The development of social media skills often takes place for teens through practice, maturity and feedback from peers. Teens on the autism spectrum may have more of a challenge developing social media skills during their teen years, and may need more support than others. One reason is that teens on the autism spectrum may have challenges with perspective taking. That is, seeing things from the viewpoint of others. When posting on social media, it is important to have a sense of the impact of the tweet one is sending or the Facebook picture one is posting, on those who might see it. Some teens on the autism spectrum might only see the tweet or picture from their viewpoint, and may need help imagining how others might feel about it.
Awareness of this issue may take on new meaning when applying to colleges and universities. These institutions are becoming increasingly aware of the social media footprints of students applying to their schools. This awareness by the school can work for or against a student. Here is an article from the New York Times from 2014 where they address the negative impact on students and their college acceptances as it pertains to the social media use of the students.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/20/technology/college-applicants-sanitize-online-profiles-as-college-pry.html?_r=0
There are strategies one can use to build the social media skills in order to avoid challenges in the future based on past postings:
Social media is a wonderful opportunity to stay connected with the world around us. Learning the skills to use social media in a way that will reflect positively on you will be well worth your time.
Awareness of this issue may take on new meaning when applying to colleges and universities. These institutions are becoming increasingly aware of the social media footprints of students applying to their schools. This awareness by the school can work for or against a student. Here is an article from the New York Times from 2014 where they address the negative impact on students and their college acceptances as it pertains to the social media use of the students.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/20/technology/college-applicants-sanitize-online-profiles-as-college-pry.html?_r=0
There are strategies one can use to build the social media skills in order to avoid challenges in the future based on past postings:
- Consider having another person review postings before they are sent, particularly if you are posting when feeling emotional.
- Think about your relationship with a person you are texting, and if the frequency of your texts and the tone are appropriate.
- Try to always think before you send a post. Think about how others might interpret your words in ways that are different from what you intended.
Social media is a wonderful opportunity to stay connected with the world around us. Learning the skills to use social media in a way that will reflect positively on you will be well worth your time.
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