7 Ways Social Media Makes Us Better People

If you think social media is only a distraction, think again! On 18 and 19 March 2014, we attended a series of workshops and took part in a mini-challenge that was really an eye-opening experience. The workshops taught us much about how we can utilize social media effectively, while our visit to Kranji Countryside for the mini-challenge opened our eyes to the beauty of nature in Singapore. Above all, we experienced first-hand how, with a simple hello, we made friends with other fellow contestants.

Confused about how all this links? Fear not, for we have a list of 7 ways that social media has made us better people! We have learnt to expand our social circles, to be more succinct in communication, and to be more sensitive to our audience!

1. #Togetherness

No matter where you are or when you’re posting, hashtags always help you find that common ground with other people around the world! Did you know that on Instagram, #instagood has over 7,690,902 posts? With hashtags, you get to connect with even more people who are interested in the same things! #isntthatnice We can bond with more like-minded people and convey our thoughts to a larger audience.

2. Back to Basics

On social media, everything has to be kept short and sweet. Who wants to read an essay when they are looking for some fun?

So instead of using 1000 words to describe your day, we learnt to use more creative ways to keep people reading your content. Things like videos and gifs change things up a bit, and people go to great lengths to keep things S&S, IYGWIM (short and sweet, if you get what I mean).

3. It’s harder to forget things… sort of.

Our memories may be getting worse, but at least we have a record of everything online in a hoard of different places! That being said, anything that goes onto the internet stays there and never gets forgotten. Perhaps we should think twice before posting anything on the internet...

4. Sensitivity: We are forced to care about what others think.

Person A likes dancing and soft toys, but person B likes computer games and soft toys. But if A goes on and on about the latest dance moves while B is only interested in the latest Skyrim cheats, there isn’t a common area where they can connect and form a relationship. When blogging, tweeting, instagramming, or posting something on facebook, we are forced to think about what others like in addition to what we want to communicate across, We are forced to find that sweet spot, something that’s appealing to everyone, the “soft toy” that will engage all our readers!

5. We dig all the way into the Mariana Trench

“To boldly go where no man has gone before.” - Star Wars 

We will go to any extent to push boundaries, to venture into uncharted territory, in order to bring to our audience new perspectives and a deeper insight into things. The quirkier, bolder, newer the insight is, the more interest it will receive! With social media, news can spread like wildfire, especially when it’s new and hot off the press-keyboard! We learn to dig deep when using social media.

6. We’ve been everywhere without going anywhere. 

We’ve brought everyone to Kranji Countryside with us: live updates on Twitter, pictures on Instagram, a more in-depth introduction to Kranji on Facebook, and a video on youTube. The only muscles you’d really need to move are your fingers, to retweet the tweets, to double-tap your way through photos and to comment on our Facebook posts. All this in the comfort of your home, perhaps even under our snuggly quilt. And you got to learn everything along with us!

7. Making friends is that much easier

Making friends is really just a click of an “add friend” button away, so social media has really made connecting with people really easy. Let’s all harness these benefits and take the opportunity to get to know the people around us better today!

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FIREFLIES - the Jubilee Project

This video is a remarkably amazing example of how a simple hello can go a long way, just like how Peter made a new friend. And really, anyone can be our friend, despite the apparent differences between us!

We shared this video with the Year 1s during hall assembly and received a very enthusiastic response! It was indeed a meaningful introduction to our cause. According to our Senior Deputy Principal, Mrs Shirley Tan, we raised an "interesting perspective" on societal issues.
Thank you to all, for your support!

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Would You Like to Hear A Little Singapore Story?

The 3 Singaporean Little Pigs

“By the hair on my chinny chin chin, I will not let you in!” said the little pig. Not only did the little pig close his doors to the Big Bad Wolf but also to everyone else around him, even people he saw every day. Never once did he say hi to the other animals around him, though he occasionally stopped to help the Old Tortoise cross the street. But what this little pig, like the other little pigs, needed to realise was that not every stranger was going to huff and puff and blow his house down! The pig, like all of us, should try to connect with the familiar strangers and other Singaporeans around him. If only we open up and make the effort, everyone around us could possibly be a friend.

Let’s use "anti-socialism" to make youths more "social"!

Based on a study conducted by Singapore Polytechnic, youth in Singapore used an average of 5.5 hours of social media each day in 2012, and countless articles and forum letters have been written on how this is making them more anti-social. Instead of trying to get teens off social media, we are going to harvest their interest in social media to get them to be more social; social media does have the word "social" in it after all. That’s right, Teens Next Door is going to reach out to the youth using social media, and also encourage them to use social media to connect with the familiar strangers around them! This is what we are all about!

Familiar Strangers. Future Friends

So, let’s all take the first simple step to connect with the familiar strangers around us; they are just friendships waiting to bloom! There are many people we see very often, sometimes every day, but have never talked to; these are the people we are going to target, those around us that we have unfortunately neglected in the past. The small actions, like saying hello, are what make us more approachable as individuals and a society, bringing us one step closer to removing our tag of being the least positive country in the world. These small actions are also the first step in connecting with these familiar strangers in our lives, for every individual has a story to share and, with that, something that they can impart to us, the potential to change our lives. The small actions can start a chain reaction, especially with social media. So take the first step, connect with the familiar strangers in your lives, and share it to inspire others too! Our project will only be as successful as the efforts of all of you, so let’s all work together as a community of friends!

The 3 Singaporean Little Pigs (again)

One day, the little pig was scrolling through his newsfeed when he chanced upon www.facebook.com/teensnextdoor, and realised he, too, had some familiar strangers in his life! The next day, as he walked out of his straw house, he saw the second little pig in the wooden house next to his. For the first time, he said hello! The two little pigs had a nice little chat, and at the end of their conversation, they took a selfie and shared it with @teens_nextdoor on Twitter and Instagram. The third little pig saw this, and realized that beyond making the difficult first step, this idea was a whole lot of fun! So he decided to comment on the first little pig’s picture, and get to know them better through social media. Soon, they became a close-knit family of little pigs, and were even featured on the Teens Next Door blog! Remember, as William Butler Yeats said, “There are no strangers here, only friends you have not yet met.”

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How 450 RGS Girls Took Selfies During Assembly

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a selfie is a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website. 450 Year 3 girls did just that in our first activity- the kickstarter for our campaign! On twitter, they quoted @teen_nextdoor’s tweet with their selfies with a short reason why they appreciated the people next to them, and some also hashtagged #rgteensnextdoor. This activity was aimed to generate hype for our campaign, and to show everyone how even something as small as taking a selfie could really make someone’s day.

Through this activity, we encouraged a sense of community spirit within the batch. We hoped to be able to inspire a wave of positive energy in our community, where everyone is open and welcoming to everyone around them. Not just that- we wanted to create a space where everyone was comfortable and willing to take the first step to form a connection with someone they’ve previously not talked to before.

At the end of the day, we made a collage of all the selfies we had received. And indeed, everyone went home with a deeper understanding of not just our cause, but also the joys of advocacy!

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Kindness in a Comic

Indeed, the littlest things can amount to so much! The lady at the cinema was but a familiar stranger to the man who visited the cinema regularly, but his kind act changed her life and benefitted many others in the community.

What is your take on this comic?

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