It’s in my car, at the
grocery store, in the bathroom and in bed with my kids. I’ve never seen anything like it, not
Facebook or regular texting or even that Snapchat thing. It’s alive.
I asked my 12 year-old what
the big deal is with this (not so) new “app.” She said, “I don’t know, I guess it's because everyone is on it so you always know what everyone is up to.” That’s how she summed it up. I think that really is Instagram’s “reason
for being.” But it’s beginning to seem
like it’s my kids’ reason for being -- too.
Then there are the coded
comments under each photo, be it painted toenails, a bikini-clad teen, or a new
pair of Jordans: “stunna”, perf babe, ily, ilysm, omg flawless! I’m starting to wonder about the sincerity of
the next generation. If every photo of a
tween or teen is followed by 10 or 15 “omg flawlesses” how can each one really
mean anything? Is the recipient of the
countless gratuitous compliments getting a swelled head? Or does she (or he) realize that it’s simply
protocol at this point to say sweet nothings over the Instagram airwaves?
And as a cautiously anxious
parent, what happens when the “ilys” become something ugly or mean or less than
kind? We parents really, really, really
have to police this app and the comments and photos that are posted. We all say it, but it’s a necessity. I have one friend who “follows” her kid and
his “friends” to see what is really going on.
It is a sub-culture that it not so sub anymore.
How long will this last, and what’s
the next invasive, omnipresent app? Just monitor your kids’ phones, you’ll find
out soon enough.
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