Snapchat
So what IS Facebook?
Facebook (also abbreviated by kids and teens to "Face") is a social media service which operates through the website founded and maintained by the American Facebook company. The site is currently the largest online social network in the world. It is available in over 70 languages and has over a billion individual active profiles. Facebook use is free, and anyone can register several users for various purposes (personal, social, business etc.). The largest social media service was founded in 2004 for use by students and was expanded to allow general use in 2006.
How many users?
According to website ranking company "Alexa" Facebook is the site with the second most traffic in the world and the third most traffic in Israel. What is Facebook's use? The service allows its users to keep in virtual social contact with others. Facebook users create a personalized profile to which they can add upload written content and personal details, post photos and mark their areas of intrest.
What is it good for?
Facebook was initially meant to connect people and allow communication between people anywhere on the globe by various means.
As long as proper security and safety guidelines are followed and actions that would be revealing or abusive to ourselves or others are avoided – Facebook is an excellent medium for keeping in touch with friends and family.
IN or NOT IN?
Kids often refer to Facebook as no longer relevant to them. We at ParaNet believe this is due to increasing presence of parents and adults, and that kids and teens aren't really done with Facebook, they have just found ways around us on it…
3
terms to know
Status:
a Facebook status is comprised of a sentence or several sentences that we share about ourselves on our profile. A status can be public, in which case anyone with a Facebook user can view it, or set to be shared only with my friends. A status can also include photos and videos.
Like:
When someone wishes to express support or to let you know that he "likes what you wrote\the photo you posted" etc., he clicks the like icon which looks like this:
Comment:
When someone posts a status, photo or link to an article, different people can respond with a "comment". The comment would appear under the post itself and anyone set by the poster to be able to view content on his profile will also be able to see others' comments on it.
What should we be aware of as parents?
While Facebook users can enjoy communication and contact with friends and family, they may also harm and be harmed by using the social network improperly. Kids, teens, and even adults are not always aware of the importance of Facebook's security and privacy settings. Moreover, kids, teens and adults sometimes tend to write and respond to others in an offensive manner without realizing the significance of publically posting on social media. Privacy settings and children's online safety should be studied thoroughly, and guidance on safe online conduct should be sought for all household members (click here to schedule an initial consultation meeting with ParaNet).
So what IS WhatsApp?
Whatsapp is a cellular application that was designed to allow instant messaging and sharing of photos, audio and video. The company was started in 2009 and the application is now available on all mobile phones, as well as on personal computers, tablets and iPads. In 2014 the application was purchased by Facebook for $19 Billion.
How many users?
As of January 2016 the application is actively used by around 990 million users, making Whatsapp the most popular instant messaging application in the world. What is Whatsapp's use? Whatsapp may be an instant messaging application, but for all intents and purposes it serves as a social media service. Whatsapp allows for private or group conversations. When sending a message to a group all group members can read it and respond to it. You can also write a personalized status and set a profile picture. Each Whatsapp group, called a chat, can contain up to 256 members.
What is it good for?
Whatsapp was initially meant to allow instant communication with people anywhere on the globe. Messages sent through chats allow us to share, consult and get answered instantly almost any time of the day. As long as regulated and pleasant chat conduct is maintained Whatsapp is great and allows to openly and safely communicate with family, friends and professionals.
IN or NOT IN?
As IN as it gets. Your kids are probably spending a large chunk of their time there, day and night, and that is where kids and teens carry out most of their group interactions. Adults have also been sucked into it and we are all connected throughout most of the day to the dozens of Whatsapp groups we are part of.
3
terms to
know
Chat:
This is what a Whatsapp conversation is called, whether it is a group conversation or a private one. Any person could be connected to an unrestricted number of groups and individuals. Anyone interested in engaging in a chat with you is able to do so, not just contacts recognized by your device.
Time stamp:
Lets you know when another user was last connected to Whatsapp. Naturally, it also lets anyone else know when you were last connected to Whatsapp.
Double blue tick:
Notifies you that the person you sent a message to has received and read it. When the double tick turns blue it means the message has been read.
What should we be aware of as parents?
While Whatsapp users can enjoy instant communications and participation in social groups with shared interests, they may also harm and be harmed by each other's impulsive conduct, unregulated use of words that would often be regretted later and use of offensive phrasing and content. Privacy settings and children's online safety should be studied thoroughly, and guidance on safe online conduct should be sought for all household members (click here to schedule an initial consultation meeting with ParaNet).
So what Is Twitter?
Twitter is a social media service for sending and reading short messages (up to 140 characters). The service was founded in 2006 to allow sending text messages on a PC, and was thus described as the "SMS of the internet". These messages, called "tweets", can be accessed by use of a personal computer, a mobile phone and a wide variety of applications that work with Twitter to allow sending and receiving messages without using the website itself.
How many users?
In 2015 Twitter had around 302 million active accounts. According to website ranking company "Alexa" Twitter is the site with the ninth most traffic in the world, with around 500 million daily tweets.
What is it good for?
