Instagram and Finstagram: Further Thoughts on Teens in Our Wired World

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I commend my friend Rabbi Dov Emerson for addressing the issue of our teens, smartphones and social media in his recent article, “Happiness in the Age of Insta: Facing the Challenges of Social Media” (November 2, 2017). When thinking about the issue of Livado that he raised, the struggle of our teens to find their own voice while comparing themselves to the carefully curated personas of their friends on social media, I cannot help but think of the quote by the Kutzker Rebbe, which I first became aware of from the writings of Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski:

If I am I because I am I, and you are you because you are you, then I am I and you are you. But if I am I because you are you and you are you because I am I, then I am not I and you are not you!

The Dark Side of Digital Citizenship

This is only one aspect of the challenge our teens face today. An equally important facet of this brave new world is what I would call the dark side of digital citizenship. I believe that we have done a pretty good job as parents and teachers impressing upon our kids the permanent nature of the internet. Our kids know that what they post online stays there. They think carefully before posting a picture of themselves on Instagram. They carefully curate their digital footprint. Many begin to create their online resume for college while still in the 9th or 10th grade.

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