Like, Share, Change

Teens nowadays are known for being notorious screen-tappers, and addicted app-scrollers. As of 2024, approximately 54% of GenZers use social media four or more hours daily, and 38% spend even more! And it's not even just teens, 5.07 billion people all over the world use social media now and spend on average 2 hours and 20 minutes daily. It's no secret that social media has everyone utterly hooked—and the number of social media junkies doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon!

I'd love to pretend I'm above all that, but the stark reality is that I'm not. As a generation subconsciously nuts about instant gratification, constantly seeking connections and scarily plagued by the infamous and terribly dreaded FOMO—fear of missing out—those pings and chimes for our apps, letting us know your friend sent you a few funny videos or someone's liked your latest post, are technically crack cocaine.

The Power We Hold

Studies show that 97% of GenZ shoppers use social media apps such as TikTok as their primary source of inspiration, hence, 42% of GenZers have also reported purchasing a product just because it was featured on a TikTok haul. These facts make one thing glaring; social media is the largest and most influential force at the moment, especially to teens and every one of us has this powerful tool at the very tips of our fingers.

Realistically, as many previous articles have mentioned, this ability to disseminate and broadcast information, ideas and media so rapidly is, unfortunately, a double-edged sword, allowing us to spread positive and impactful ideas on real, pressing matters such as poverty, climate change, inequality and conflict but when fallen into the wrong hands—or perhaps just someone uninformed—could be used to spread misinformation, false claims and perpetuate downright harmful ideas.

The 2024 African Uprisings

An example of how social media and tech can be used to make change is the recent 2024 uprisings, taking place all across the continent of Africa. In June of 2024, Kenya, with the largest economy in East Africa, saw large, unyielding peaceful protests against the Finance Bill proposed by the Kenyan government which put forward a tax increase.

Young Kenyans, angry and frustrated, took to the streets to have their voices heard and grievances aired, and all events were given the name GenZ Protests. The events trended tremendously online, on platforms like Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #RejectFinanceBill2024. This caused the movement and ideas to spread across the borders of Kenya and the spirit of resistance spilled into Kenya's neighbour, Uganda. The young people of Uganda then began their protests in July of 2024, inspired by the hashtags and trending videos of the Kenyan protests.

And no, it didn't stop there. Broadcasted media about the protests in East Africa encouraged Africa's most populous nation, Nigeria, to stand up for what they believed in and take to their own country's streets with placards and megaphones. Yet again, thanks to the power of social media, a country more than 4,000 miles away was infected by the suddenly contagious spirit of resistance and demand for change—with just a few clicks and shares, three major African nations made waves and their people had their voices heard.

How You Can Use Tech for Change

★ Digital Art and Design: Use your tools and skills to create compelling posters, infographics and pieces of art that send important and impactful messages that will bring light to important issues and political matters and drive change.

★ Coding: A few lines of code could potentially change the world, developing apps and websites to tackle and solve real-world problems alongside events such as Hackathons which create tech solutions for social good!

★ Online Communities: Join forums on apps like Discord that focus on activism and social change, where you collaborate with like-minded individuals on change-driving projects.

★ Fundraising and Crowdfunding: Apps like GoFundMe allow you to raise money for innovative and trailblazing initiatives, and make a difference in the world around you.

★ E-learning and Skill Sharing: Developing and taking part in online courses that provide knowledge and teach skills to help drive change.

Conclusion

So yes, social media and technology can be seen as a double-edged sword—on one end, it keeps us endlessly scrolling and craving for artificial dopamine releases, on the other end, it offers us a familiar platform, to amplify our voices and spark a real change, specifically in the political arena. Let's make waves with every post, share and tweet, and not scroll past change but rather, towards it. We, as teenagers, hold the future in our very hands, so let's make sure it's one worth sharing!