Tag: digital culture

Teens and Social Media Part 2

From connection to engagement. How algorithms reshaped teen social media.

The Algorithmic Turn

For those who’d rather listen.

Early 2000s to early 2010s, teen social media use wasn’t treated as a crisis. Why?

Because social media back then was mostly chronological and simpler.

When you opened Facebook around 2008–2012, you saw posts in order. Same with early Instagram. You followed people you knew. You posted. You left.

No heavy algorithm deciding what keeps you hooked.

Then the system began to shift.

• 2012 – YouTube already had revenue sharing earlier, but influencer culture began accelerating.
• 2013–2014 – Instagram influencers started becoming commercial. Sponsored posts became common.

Monetization was becoming visible. Attention was slowly turning into income.

Around 2012–2014, platforms also began moving away from chronological feeds toward algorithm-driven systems. Engagement became the goal, not connection.

2016 was a turning point.

• Facebook fully leaned into algorithm ranking
• Instagram shifted away from chronological feeds
• Facebook expanded creator monetization tools

The focus on engagement deepened. Reach mattered. Time spent mattered.

By 2018–2019, the creator economy exploded. Platforms formalized creator funds and revenue programs.

In 2018, the Cambridge Analytica scandal became public. It exposed how social media data could be harvested and used to build psychological profiles for political targeting. That raised serious questions about privacy, manipulation, and how platforms were handling user data.

Then came short-form dopamine machines like TikTok around 2018–2020. Highly personalized systems. Endless scroll. Micro-reward loops. Fast emotional spikes.

• 2020 onward – Full creator economy era. Short-form monetization, brand deals, platform payouts.

Attention was no longer just engagement. It was income.

That’s when concerns about addiction, comparison culture, attention span, and teen mental health started getting more attention.

Teens didn’t suddenly change. The design did.

Early social media was like a digital bulletin board.

Modern social media is more like a casino floor—lights, noise, engineered engagement.

The concern did not start with teens being online. It started when social platforms shifted from connection to algorithmic control.

Teens adapted to the platforms. The platforms evolved for profit. If there is something to fix, it is not the presence of young users—but the system that shapes what they see.

⌨ ᴛʸᵖⁱⁿᵍ ᴏᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ʙˡᵘᵉ ᵈᵃʳᵉᵐ ᵐᵘˢⁱᶜ ᵇˡᵒᵍ

There Was a Time • Darem Placer

AI vs AI: Running From What We Already Use

Avoiding AI is no longer a real choice.

For those who’d rather listen.
Running from Tomorrow • Darem Placer

Many people say they hate AI and that they do not use it. Some teachers tell students not to use AI for written reports or artwork. Yet the same teachers rely on AI checkers to detect AI-made work. AI is banned, but AI is used to enforce the ban. That is the contradiction.

AI is already everywhere. Canva has AI. Browsers have AI. Phones have AI. Operating systems, chat apps, cameras, search tools, and grammar tools all use AI in some form. Avoiding AI today is not a choice. Most people are already using it without realizing it.

This situation is not new. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, many parents were afraid of computers. They believed computers were dangerous or useless. A few parents thought differently. They encouraged their children to learn computers and programming because they sensed where the world was heading.

Today, almost everyone owns a smartphone. A smartphone is a computer, and a powerful one. The fear did not stop technology. People simply adapted later, often without understanding how it works. The same pattern is now repeating with AI.

Some artists feel insecure about AI. Not because AI is better, but because effort is no longer the gatekeeper. Difficulty alone no longer proves value. Audiences do not vote for purity. They respond to impact. If a song feels real or an image connects, the tool used does not matter to them.

That is why the question “Is this AI?” feels strange. It can sound like an insult or a compliment at the same time. Creators are left unsure how to react, whether to feel offended or proud.

There is no way to remove AI from the world. AI is not a website that can be blocked. It is becoming part of everyday infrastructure. Technology does not level humans. Humans who refuse to adapt level themselves.

Every generation goes through this cycle. Photography challenged painting. Synthesizers challenged bands. Digital media challenged film. Now AI challenges everything. The future is not anti-AI or pro-AI. It is post-AI. One day, people will stop asking what tool was used and focus on one question only. Does it matter, or are we just Running from Tomorrow?

⌨ ᴛʸᵖⁱⁿᵍ ᴏᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ʙˡᵘᵉ ᵈᵃʳᵉᵐ ᵐᵘˢⁱᶜ ᵇˡᵒᵍ

Living in Two Octaves explores the duality of life—shifting between emotional highs and lows, balancing the physical and spiritual, and living in the space between the past and future. It’s all about the contrasts and connections that shape our journey. This album includes Running from Tomorrow.

Listen on Apple Music, Apple Music Classical, and YouTube Music