Volume XIV, Number I

Omnipresent: that’s how many teenagers experience media today. From books and movies to Instagram and 24-hour news, a constant stream of information shapes our lives and societies. Hear from KidSpirit writers and artists as they take a critical eye to all forms of media to evaluate its benefits, dangers, and everything in between. Then, be inspired by this issue to consider how the media all around you has influenced who you are.

1. Each issue of KidSpirit is anchored by a Big Question, and for this issue the editors ask “To What Extent Can the Media Influence Our Beliefs and Attitudes?” Read Pragya Natarajan’s response in her article, “Choose Wisely.” She observes that the same forms of media that can advance progressive social movements and unite communities can also proliferate false stories and hate speech, and she recommends everyone carefully vet the media they consume. Has your viewpoint on a topic or event ever been transformed by a film, news story, social media post, or other form of media? How do you judge whether a media source is reliable? Have you ever been fooled by fake information, especially online?

2. In her Awesome Moments article, “My Five-Day Experiment,” Clio Leung recalls when she passed a quarantine period without the help of her phone, a television, or any other digital media. Can you imagine undergoing your own screen-free quarantine? How would you pass the time without digital media? Do you think you’d be happy to take a break? Why or why not?

3. In a moving Interfaith Connections article, Iman Monnoo shares about her love of shairi, Urdu poetry, that she first encountered as a young girl growing up in Pakistan. With help from her grandmother, Iman realizes how shairi is central to her feeling at home in her cultural heritage. Think about your own cultural background and childhood. Are there songs, films or television shows, books, or other forms of media that help you identify with your community, family, or cultural background? What forms of media have been important to you since you were a child? If you’d like, share what those are and take turns learning more about one another through this lens.

4. This issue’s PerSpectives article comes from Pablo J. Boczkowski, a media scholar who, amongst other roles, is the Founder and Director of the Center for Latinx Digital Media at Northwestern University. In part of “The Abundant Media That Raised Us,” he writes about the way we learn about other people, even people close to us in real life, through what they post on social media. The flipside to this is that we all face “the expectation that many details about our everyday lives will be available on the screen” too. Have you ever befriended someone over social media? Have you ever felt conflicted about what personal details you wanted on your own social media account? Do you believe that social media helps people get to know each other better, or do you think it can get in the way of making real connections with others?