The great attraction of social media for young people lies, in short, in the social nature of the platforms. They all offer young people in their own way an opportunity to connect with their peers. This is attractive, because social connection with peers is extremely important. Nothing is as bad as not belonging.
The need for connection originates from the psychological development that young people go through during their adolescence. Around the age of eleven or twelve, we see that young people increasingly focus on their peers. For more information about developmental psychology and the adolescent brain, see our book Puberbrein korean phone number whatsapp Binnenstebuiten (aff.).
Around the age of eleven or twelve, the feeling that their parents no longer understand them very well arises. Hanging out on the couch at home with the family or playing endless games becomes a waste of time. They want to spend as much time as possible with peers. They understand you, you can mirror yourself on them, and if they accept you, they offer the much-desired feeling of social security. Connecting with peers becomes increasingly important. Falling outside the group is disastrous and young people therefore do their utmost to be well-liked.
Media as social glue
But how do you find out if you are a good fit within your group? If your friends still like you enough? For that, you have to have contact with them. Talking, laughing, but also texting, tagging and commenting. In all these ways, young people seek confirmation of their friendship and social status.
For example, watch this episode of the YouTube program Netiquette: INSTAVRIENDSHIP . This program beautifully shows how serious the relational implications of young people's online behavior are. Did you know, for example, that it matters where you are tagged in a photo? If you don't 'eye-tag' your best friend, it can easily lead to an argument.