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The next generation unfriends Facebook

What are the kids doing these days? It's an age old question. But when it comes to technology, it's an important one.

What are the kids doing these days? It’s an age old question. But when it comes to technology, it’s an ever important one.

To get some insight, we went to the source — high schoolers. We found out what apps they use (…Snapchat), what devices they like (iPhones, iPhones, iPhones), and whether they are concerned at all about privacy (that would be a YES).

Ana Lascari, Basil Bryant, Brianna Hoyrd, Timothy Gray, Ellie Williams, and Max Gould joined us from Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey to share their thoughts. Click on the audio player above to hear our full interview.


We asked the students to clue us in on what’s hot and what’s not, here’s what they had to say.

Emoticons or Emoji: Cool

Selfie pics: “Not cool, but everyone does it anyway.” – Ana Lascari

Being friends with parents or teachers on Facebook: “Parents: cool. Teachers? Not cool. Kind of weird.” – Ellie Williams

Declaring your relationship status on Facebook: “Cool, back in middle school.” – Ana Lascari

Taking a screenshot of a Snapchat you receive: “It is so not cool to screenshot a Snapchat because that person only wanted your eyes to see that, not other people.” – Brianna Hoyrd

LinkedIn: Not cool

Foursquare: “Don’t know what that is to be honest.” – Ana Lascari

Being a fan of a brand on Facebook: Not cool

Gchat: “Not cool. I know twenty-somethings are all over Gchat, but it’s just a revival of AIM.” – Ellie Williams
“Don’t know what that is.” – Ana Lascari

Favorite Tumblrs and Twitter accounts: Most of the students follow friends, but they also mentioned Adventures of Harry, Thug Kitchen, Kim Kardashian, and Thought Catalog.


Audio Extra: Columbia High School technology supervisor Terry Woolard talks social media, digital learning, and tells us how he keeps up with the kids these days.

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