metro >> jews in the digital age
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What are teens up
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I
t wasn't too long ago that teenage
only option to correspond with sig-
romance meant passing private,
nificant others besides sending letters
folded notepaper messages in
through the mail was the long-distance
school classes, writing love letters and
phone call. Those expensive telephone
mailing them in actual envelopes with
bills, however, are a thing of the past.
stamps, and waiting your turn to use
Today's teens who found love at
the family's landline telephone to call
youth group conventions, summer
the object of your affection. When
camps or group trips to Israel have
it comes to teenage romance today,
social media to maintain these rela-
much has changed in a short time.
tionships.
A recent Pew Research
The study found that 59 per-
study looks at how digital
cent of these teens, including 65
tools and social media
percent of boys and 52 percent
platforms have been fully
of girls, report that social media
integrated into American
makes them feel more connected
teenagers' dating and
to what's happening in their
romantic practices. As to
significant other's life. Almost
how this affects the Jewish
half of the teens said that social
community, Jewish com-
media — including Facebook
munal leaders who have
and other networking sites —
Rabbi Ja son
long been concerned about Miller
offers a place for them to show
dating habits of Jewish
how much they care about their
teens for the sake of Jewish
significant other.
continuity will be able to learn a lot
Half of boys and 37 percent of girls
from this study.
surveyed said that social media helps
More than 1,000 teens in the U.S.
them feel emotionally closer to their
ages 13 to 17 were surveyed by Pew,
significant other and 27 percent of
and more than a third of these teens
total respondents say social media
reported they are currently dating
makes them feel jealous or unsure
someone or have dated someone in
about their relationship.
the past. However, only one quarter
Much more than half of the teens
of them have met a significant other
in the Pew survey said that, regardless
online.
of their relationship history, they have
This means that while adult
flirted or talked to someone in person
Americans are using online dating
to let them know they are interested
websites, like JDate, to find romantic
and half of them have let someone
matches, teens are still resorting to tra- know they were interested in them
ditional methods for finding romantic
romantically by friending them on
partners. However, as the Pew study
Facebook or another social media site.
discovered, these teens are using social
Historically, it was much more dif-
media at an increasing rate when it
ficult for teens to publicly express their
comes to flirting, asking out, connect-
attraction to another teen; however, as
ing and breaking up.
social media has grown in popularity
Jewish men and women who came
with this age group, more teens have
of age in the '80s and '90s and were
expressed their attraction by liking,
involved in Jewish youth group pro-
commenting or otherwise interacting
grams that extended beyond the Metro with their crush on social media, the
Detroit area will remember that the
study shows.
continued on page 22
20 October 22 • 2015