Online Connections
Janelle Tengco | March 27, 2020 | Features
Generation Z pursues to make resonating changes in the world through their continued involvement in local communities or cities. They address issues that pertain to people in their generation by raising awareness through collaborative efforts with their cities or publicly speaking about them. On March 3, 2020, sophomore Jessica Malosh represented Stanton College Preparatory School by participating in the city’s first TEDxJacksonville youth conference. Malosh spoke about the advantageous uses for social media usage and its attempts to promote social inclusion among its users.
DEVIL’S ADVOCATE: Why did you choose to participate in Jacksonville’s first youth conference for TED Talk?
JESSICA MALOSH: I went to a TED Talk in October and [I learned that] you can apply to be speakers at the first very youth conference in March and I thought it would be a good idea. My first idea was to talk about genuine connections on social media because I have had a lot of experience when going on social media and feeling left out. [This school year], Stanton had one of its own students, Lance [Alip], who took his own life so that really had an effect on me. I thought that social media definitely had a role in loneliness in teenagers, so I found a lot of research on suicides because of social media. I thought I would spread awareness about [the issue] through my TED Talk.
DA: What do you hope the youth of Jacksonville will remember and learn from your talk at the event?
JM: I hope they remember to be more mindful when using social media and also to put themselves in their follower’s shoes. I think that social media should be something to help people instead of breaking them down.
DA: How are you involved in Jacksonville’s Youth Leadership Program and the goals it seeks to achieve?
JM: Every month, I go to a retreat for one day. Every day, there is a different theme. The last one was about business and we got to talk to the [well-known] leaders of Jacksonville, in terms of business. I met people from different fields; I met a senior architect and an orthopedic surgeon. It was a way of gauging what we want to do in our careers and see what kinds of options that Jacksonville had to offer.
DA: How should students, like you, remain as an active citizen in Jacksonville’s public policies and fostering changes in their community?
JM: If someone has an idea of how they can better help the school system or the community, they should gather more people and start a petition because, in numbers, we can definitely change things.
DA: What are your future goals in Jacksonville’s Youth Leadership Program and the changes you wish to see in the city?
JM: I had an idea for another TED Talk in the future where students in public schools get two virtual days of school per month. This will be where teachers post lessons on online platforms and students can have a relaxing day. This would definitely help the environment because of less bus transportation, [a decline in] taking cars to school, and less traffic congestion. It would also be a mental health day. That’s one of the ways I want to help our communities.
DA: At your TED Talk, you discussed the benefits of social media usage and its connection to relieving depression and isolation from one’s peers. Why does social media have this impact on young users?
JM: People nowadays think that social media is an alternative to in-person interactions and it’s really not. Social media creates false feelings of closeness with others. The reason why this generation is so impacted by it is because we grew up using [social media]; whereas other generations had social media in their [adulthood], but not their childhood. We’re young and we don’t know how to use social media well and nobody has taught us because this is the first generation that’s grown up with it.
DA: With social media’s valuable role and importance in your recent TED Talk, should its uses be maximized or should young users continue to use social media platforms in short durations?
JM: Social media is not going to go away and if we turn it into a tool instead of a weapon, then it could really help us. [Social media] can also help in social networking and meeting people with similar ideas; unfortunately, that doesn’t happen [as much].
DA: In your TED Talk, you discuss the publication of inclusive content that will unite teenagers and lessen the effects of their depression. What makes the content they upload “inclusive” in order for them to feel connected with their peers?
JM: One of the important things I mentioned in my TED Talk was how people should post public events that anybody can attend instead of posting events where only a selected few are invited. These public events can be sports events or lectures at the Florida Times-Union. The only people who need those [exclusive] photos were the people who actually attended the event and followers don’t need to see that they weren’t invited.
DA: How can your experience in Jacksonville’s Youth Leadership Program expand to your enrollment in the International Baccalaureate Program?
JM: I’ve learned how to manage time because of [the program] since I had to miss [a day of] school every month. My involvement in the program helps me learn how to manage my time better. I’ve talked to many leaders in the community and [learned] how they became who they are. They had really good tips on how to apply to college and how to succeed in our careers.
DA: In addition to participating in TED Talks, how will you continue sharing and promoting the issues you address?
JM: I have [an ongoing] petition and I want to do more [public] speaking with TEDx and other organizations. While I was [at the TEDxJacksonville Talk], one of my speech coaches gave me this business card and she said that I could speak where she works. It’s an organization where girls speak and spread stories about gender equality and I think that is going to be my next endeavor.