Last week there was a great trending topic on Twitter going around, #Tweetstoyour16yearold self. I thoroughly enjoyed the funny and heartfelt tweets that people were posting. That concept got me thinking, what if 16 year olds and other high school students were active on Twitter like they are on Facebook?
If you are screaming at me right now, I totally understand. It is a frightening thought to have young teens clutter up the Twittersphere. I mean, I would hate to read what my 16-year-old self would have to say on Twitter every day. However, there are some potential advantages.
Certain Brands would have greater success from their SM efforts
I’ve noticed that a lot of brands and public figures that cater to high school students are on Twitter. However, their target market isn’t really active on Twitter. Regardless of their follower count, I have to wonder, how much return are they getting on those relationships? If the teens are not listening, are their efforts showing results?
Having teens on twitter would enable these brands and figures to see return on their efforts and tweets. I think this strengthen a lot of business and consumerism in a time when it is needed.
Creative and selective education
One of the problems facing our public school system is the lack of creative learning and individuality. Students are taught from the book, leaving them unable to expand on what its being spoon fed.
If these students where on Twitter, they would be able to see how much content there is to learn from every day. It can allow them to find their passion or direction in their future. I can’t imagine how much further along I would be if I was able to really explore the world of PR in high school. Twitter could strengthen their education and have them looking much further than graduation.
In addition, these students could find mentors much earlier on, and be able to learn from those who are doing what they love, rather than just their textbooks.
These are just some thoughts I have. Obviously it would be scary to have even more “Beliebers,” but there is a lot of potential for both business and the students themselves. I guess the outcome would be on a person-to-person basis though.
What are your thoughts? Would they be motivated to actual use the tools that Twitter provides? Do you think having high school students on Twitter could benefit the students and business, or would it just be another wasteland for our youth?
(yes, that picture is from high school!)
