The Influence of Social Media on Teen Identity in "The Outsiders" and Today
The theme of seeking approval from others to shape one's identity, explored in "The Outsiders," remains relevant to teenagers today, particularly in the context of social media. The constant display of our lives on platforms like Instagram and Twitter has created a culture where teens often base their self-worth on likes and validation from peers. This dependence on external approval can significantly impact how adolescents perceive themselves, as seen in the novel and mirrored in contemporary society.
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Part Three: Objective Prove your theme is relevant to teens today Write a paragraph response to each of the three questions: What aspect of teens today will you focus on? How does The Outsiders prove your theme relevant to that aspect of teens today? How does your article prove your theme relevant to that aspect of teens today?
Paragraph one: Which aspect of teens today does your theme apply to? Decide on what part of teens today you re going to focus on: Ensure it s a modern aspect Ensure it s something you know a fair amount about You should restate your theme, state which aspect of teens today you re focusing on, then explain, using your own experiences, how the theme relates to teens today
Paragraph One: Example The theme, when a person depends on the approval of others for happiness or The theme, when a person depends on the approval of others for happiness or validation, he will form his identity based on what people expect him to be rather validation, he will form his identity based on what people expect him to be rather than who he actually is is extremely relevant to teenagers today because social than who he actually is is extremely relevant to teenagers today because social media has put our lives on constant display for the approval or disapproval of our media has put our lives on constant display for the approval or disapproval of our peers peers. . In 2017, we live in a world where we are continually expected to make our lives public and accessible to others. . Our lives, due to evolving technology and current social expectations, are on display always, along with our choices, preferences, and beliefs. Although this alone might not influence the development of our identities it is important to note that when we post our lives, others are generally invited to comment on everything we do. This means that if we do not fit our peers idea of who we are supposed to be, those peers will not comment positively on our posts, or even acknowledge them as worth seeing. Many teenagers now end up posting tweets, pictures, and life events they think will create the most positive response in others, rather than making posts that really reflect who they are. For example, my teenage brother frequently checks to see how many people like his Instagram posts. If it is a number under 50, he becomes disappointed and embarrassed, and often times even deletes the post entirely. This proves that teenagers, through the culture of social media, often depend on the approval of others for happiness and validation. It also proves that this need for approval can help to form our identities more than our personal decisions do.
Paragraph Two: How does The Outsiders prove your theme is relevant to that same aspect of teens today? Restate your theme and show that it s relevant to the same aspect of teens today that you just explained in paragraph one Use quotes and information from the novel to prove your theme is relevant to teens today Borrow language and quotes from your original essay, but be aware: THE FOCUS IS NOW PROVING YOUR THEME IS RELEVANT TO TEENS TODAY You must use two quotes or more from The Outsiders to prove your theme relates to teens today
Paragraph Two: Example S. E. Hinton s book, S. E. Hinton s book, The Outsiders depends on the approval of others for happiness or validation, he will form his depends on the approval of others for happiness or validation, he will form his identity based on what people expect him to be rather than who he actually is is identity based on what people expect him to be rather than who he actually is is still relevant to teenagers today. still relevant to teenagers today. The characters in Hinton s novel may be from the 1960 s, but the way they act when they are forced to confront their own identities makes it clear that they are not so different from teenagers in 2017. One character that makes this especially clear is Randy. Randy s struggle to be the person the Socs and expect him to be shows, in order to determine who he is, he depends of the approval of others. Throughout the story, he seems sure of his Soc identity. But after Johnny and Ponyboy overturn what he believes about Greasers, and he loses his best friend Bob to gang violence, he begins to question if he s making decisions based on who he is or who he s expected to be. He admits to Ponyboy that he didn t expect a Greaser to save kids from a fire, and Pony tells him, Greaser didn t have anything to do with it It s the individual (97). Ponyboy, like some teens who have decided that what makes someone an individual shouldn t have anything to do with fitting in, understands that everything he does is based on who he is rather than who he s expected to be. This makes Randy feel unsure about what decisions to make. When considering the rumble, he admits, It doesn t do any good, the fighting and the killing greasers will still be greasers and Socs will still be Socs I m a marked chicken if I punk out at the rumble, and I d hate myself if I didn t (98-99). At this point in the story, he is starting to recognize that his identity is separate from that of the typical Soc identity. He doesn t think fighting is worth it, but knows his gang expects him to fight. This is similar to the way that some teens might want to post something or say something just to fit in, but struggle with deciding if that post reflects who they are or who they re expected to be. The Outsiders proves that the theme when a person proves that the theme when a person
Paragraph Three: Using your article to prove that your theme is relevant to teens today Restate your theme and show that it s relevant to the same aspect of teens today that you explained in paragraph one Use quotes and information from your article to achieve your main goal: PROVE YOUR THEME IS RELEVANT TO TEENS TODAY