Twitter allows us to follow not only people who are part of our lives, but also experts, professionals, celebrities, or anyone else whose account is not set as private. This allows each of us to create a network of people we find interesting, and to follow their personal\professional tweets. It also allows us to create a wide clientele of followers to form a potential audience for business or professional promotion. Twitter also allows us to send short messages to our closer circles.
IN or NOT IN?
בGenerally speaking kids and teens love tweeting and enjoy using the application. However, Twitter use rate in Israel is fairly low. Many experts have studied the reasons behind the lower number of Israeli users, but their conclusions have been inconsistent.
What is Twitter's use?
Twitter's premise is simple: sending and receiving short, concise messages. Twitter lets you follow people you have an interest in, whether acquaintances, public figures or anyone else. Each profile has a number of followers. Unlike other social media services, Twitter lets you follow others freely without their approval or prior friendship, unless they set their accounts as "private".
What should we be aware of as parents?
Kids, teens, and even adults are not always aware of the importance of online security and privacy settings. On Twitter these are doubly crucial as anyone, anywhere, could follow your account and address you unless your account is set as private. Privacy settings and children's online safety should be studied thoroughly, and guidance on safe online conduct should be sought for all household members (click here to schedule an initial consultation meeting with ParaNet).
3
terms
to
know
Hashtag (#):
Text following the tag # marks a specific topic written as one word, even when it is comprised of several words. Clicking that word shows all tweets that were tagged as part of the topic.
Reply/Mention (@):
This is how you reference other users on Twitter. Following the mark @ with the name of the person we wish to tag/mention lets them see the message directed at them, unless their account is set as private.
Feed:
The main page for Twitter users, showing all updates from other users they follow.
מה זה אינסטגרם בכלל?
אינסטגרם (המכונה בפי הילדים והנוער גם "אינסטוש") היא אפליקציה לשיתוף תמונות וסרטוני וידאו קצרים )עד 15 שניות(. השימוש באינסטגרם הוא בחינם וכל אחד יכול לפתוח לעצמו חשבון או מספר חשבונות בהתאם לצרכיו. אינסטגרם הוקמה בשנת 2010 בקליפורניה. בשנת 2011 חברת פייסבוק קנתה את אינסטגרם תמורת מיליארד דולר.
אינסטגרם
IN או לא IN?
אינסטגרם היא אחת הרשתות האהובות על ילדים ובני נוער היום. בישראל היא זוכה לכינוי "אינסטוש" ובני נוער רבים מספרים שהם מתעדים את חייהם דרך תמונות וסרטונים של רגעים שונים בחייהם.
מה טוב בזה?
אינסטגרם נועדה לאפשר לנו לצלם, לערוך ולשתף אחרים בתמונות וסרטונים מחיינו במטרה לחבר בינינו לבין הקרובים אלינו. היא גם מאפשרת לנו להגיב לתמונות וסרטונים המשקפים רגעים בחייהם של אחרים. כששומרים על כללי בטיחות ופרטיות טובים באינסטגרם ונמנעים מפעילות שיכולה להיות חושפנית או פוגענית כלפינו או כלפי אחרים אז אינסטגרם היא אפליקציה נהדרת לשיתוף של תמונות על קשר עם חברים ובני משפחה.
כמה משתמשים בזה?
בשנת 2014 דווח על למעלה מ-200 מליון משתמשים באינסטגרם בכל רחבי העולם. מה עושים עם אינסטגרם? אינסטגרם מאפשרת למשתמשים בה לצלם תמונות, לערוך אותן באמצעות יישומים שונים ולפרסם אותן ברשתות חברתיות שונות כמו פייסבוק, טוויטר, וכו'. המשתמשים יוצרים לעצמם פרופיל אישי בו הם עורכים ומפרסמים את התמונות והצילומים שלהם ויכולים לעקוב אחר משתמשים אחרים ולהגיב על פרסומים של אחרים. באפליקציה ישנה גם אפשרות לעבד את התמונות באמצעות מסננים גרפיים שונים המשדרגים את חזות התמונות והפוסטים ונותנים להם מראה ייחודי.
חדשות (news):
דף שמרכז את כל החדשות של המשתמש והעדכונים שהוא מקבל על מי אהב את התמונות והסרטונים שפרסם ומי עוקב אחריו.
שיתוף (share):
דף זה מאפשר למשתמשים לפרסם את התמונות שלהם. ניתן לצלם תמונות חדשות דרך האפליקציה או להשתמש בספריית התמונות הקיימות בטלפון הנייד או במחשב שלנו.
FEED:
דף הבית של המשתמש בו מוצגים התמונות והסרטונים של האנשים שהוא בוחר לעקוב אחריהם.
3
מושגים שחייבים להכיר
ממה כדאי לנו כהורים להיזהר?
