{"id":69943,"date":"2023-09-25T02:27:22","date_gmt":"2023-09-25T06:27:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=69943"},"modified":"2023-09-25T02:27:29","modified_gmt":"2023-09-25T06:27:29","slug":"4-reasons-teens-take-part-in-social-media-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/4-reasons-teens-take-part-in-social-media-challenges\/","title":{"rendered":"4 reasons teens take part in social media challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nSocial media challenges are wide-ranging \u2013 both in the\u00a0stunts they involve<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0reasons why people do them<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But why do young people take up challenges that pose a threat to health, well-being and, occasionally, their very lives?<\/p>\n

We are an engineering professor who specializes in understanding\u00a0how humans interact with computers<\/a>\u00a0and a psychology professor with expertise in mental health, specifically\u00a0traumatic stress and suicide<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Together with our research team, we conducted a series of studies to try to understand what motivates teens and young adults to participate in different challenges.<\/p>\n

For these studies, from January 2019 to January 2020, we interviewed dozens of high school and\u00a0college students<\/a>\u00a0in both\u00a0the United States<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0south India<\/a>\u00a0who had participated in social media challenges. We also\u00a0analyzed 150 news reports<\/a>,\u00a060 public YouTube videos<\/a>, over a thousand comments on those YouTube videos, and 150 Twitter posts \u2013 all of which were specifically about the\u00a0blue whale challenge<\/a>. This challenge, popularized in 2015 and 2016, was reported to involve progressively risky acts of self-harm that culminate in suicide.<\/p>\n

We identified four key factors that motivate young people to participate in a challenge: social pressure, the desire for attention, entertainment value and a phenomenon called the\u00a0contagion effect<\/a>.<\/p>\n

1. Social pressure<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Social pressure typically comes when a friend encourages another friend to do something, and the person believes they will achieve acceptance within a particular social group if they do it.<\/p>\n

We found that participation<\/a>\u00a0in challenges that promote a good cause, such as the ice bucket challenge, often resulted from direct encouragement. Ice bucket challenge participants, for example, would complete the challenge and then publicly nominate others to do the same.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, young adults who engaged in riskier challenges primarily wanted to feel included in a group that had already participated in such a challenge. This was true for the\u00a0cinnamon challenge<\/a>, where participants rapidly consumed cinnamon and sometimes experienced lung damage and infection. For example, 38% of research participants who engaged in the cinnamon challenge acknowledged that they were\u00a0seeking peer acceptance<\/a>, rather than being directly encouraged to participate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I did it because everyone I was going to school with did it at the time,\u201d said one student who saw the challenge as popular among their peers. \u201cAnd I figured there has to be something about it if everyone was doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Seeking attention<\/strong><\/h4>\n

A form of attention-seeking behavior exclusive to participants of the ice bucket challenge was a wish to be\u00a0recognized for supporting a commendable cause<\/a>.<\/p>\n

However, the attention-seeking behavior we observed among teens and young adults often led to participants innovating a more hazardous version of a challenge. This included enduring the associated risks longer than others.<\/p>\n

For example, one participant\u00a0in the cinnamon challenge<\/a>\u00a0swallowed powdered cinnamon for a period longer than their peers. \u201cIt was definitely peers, and like I said, you know, the attention,\u201d they said. \u201cSeeing other friends posting videos and who could do the challenge longer.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Entertainment<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Many young adults participated in these challenges for amusement and curiosity. Some were intrigued by the potential reactions from people who witnessed their performance.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seemed like fun, and I personally liked the artist who sings the song,\u201d said one participant about the\u00a0Kiki challenge<\/a>. The challenge involves dancing next to a moving car after stepping out of it to Drake\u2019s song \u201cIn My Feelings.\u201d
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