Paragraph Three: Example The article I used, Herd Behavior by The article I used, Herd Behavior by CommonLitStaff when a person depends on the approval of others for happiness or validation, when a person depends on the approval of others for happiness or validation, he will form his identity based on what people expect him to be rather than who he will form his identity based on what people expect him to be rather than who he actually is is extremely relevant to teenagers today he actually is is extremely relevant to teenagers today. Due to the fact that herd behavior is a phenomenon that affects people in large groups, and social media typically enables large groups of people to interact at once, one could argue that herd behavior actually affects teenagers more than any other group on a daily basis. Herd behavior, has a connotation of irrationality, as people s actions are driven by emotion rather than thinking through a situation (CommonLitStaff). When teenagers post an aspect of their lives publicly, they can be emotionally affected by the responses of their peers (positive or negative). Due to the fact that teenagers make decisions about what they post based on emotional investment, it shows that they are likely subject to herd behavior making a decision based on what a group wants to see rather than who that teenager might actually be. When teenagers decide how to represent themselves publicly, they often do so after observing what their peers generally like or dislike about other people s posts. Just like the way a family walking down the street to have dinner [is] far more likely to choose [a] crowded [restaurant] (CommonLitStaff), teenagers are far more likely to make posts that they think lots of people will like rather than posts that convey their real feelings or experiences. The CommonLitStaff assert that herding can be subtle this way: it simply involves people s tendency to follow a crowd rather than carve out an individual path in many situations (CommonLitStaff). This fact is undoubtedly true of all people and certainly true of teenagers, as those teenagers generally have access to the opinions of just about all of their peers at all times. Therefore, it is clear to see that due to the social phenomenon of herd behavior, a teenager who depends on the validation of others for happiness will form his identity based on what people expect him to be rather than who he actually is. CommonLitStaff, proves that the theme, , proves that the theme,
Proper Citation You must include a bibliography at the end with both of your citations (the novel and the article) You must find the quotes that you located in the PDF in the novel itself for this to be done properly. After each quote, you should have parenthesis, the authors name NO COMMA and then the page number, followed by another parenthesis and a period.
Proper Citation: Example He admits to Ponyboy that he didn t expect a Greaser to save kids from a fire, and Pony tells him, Greaser didn t have anything to do with it It s the individual (97). Notice you insert a comma before beginning the quote. The only time you Notice you insert a comma before beginning the quote. The only time you wouldn t do this is if you are seamlessly going onto a quote like so: wouldn t do this is if you are seamlessly going onto a quote like so: Just like the way a family walking down the street to have dinner [is] far more likely to choose [a] crowded (restaurant) (CommonLitStaff), teenagers are far more likely to make posts that they think lots of people will like rather than posts that convey their real feelings or experiences.
Part Four: Counterargument In one paragraph, do the following: Restate your theme Explain why others might argue it is not relevant to teens today due to flaws in the theme or its connection Refute this argument in a way that makes it clear that, despite the flaws, this theme is still relevant to teens today
Part Four: Example Some may argue that the theme when a person depends on the approval of others for Some may argue that the theme when a person depends on the approval of others for happiness or validation, he will form his identity based on what people expect him to be happiness or validation, he will form his identity based on what people expect him to be rather than who he actually is is not relevant to teens today. rather than who he actually is is not relevant to teens today. The strongest argument against this theme might be that because teenagers today have access to the internet, they are more likely to develop an even stronger sense of personal identity because they are more likely than previous generations to encounter people similar to who they are. This could provide them with role models that break the mold and encourage them to do the same. While this does have some merit, it cannot soundly refute the fact that teens often depend on the approval of others while constructing their identities. Teenagers today might privately form identities that are outside of others approval, but publically they will still feel a pressure to post pictures, messages, or events that establish an identity others will approve of. When teenagers find themselves feeling different than others or that they hold unpopular opinions or world views, the internet might give them role models that help them expand on these parts of themselves, but also limits them. Teenagers that become fans of certain YouTube stars or internet celebrities that represent going against the norm , will post inside jokes and references to these stars to celebrate their differences. While doing this, to some extent, rejects certain social norms, it does mean that they are making posts that they know fellow fans will approve of and validate. This leads us back to the same conclusion, and allows us to realize that, in fact, the theme, when a person depends on the approval of others for happiness or validation, he will form his identity based on what people expect him to be rather than who he actually is is extremely relevant to teenagers today. If only because in order to participate socially, teenagers are often expected to make posts that indicate their loyalty or certain social groups.
