The effect of social media on the adolescent psyche: the examples of YouTube, TikTok and Instagram

Abstract

The media are evolving along with information and communication technologies. The quality of content is growing rapidly, the presentation of information is transformed to meet the needs of the viewer. The development of the Internet has changed the usual understanding of the mass media, and new media have occupied their niche, gaining popularity among the younger generation. New media are understandable and interesting to the younger generation because of the compressed presentation of information.

The teenager of the XXI century thinks in a clipped way, and prefers video content that will reveal the topic in a short time without loading with additional information. That's why today short videos in TikTok and Instagram have become so popular, even video hosting YouTube currently has an analogue of the smart TikTok feed, which is called Shorts. It offers short videos on the topic of the channels a person has subscribed to. The smart feed generates content based on channel subscriptions and videos that the user has reacted to: added to the library, liked or commented on, but it's not as popular. People are used to the fact that YouTube has a video timing of more than 10 minutes, hence, a person turns to this platform when they have a lot of time to get the information they need. YouTube is keeping up with the times, but unfortunately, short videos are not popular on this platform, which is not the case with Reels on Instagram.