באותה המידה שהמשתמשים באינסטרגם יכולים ליהנות משיתוף בתמונות וסרטונים שיוצר חיבור וקשר עם חברים ובני משפחה, כך גם הם יכולים לפגוע ולהיפגע משימוש לא נכון באפליקציה. ילדים, בני נוער וגם מבוגרים לא תמיד מודעים לחשיבות השימוש בהגדרות אבטחה ופרטיות ברשת. בנוסף לעיתים רבות נעשה שימוש בתגובות פוגעניות ומזיקות לאחרים מבלי להבין את משמעות הפרסום ברשת. רצוי ללמוד היטב את הגדרות הפרטיות והשמירה על בטיחות הילדים ברשת ובמקביל לפנות לקבלת ייעוץ על התנהלות בטוחה ברשת עבור כל בני הבית (לחץ כאן להזמנת שיחת יעוץ ראשונית במרכז "הורשת").
So what IS Instagram?
Instagram (also referred to by kids and teens as "Instush") is an application for sharing photos and short videos (up to 15 seconds). Instagram is free to use and anyone can open an account, or several accounts, according to their needs. Instagram was founded in 2010 in California. It was then purchased in 2011 by Facebook for $1 billion.
How many users?
In 2015 over 200 million Instagram users were reported internationally. What is Instagram's use? Instagram allows its users to take photos, edit them using various applications and post them to various social media services like Facebook, Twitter etc. Users create a personalized profile on which to edit and post their photos and videos, and can also follow other users and respond to their posts. The application also allows processing photos using graphic filters to make them more visually appealing and give them a unique look.
What is it good for?
Instagram lets us take photos and videos of our lives, edit them and share them to bring us together with those close to us. It also allows us to comment on photos and videos from other people's lives. As long as proper security and safety guidelines are followed and actions that would be revealing or abusive to ourselves or others are avoided, Instagram is a great application for sharing photos and keeping in touch with friends and family.
IN or NOT IT?
Instagram is currently one of the most popular social networking service with kids and teens. In Israel it is referred to as "Instush" and many teens record and document their lives through photos and videos of various moments in their lives.
3
Terms
to
know
Feed:
The user's home page where photos and videos uploaded by people they choose to follow are shown.
Share:
This page allows users to post their photos. New photos can be taken using the application or uploaded from the gallery of our phone or computer.
News:
A page showing all news and updates received by the user about people who liked photos and videos they had uploaded as well as who was following them.
What should we be aware of as parents?
While Instagram users can enjoy sharing photos and videos to connect with friends and family, they may also harm and be harmed by improper use of the application. Kids, teens, and even adults are not always aware of the importance of online security and privacy settings. Moreover, people sometimes respond to each other in an offensive manner without realizing the significance of publically posting on social media. Privacy settings and children's online safety should be studied thoroughly, and guidance on safe online conduct should be sought for all household members (click here to schedule an initial consultation meeting with ParaNet).
Snapchat
So what IS Snapchat?
Snapchat (as in: rushed conversation) is an application for sharing photos and videos. Snapchat lets you take photos and videos, add text and drawings, and send them to contacts or groups of contacts. Use of snapchat is free and anyone can download the application and start his own account. Unlike other instant messaging and photos sharing applications, Snapchat doesn't leave photos and messages permanently on the target device, instead deleting them from it and from Snapchat's servers after a number of seconds set by the sender. How many users? According to a recent study around 100 million daily users are active on Snapchat, with around 700 million snaps sent through the application daily.
What is Snapchat's use?
Snapchat allows its users to exchange photos, videos, text messages and drawings. The application's users say they enjoy using it because of its options of taking photos, editing them, adding personalized text and drawings, and sending them "without fear" for themselves. Once received, the message is accessible to its target for a time set by the sender (up to ten seconds), after which it is deleted from the device it was sent to.
What is it good for?
Snapchat lets us take photos and videos of our lives, edit them and share them with others without having to worry about what they would do with the photos or messages they had received. Snapchat's self-destruct system was meant to allow us to express ourselves more freely and without worry. As long as proper security and safety guidelines are followed and actions that would be revealing or abusive to ourselves or others are avoided – Snapchat is a great application for sharing photos and messages, building and maintaining social bonds.
IN or NOT IN?
Snapchat is currently one of the most popular social networking service with kids and teens. We at ParaNet believe they love Snapchat because it allows them to live in the moment without fear for the future or the past. Everything is here and now, and like sand on the beach the message will be erased and forgotten with the next wave.
What should we be aware of as parents?
While Snapchat users can enjoy sharing photos and videos to connect with friends and family, they may also harm and be harmed by improper use of the application. Several articles have recently shown that kids and people who are adept at working the application are able to save and use content sent to them. If this is true, Snapchat could create an illusion of privacy for its users when in reality others can use their messages and photos abusively. Privacy settings and children's online safety should be studied thoroughly, and guidance on safe online conduct should be sought for all household members (click here to schedule an initial consultation meeting with ParaNet).
3
Terms
to
know
Snaps:
Photos or videos sent by the application's users. The sender sets the amount of time they would be accessible.
Sexting:
Messages containing sexual content. Rumor has it this was the reason for the applications development, so that provocative messages could also be sent without fear of their being improperly used.
Story:
A collection of photos and videos that remains online for 24 hours, during which users can spread them among their followers or make them accessible for all to see.