about me
My name is Halle Zimmerman, and I am a Digital Native.
As a Digital Native and a Digital Media professional, I see immense value in social media. Whether social media is being used to learn something new, connect with others or express creativity, social media is a main avenue through which daily positive experiences are taking place. Because these experiences are happening every day behind a screen, they are beginning to shape various aspects of our life such as our behaviors and our health. This fact is especially important when it comes to our youth, whose formative years are also being shaped by daily social media use.
We can all be positively affected by social media use, but we can just as easily be affected negatively. Anxiety, depression, and sleep deprivation are only a few of the negative effects that daily social media use can cause. Knowing the importance of shaping the youth’s social media behaviors, led me to focus my graduate school studies on this task, and to work in the field of social media, so that I would be able to stay in-the-know about the latest trends in the social media world. Through this pursuit, I have created this website and 'The Parents’ Guide to Social Media' to provide you with the facts surrounding social media use in adolescents and the latest research that will help inform the way you become involved with your kids’ online experience.
From here on out, you can see me as your personal curator on all things social media, only sharing the latest and most credible information about social media use in teens in easily digestible ways, so that you can join this initiative without expending additional time or worry.
My goal is to provide you with the best information possible so that you will be empowered to start your own on-going social media conversation with your kids. By coming here today, we’re all one step closer to a larger goal I know we all share – to develop the next generation into aware Digital Natives who lead their best and healthiest lives – mentally, physically, and emotionally – on and offline.
Leave any fear, worry or doubt you have behind, and let’s get social, together.
About my research
Parents’ Perception of the Impact SNS Use has on Adolescents
Today’s youth live in two worlds: one that is real and one that is virtual. As daily users of social networking sites (SNS), adolescents are growing up in a culture where communication and relationships are mediated by technology at all times of the day. This constant connection to technology results in behaviors and experiences that are shaped by engagement on these networking sites.
Since the rise of SNS, questions have emerged regarding the effects that these sites have on adolescents’ social and mental development. The purpose of this study is to examine adolescents’ SNS use through the eyes of parents. It seeks to understand the ways in which parents with children ages 11-18 perceive the impact of social networking sites (SNS) on adolescence.
Content analysis was utilized to collect, analyze, and interpret data that was generated by parents on two informational forums for parents: ReachOut and Common Sense Media. Participants were 33 users of ReachOut.com and 62 users of CommonSenseMedia.org. Findings were based on textual analysis of 116 messages posted across 24 distinct discussion threads. Seven different types of interaction were identified. In each case, the function of the interaction was identified (i.e., to relay personal experiences or solicit opinions of others) and illustrated using quotations from the data set. Both online forums utilized designated moderators to keep conversations moving and to offer assistance when needed.
Online discussion forums that are facilitated by moderators offer a safe space for parents to seek advice from other parents, offer their support to others, and develop a stronger understanding of SNS, which results in an increased amount of communication about and mediation when it comes to children’s SNS use.