Trending or Inspiring: Which Side You Take?

Reymark C. Manlapaz

According to wallaroomedia.com, TikTok officially has over 1 billion monthly active users. Other social platforms have a horde of followers too: Facebook – 2.9B, YouTube – 2.2B, Instagram – 1.4B, TikTok – 1.0B, Snapchat – 500M, Pinterest – 480M, Twitter – 397M. For the Millennials generation nowadays, social media is somehow ubiquitous part of their lives. They can’t go without wifi or without posting on their social media account even for just a day.

But as a high school student, which side really matters? Trending or Inspiring? The youth of today are bombarded with different technologies in social media that make them entertaining. Tiktok, My Story, Instagram, likes in Facebook post, to name a few. Unknowingly, the learners consume most of their time in this trend and they are being pressured by their peers to participate and be part of the trend. They get mocked by their friends if they don’t have a social media account or even when their post generates fewer likes.

On the other hand, there are groups of students who focus on their dreams. To be a doctor, engineer, teacher, nurse; and that is the reason why they pursue their studies well. They don’t have a social media or they don’t participate in any trend. They just ignore the pressure of the online world.

Addressing the students as an educator, I think it is just a matter of perspective and priority. You can be on the trend and, at the same time, you can focus on and prioritize your studies. Remember, our national hero Jose Rizal once said, “Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan!” Our future and your future lie in the hands of the youth. You need to set your priorities in life that will have a greater positive impact not only on yourself but rather on the whole world.

Trending or inspiring? You don’t have to choose when you can be both. You can be on the trend and still inspire other people by using the social media to learn updated information about your subjects. You can even use this platform to influence others on how to learn using technology. You will never be left behind if your goal is to improve yourself and influence others for the common good!

The author

--oOo-

is Junior High School Teacher School

III at Angeles City National Trade