Season 2 Episode 7: Tate, Faith, Reels & Side Eye.
Welcome! It’s time to settle in for the latest drop of info into youth culture!
DIGITAL WORLD: Defining Social Media Terms
Some folks spend more time on social media than others but we wanted to help clarify what a few things are for those folks who wouldn’t call themselves ‘social media savvy’.
Reels: Short form videos found on Instagram that users can create, edit and upload. Tiktoks are the same thing on their own same-named platform and YouTube have their own equivalent called YouTube shorts.
Stories: Photo and video content that vanish after a period of time (usually 24 hours). These exist across Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Snaps: The name for photos or videos on the app Snapchat that are automatically deleted once they’ve been viewed.
DMs: ‘Direct Message’ Messages sent between two people on social media platforms such as Instagram or Twitter.
Airdrop: A way of sharing videos, photos and files between Apple products.
ISSUES: The Andrew Tate Influence
The impact of Andrew Tate’s online presence is still in conversation months after his height on the scene. Tate is a 36 year old who made a huge splash on social media platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. He would talk about success and amassing wealth and showed off his lavish lifestyle of cars, cigars, watches and lots and lots of money.
However, he was also a self-proclaimed misogynist and once said “I’m a realist and when you’re a realist, you’re sexist. There’s no way you can be rooted in reality and not be sexist.” In the same interview he said there is “no such thing as an independent female”.
Currently under house arrest on suspicion of trafficking, Tate’s public opinion has shifted. However, it is important to note that the majority of his audience have been young, teen boys. There have been reports of some of his views being spouted in public settings and we have sometimes seen this in youth-work settings ourselves.
What young people watch online has power and influence – have your youth been watching Andrew Tate?
FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY: REFLECTIONS AFTER A YOUTH EVENT
Having recently come back from an event that saw 700 young people aged 11-16 gathered together from across the country, we saw young people who are incredibly hungry to encounter God and to share Him with their friends. This is a young generation who want those experiences with God and having done that are incredibly excited to spread this with those they know.
There was also an opportunity for young people to write down any questions they had about faith and we saw all kinds of questions including those around suffering, LGBTQ+, heaven and hell, how to read the Bible, science and faith and more. There were a few times when young people wondered perhaps why God seemingly spoke to others and not them and several related to personal stories and it raises perhaps about asking ‘why’ young people ask what they do rather than simply answering the logical or theological part of their question.
Word Of The Month
‘Side Eye’
A verbalising of the facial expression of giving a side eye – usually to convey judgement, doubt, criticism etc.
Eg ‘my friend walked down the street in her pyjamas. Side eye.’ or, if someone is dipping pizza into ketchup and they think it’s gross they might just say ‘side eye’.