1.
Beginner's guide
to surviving with
social media crazed teens
Adam Kruszynski, Director of Digital @ Revolve
Speak Up Nova Scotia @ MSVU Halifax
August 17, 2013
www.adamoutsidethebox.com

2.
Abit aboutme
bit about me
A
Digital Marketer @ Revolve
Writer, Teacher, & Speaker
Research & Sociology @ U Toronto
Proud parent of two teenagers

3.
Imagine I travelled back in time to your teen
years & gave each of you a Magical Wand
Take your family & friends with you…
anywhere you go… any time… at moment’s notice
Ask it any question & it would give you an answer
Tell your personal story and send it to everyone
Capture memories as pictures & videos
Watch movies & play games
What would happen?

4.
What is happening in this world?
Strip all the technology
Strip all the stats
Strip all the marketing hype
Strip all the fear
We are evolving…

5.
How are we evolving?
It’s so easy to tell and share stories
Instantly accessible anywhere we go
Volume of info it totally overwhelming
Blurring lines of what’s real, true,
private, appropriate, & even moral
How we communicate…

6.
How teens use Social Media to
define their identity?
Learning: Finding things that interest you.
Self-Expression: Writing blogs, taking picture,
providing recos / POV, personalization, etc.
Following: Showing loyalty and support for
specific ideals, causes, groups, & idols.
How will that make them
different from you?

7.
Exercise: Good & Bad of SM
Access to Information
Reliance on Technology
Quantity vs Quality of Intimacy
Language Use
Honesty
Lack of Privacy
Easier to Connect & Reconnect
Freedom of Speech
Changes to the Brain
Distraction
How We Form Identity
Is social media the main cause or rather
the place where these occur / manifest?

8.
We have to guide our teens
Use it responsibly (for good / not evil)…
Social Media has no moral compass.
Achieve balance in life (be the master / not
the slave)… it is designed for mature adults.
Understand it is simply a tool… it has no
personality, intent, preference, or soul.
Decide boundaries on privacy & content…
default settings don’t serve our interest.
Education & Empowerment
VS Unattainable Control

9.
Use it with your teens as a tool
Communicate with them.
Encourage & engage them.
Learn about who they are.
Share your life with them. Recognize and
appreciate they already do this with you.
Demonstrate how you want them to behave.
Be the positive force in their
social media experience

10.
How can I use it for teaching?
Content: Use comments & blog posts in class
to provide rich variety of topic POV.
Engagement: Use it to keep their attention.
Platform: Use it to deliver curriculum (as your
institution permits) & team collaboration.
Encouragement: Use micro-motivators (like
badges) to help with interest & distractions.
Did my micro-motivators
keep you interested today?

11.
Impact / Pilot Program
http://www.bestmastersineducation.com/social-media/
http://www.centerdigitaled.com/classtech/Portland-Project.html

12.
A few resources to get you started
http://www.eun.org/teaching/smile
http://www.socialnomics.net/2013/03/11/how-cansocial-media-be-used-in-education/
https://www.facebook.com/education
http://www.guardian.co.uk/teachernetwork/2012/jul/26/social-media-teacher-guide
https://flipboard.com/section/edu-nation-beQp3C
http://www.teachersandsocialmedia.co.nz/
http://www.equals6.com/
https://www.schoology.com/

13.
Tan Le @ Ted.com
Brain Waves Reading Headset
Where is this all going?
Where is this all going?

14.
We don’t really know… except
It’s so easy to tell and share stories
Instantly accessible anywhere we go
Volume of info it totally overwhelming
Blurring lines of what’s real, true, private,
appropriate, & even moral
Dominant way to communicate, relate with
others, and to from personal identity
Perhaps that’s what truly
scares us as parents & teachers

15.
Exercise: Most important future skills
Independent Work
Technology Proficiency
Effective Communication
Entrepreneurship
Collaboration
Dealing with Multiple Deadlines
Multitasking
Other Languages
Project Management
Networking
Self-Motivation
“65 percent of grade school students will
work in jobs that don’t exist today.”
Adam Renfro @ http://gettingsmart.com/2012/12/meet-generation-z/

16.
For the parents and as a parent…
Most of us cannot comprehend how difficult it is to
be a kid or teenager now… choices are so confusing.
Accept it will take both of you working together to
figure out how to manage this… the noise will grow.
Find ways to truly inspire your children. Give them
something to believe in that’s greater than all the
overwhelming noise in their life right now.
Keep trying to communicate
and don’t give up on them!

17.
Thank You & Questions
Adam Kruszynski
Director of Digital @ Revolve
Co-Chair @ AIM Conference
Parent of 2 awesome teenagers
Blog: www.adamoutsidethebox.com (copy of this presentation)
LinkedIn: ca.linkedin.com/in/kruszynskiadam/
Twitter: @adamoutsidedbox

18.
Want to know more?
Download my free book on iTunes or PDF:
http://adamoutsidethebox.com/writing/book-beginnersguide-to-understanding-social-media-crazed-teens/
Do you parent or teach social media crazed teens? Are you confused
how their cell phone becomes the dominant way they experience the
world around them? We all fear this technology already makes us more
disconnected from our kids. We fear how it will impact their personal
and professional future. We fear we cannot effectively help them in their
journey. We even fear for ourselves becoming more irrelevant and
obsolete as the entire world is going digital. Let's face it. We have been
very negligent. Our lack of understanding about mobile and social media
does not excuse us from any responsibility for our teen kids. How can we
as parents and educators help our kids with something we often barely
understand ourselves?
We as a human species are evolving how we communicate. What do you
need when going through a tremendous period of change? I believe you
need an open mind, a positive vision for the future and the courage to
pursue it. Let us embrace this topic together and find out how to use this
change to became something greater than what we are right now. At the
end of the day, the most wonderful way you can help your teenager is to
give them a vision of the future so inspiring, it eclipses this noisy world.