“TikTok isn’t a Hobby”: Social Media(ted) Connections, Identities, and Leisure Among Contemporary Canadian High School-Aged Youth

In a cultural context where youth spend almost as much time online as they do participating in any other daily activity, debates have emerged regarding the effects of cellphone and social media use on the well-being of today’s young Internet “addicts.” This research centres the narratives of 15 Canadian high school-aged youth to explore how they utilize cellphones and social media to facilitate (1) social connection, (2) identity expression, and (3) leisure, and consider how youth think about these technologies’ capacities to foster these elements of their lives. Findings reveal that certain online connections are used to strengthen friendships, yet the “always online” quality of social media can result in experiences of “phubbing” that make offline interactions awkward. Online acts of self-expression were described as meticulously edited to protect oneself against negative peer judgement. Finally, youth’s media consumption practices suggested rest and fun are best achieved without cellphones.