his YouTube channel and covered by several news corporations. Click Here to see a news article written by Global News on this momentous event. Take that step outside of your comfort zone and who knows you it may just surprise you changing who you are for the better. As an educator it is important to promote a way of thinking that leads students to step outside of their comfort zone. Giving them the support to be just a little uncomfortable pushing them to learn more effectively. But what is difficult is that most people find it nerve-racking to step outside of their comfort zone as they no longer feel in control. This feeling of not being in control is what sometimes allows is to learn the most as we are relying solely on instinct of what we should do next. — Moses Viveiros
Youth Suicide By: Logic Youth suicide is when an adolescent intentionally takes their own life. Rates of youth suicide are uncomfortably high in western societies. Families and friends are left devastated when something this tragic takes place due to teens feeling the weight of school, sports and what’s to come post secondary. Teens are also at a very vulnerable state trying to find their place in society, trying on different personalities, social circles, and their newly developing bodies and minds. With the feeling of being abnormal when comparing themselves to the fake reality of social networking, youth feel as though they’re the lost in society, when many are going through the same hardships. It needs to be shared with all youth that help is available and it’s okay to accept help. “More than 5,800 Canadian children and youth have died by suicide during the past 13 years across Canada.” says The Star. This shocking number demands attention and resources in attempt to lower and try to eliminate it. Many services are provided but making them known and approachable is an up-hill battle; having youth realize many others are going through mental health issues just like themselves. Youth suicide is the second leading cause of death in adolescents only behind accidents, making it a large issue for youth today.
These lyrics from Logics 1-800-273-8255 song giving the NSPL number, showing mainstream pop culture acknowledgement of a major issue in today’s society. I've been on the low I been taking my time I feel like I'm out of my mind It feel like my life ain't mine Who can relate? I don't wanna be alive I don't wanna be alive I just wanna die today I just wanna die
Waddell shares her thoughts on the subject in chapter twelve in On Adolescence and performs multiple case studies sharing their inside stories. Suicide identifies with loss, betrayal, abandonment, murderousness and as Laufer put it, “it is essential to help the adolescent to create a continuity in their life and acknowledge that they remain vulnerable to further attempts unless or until the reason for the first attempt is understood and made part of the adolescent’s mental life”. Sharing these inside stories give youth the chance to understand they’re not alone in tough times. With help from friends, family, and the community we may be able to lower suicide rates and help youth, even saving one life may start a chain reaction and allow them to help others.
Non Linked References Waddell, M., & O’Shaughnessy, E. (2018). On adolescence: Inside stories. In On Adolescence: Inside Stories.