Bringing technology into schools has opened doors for teachers to communicate with their students the way they are used to communicating with each other. It has allowed for more diversity in how lessons are taught, and assignments are shared, which in turn creates better individualization to tailor learning to a variety of students. And as the use of technology becomes more seamless, it can work hand-in-hand with creativity.
Music in the Era of TikTok
On January 8, 2021 pop singer Olivia Rodrigo, 17 years old at the time, released her debut single, “Driver’s License,” and shook the whole music world. Her first ever solo song broke streaming records worldwide, becoming the longest-running number 1 hit on the global chart. She dethroned established artists like Taylor Swift and Mariah Carey in the process. But the biggest takeaway from the Disney star’s rise to the top comes in what it tells us about tech trends and the rise of the Gen Z era.
Rodrigo made her start with Disney Channel, most notably in the streaming success “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.” As a teen herself, she used TikTok to grow her digital presence. The new social media platform is popular within the Gen Z generation and among those looking to have influence on that group. It features user-created video content that is easy to share and repurpose. One of its key features is how elements, like audio tracks, from one user can be added to videos of other users. Ever since its introduction, it has become known for its viral dances and songs. It has taken the millennial idea of memes to the next level by making them dynamic and easily repeatable.
When Rodrigo first wrote “Driver’s License,” she did so with TikTok in mind. She took a moment of real-life vulnerability turned it into a song and shared it with her followers. The piano transition she made for the song was specifically developed for fans to run with in their own videos. And they took the cue. As it grew traction through social media, it became an obvious choice as her debut single. While many factors led to the explosion of the single, it is clear TikTok’s influence played a major role. The merge between tech and lifestyle comes alive on the platform, allowing kids to become both consumers and creators of content. The ability to not only interact with the content of others’ but to make their own turns the user’s time on the app into a true experience, as they explore their creativity and express themselves. While millennials grew up with tech, Gen Z was born already fully immersed into it. Therefore, tech can no longer exist simply for tech’s sake. Instead, kids see tech as a given part of their lives and expect it to incorporate a more authentic, personalized experience than their parents knew.
The Integration of Technology and Creativity
The rise of tech-fluid kids being raised by tech-savvy parents has also impacted the education realm with the increase in STEM and STEAM programs. In the twenty-first century, the emergence of such programs have grown exponentially with the push to teach science, technology, engineering, and mathematics skills to kids. Recently, many of these programs have expanded to include arts with the development of STEAM.
A handful of years ago, technology and its related fields were the most exciting part of the world around us. The opportunities for people in those areas of work were innumerable, and therefore, it became essential to instill those skills in students. We found a great need for engineers, coders, and similar professionals leading to society placing high value in individuals with technical expertise. Today, however, we are starting to see tech ability as a given. While it’s still important for kids to learn about technology, it does not take the same kind of proactive effort it did before because they are constantly surrounded by more tech than most of us could even imagine at their age.
Furthermore, the expansion of technology has gotten to the point where a lot of it can be automated, allowing people to step back as programs run themselves. In a recent ad run by Morgan Stanley, their head of North American hardware equity research, Katy Huberty, posed the idea that computers will eventually be able to code themselves. She went on to suggest that such a shift away from needing humans to code may lead to a “creativity renaissance” of sorts like we saw 500 years ago in Europe. With technology becoming a given in our lives and reaching a point of self-reliance, we may find society re-emphasizing and re-prioritizing the arts.
The idea that the next generation is going to shift us toward another artistic renaissance fits with the trends in their tech use. As platforms like TikTok and games like Minecraft encourage the creative side of users, YouTube has also transformed over the years to become more than a video collection. Similar to TikTok influencers, YouTube creators can now make thousands of dollars per post. The market has clearly placed monetary value on such content, which suggests a convergence between technology and creativity. The types of channels built by influencers varies as much as the users of the platform. Some creators play video games, some give makeup or cooking tips, while others lead workout classes or teach new skills to their viewers. For kids, the best part is seeing people their own age create content and build a following. Gen Z is either making money on these platforms themselves or watching those in their peer groups do so. Knowing how to use tech is no longer a cool skill that sets someone apart. Instead, it’s an expectation. Therefore, as tech continues to integrate deeper into our lives, a new wave is coming in what people will value most in society.
What Education Can Learn from These Trends
When we consider what this means for the education realm, it’s two-fold. First, while integrating technology into classrooms will continue to be a necessity, so will the use and encouragement of creativity. Bringing technology into schools has opened doors for teachers to communicate with their students the way they are used to communicating with each other. It has allowed for more diversity in how lessons are taught, and assignments are shared, which in turn creates better individualization to tailor learning to a variety of students. As the use of technology becomes more seamless, it can work hand-in-hand with creativity.
The trends we see online show a demand for artistic expression and creative content by Gen Z. At the height of the tech boom, as more focus was placed on STEM programs, art sometimes got lost along the way. An increasing “unlearning” of creativity occurred alongside it. This means as kids went to school and grew up, they started to lose the creativity they once had as toddlers and elementary students. As a result, by the time we reach adulthood, many of us settle for the first right answer to any problem and lean into our analytical sides more so than our creative ones. With this, we often forget the carefree, adventurous exploration that once came with indulging our imagination and thinking outside the box. The next generation is seeking to regain these pieces of themselves and of society. Therefore, as education has adapted to the evolution of technology, schools can now benefit from introducing creativity back into the classroom and inspiring a greater appreciation for the arts.
The second lesson education can take from today’s tech trends is the desire of kids to influence their peers and have their own voice. While social media may have its dangers, one of its biggest strengths is its ability to give children a place to express themselves. TikTok is only one of many places where kids are starting to create their own content, express their own beliefs, and explore their own dreams. The best way to ensure this becomes an asset to students, rather than a downfall, is to learn from it and incorporate it into existing educational spaces. If parents and teachers, who play a huge role in molding young minds, can understand the impact of these trends and the desires of our kids that are revealed through them, we can build off these platforms in a positive manner.
Following what kids choose to do in their free time, how they interact with their peers, and what they place value on can and should shape how the adults in their lives also engage with them. If education can continually shift to meet kids where they are, it will have a larger, more positive impact on them in the long-run. And what the trends today can tell us is that kids want to share content with each other, explore creativity, and have a voice that is heard by those around them. They admire people with artistic passions and influence over others, which signifies an interest in having both of those in their own lives. The possibilities of how to bring these ideas into the education setting are numerous and still forming, but why not turn to students with this question? If we open the floor to kids to tell us what the next wave of innovation inside classrooms can look like, we allow them to have an influential voice and a space for creative thinking.
SOURCES:
https://ces.tech/Articles/2019/The-Rise-of-Kids-Tech.aspx
https://www.ispot.tv/ad/O7JB/morgan-stanley-morgan-stanley-minute-the-creativity-renaissance
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