Lucy, 17

Media Consumption: Almost 3 hours a day for social media which is a weekday, weekends were an hour and half more. Feels as though when she is not doing homework or is not busy that she is checking her phone every 30 minutes.

Favorite Media/Technology: Her phone; Snapchat and TikTok are the platforms she likes the most.

How do you and your family interact with media/technology?

I got my phone a lot later than a lot of my friends, which was 6th grade. For the first year that I had my phone, I was supposed to plug it in in the kitchen, but eventually my parents shaved up on that rule since I would break it a lot. Since I have older siblings, I got social media before I had a phone.

How do you and your peers interact with media/technology?

We are constantly on it and I do not like it. All of me and my friends have each others location on Snapmaps and we are constantly looking where one another is and what one another is doing. Some of my closest guy friends, I don't even think I have their phone number, that’s how we make plans that's how we see how we are all doing.... sitting in a room where 10 different people are communicating with other people on their phone.

What do you use media for?

Personally, I use media for entertainment and to connect with my friends.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing about media/technology?

My favorite thing about technology is that it provides an easy way to communicate with friends when you are not with them. My least favorite thing is that it creates fomo. It makes things seem more fun than they actually are.

What is one thing you want the people who create the media you like to watch/play/interact with to know?

Snapchat: should have never created snap maps, sucks for younger kids when they don't have a set friend group yet and it causes people to feel left out. And for TikTok I would say it is so addictive I hate it but I love it, I don’t even know what I would say... you made way too addictive of an app.

What media do you interact with the most?

Snapchat and TikTok. A lot of my friends are on instagram a lot but I do not like Instagram as much as they do.

Where do you get most of your information about what’s happening in the world (e.g., news, internet, parents, etc.)?

I get most of my information about what is going on in the world from my family, and also from TikTok (but I take everything on there with a grain of salt ).

What media helps you stay busy/stay calm during challenging times?

If I’m looking to stay calm I honestly find it best to stay off of social media, but I would say I would probably go on TikTok if I had to pick when to keep myself busy because I can scroll for hours and not even notice. I find Snapchat and Instagram to stress me out when I’m already having a bad time. It normally gives me fomo or something of that sort. My favorite thing to do when I need to keep calm is read!

What lessons have you learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenging times?

I have learned that I need to be okay being alone, I shouldn’t always have to be surrounded by friends to be happy. I have also learned that everything in life is temporary and can change so fast so not to worry about the future before it comes.

Have you learned anything about how you use media and technology because of the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenging times?

During COVID I used social media to connect with people I was unable to see, but also as a distraction. I was 15 during the pandemic and spent so much time making TikToks and following the trends on there to keep myself distracted.

Interviewed by: Tiki Feldman, UCLA student