Like most people, teens’ use of social media is significantly shaped by race and class, geography and cultural background

Last week Andrew Watts published a Medium essay, “A Teenager’s View on Social Media written by an actual teen,” which was subsequently shared far and wide and drew the attention of teen researcher danah boyd. In this essay, boyd responds to the article, noting that Watts’ essay should not be taken as representative of everyone. “Andrew is a very lucid writer and I completely trust his depiction of his peer group’s use of social media,” writes boyd. “. . .His voice should be heard. And his candor is delightful to read. But his analysis cannot and should not be used to make claims about all teenagers.”

+ How different age groups and demographics get news in the age of the Personal News Cycle