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Study: Youth use of social media for self-branding
By Adnews Staff
The Kidsmediacentre at Toronto-based Centennial College has released a study of youth use of social media called "#Instafame and the Epidemiology of a Selfie-Curated Culture." According to the research results, middle- and high-school-aged youths are making use of social media marketing techniques typically employed by commercial brands in an effort to replicate the fame and fortune of celebrities. As a result, many youths are revealing excessive personal information, leading to loss of privacy, online bullying, identity theft and the use of personal images by corporations without permission.
"Instafame is fame you build yourself and the Kidsmediacentre has spent the last year looking at how youth are using social media and selfies to build a personal brand," said Debbie Gordon, director of the research centre. "Many youth have learned the more you reveal, the more controversial your posts, the more you hashtag, the more effective your marketing. They see the democratization of media, ubiquity of pocket technology, unaware parents and the easy lure of instafame as real choices being made by their peers."
The research is available at <http://www.hashtaginstafame.com>.