Better Connected: How Girls Are Using Social Media for Good

Tanya Lloyd Kyi and Julia Kyi are mother and daughter as well as the co-authors of Better Connected. Both are avid users of social media, but they bring differences in perspective regarding social media and its presence in their lives. In five chapters, they present a wide range of examples by which digital platforms, created by and for women, forge connection, offer support, champion advocacy, and provide opportunities for constructive dialogue and the creation of online communities.

Chapter One is about “Building Bonds: Creating Community online.” There’s “a digital space for every possible kind of girl” (p. 5), and budding activists can find like-minded friends through blogs and discussion forums for social and political issues such as misogyny, homophobia, or other forms of systemic bias. Girls who are video-game players have created their own places in the digital world, and, of course, fans of fiction have formed on-line book clubs and chat groups. Social media can be a safe place to obtain the “insider” information that can help a refugee adapt to her new country as well as a place for those with rare medical conditions or ability challenges to find support.

Girls who are engaged in creative projects can post the results of their efforts through the many platforms designed specifically for those endeavours. “Imagination on the Internet – Expressing Creativity Online”, the book’s second chapter, explores the many ways in which young women not only express their creativity but also share it with others. “Some girls have discovered ways to combine vision, talent and the reach of the internet . . . establishing themselves as artists or turning their passion projects into business ventures.” (p. 21) The current Covid-19 pandemic, with its rounds of lockdowns and restrictions, has offered opportunity to discover new creative outlets, whether it’s dance, knitting, or baking. Girls who are involved in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) activities and innovations find the online world a welcoming environment for their work, as well as shattering the deeply-held stereotype that “computers are for boys.” (p. 30)

“Digital Diversity – Making Space Online for Everyone”, the book’s third chapter, demonstrates the ways in which digital media offers a place where “girls and teens are telling their own stories, making space for people who are underrepresented, and creating online worlds . . . worlds of unprecedented diversity.” (p. 36) Conventional media – television and print journalism – is still a largely male-dominated world. But social media offers a platform for previously unheard female voices. Plenty is said about the ways in which social media appears to be linked with girls lacking self-esteem due to dissatisfaction with body images. But there are also young women using social media to encourage body-positivity and to question the need to live up to near-impossible standards promoted by the makeup and clothing industry. Social media also offers girls from frequently-marginalized communities – the economically disadvantaged, the BIPOC, LGBT2Q+, those living in war zones – a chance to tell their stories and find others who will listen and respond.

Throughout 2020 and 2021, the Covid-19 pandemic forced an abrupt shift in the process of learning. For some, YouTube has become the digital resource for instructions on just about anything from home maintenance and auto repair to providing knitters, quilters, bakers and all other “makers” with helpful videos. But YouTube is not all bread decorating and fancy stitches. During the past two years, my teaching friends have spent hours recording lessons in their “home studios” for presentation to their classes via Zoom or Microsoft Teams. For some students, working at home allowed them a focus that wasn’t always possible in a traditional classroom. For others, the lack of direct supervision and the temptation to head for their favourite chat room diminished motivation and/or led to boredom.

The book’s fourth chapter, “Teaching with Tech – Learning and Sharing Online” is an exploration of both the positive and negative aspects of online schooling and the use of online information sources. Sometimes, digital content can stimulate a new or existing interest or actually make learning easier. Online chat with other students can provide homework help and create study groups. Reliable sources, such as Columbia University’s Go Ask Alice! site, offer a safe space for sex education; it’s so “much easier to anonymously type a question than raise a hand in class!” (p. 64) In British Columbia, the provincial health ministry used a variety of social media platforms (enlisting the aid of stars like Ryan Reynolds and Seth Rogan) to provide accurate information and safety messages about Covid-19. But, not all online information sources are valid or reliable, and, regrettably, there’s no easy way to protect social media users against misinformation that is presented as fact.

The book’s final chapter is titled “Viral Voices – Taking the Lead Online”. Most people are aware of Greta Thunberg, the young Swedish environmental activist, but she’s only one of many young women who have become advocates for change, using “Instagram posts to spark global climate marches, Twitter and Facebook posts to argue for gun control, and online petitions to help ban plastic bags.” (p. 71) In some cases, student activists have faced serious push-back from other advocacy groups. Unfortunately, cyberbullying is the price that is paid for expressing an opinion, and that harassment can result in serious mental health issues. Nevertheless, a powerful belief in personal convictions motivates young women to make their voices heard. Social media offers a means to share ideas, bridge geographical, cultural or religious divisions, and gain support from others, whether locally, nationally, or beyond. Some might question whether or not online actions, such as awareness campaigns, actually result in real change. Clicking on a post or sending photos may be little more than “impression management”, giving others the idea that one is a caring individual, supportive of a cause. In reality, visible action speaks louder than a keyboard click, and there are plenty of young women out there who are acting on their beliefs and making change happen.

Tanya Lloyd Kyi and Julia Kyi have packed a great deal into a book that is just a bit more than 100 pages long. In addition to the many examples of the young women making very purposeful use of social media, each chapter concludes with a list of practical suggestions and ideas, grouped under the heading of “Social Media Smarts”. These include reminders to limit one’s screen time, think before clicking, be mindful of internet safety and personal privacy, respect the opinions of others while being ready to report abuse or personal targeting, and to channel activist intentions into positive outcomes. Sidebars titled “Julia’s Headspace” offer her insight into the focus issue of each chapter and encourage readers to think further about it. Another feature is a series of sidebars titled “#No Filter”, short dialogues between Tanya and Julia. While “#No Filter” highlighted the differences in the two women’s personal perspectives on various aspects of social media – perspectives due to their age and personality differences – I found myself questioning the need for its inclusion in the book.

Better Connected is from Orca Books nonfiction “Orca Think” series, intended for a middle school audience and designed to explore issues such as the environment, homelessness, and the world of work, to name but three. These are big issues, and it’s not easy to present accessible content to readers of ages 9-12, the age range suggested by the publisher. Although the colour photographs and illustrations of Better Connected present tweens and teens engaged in online interactions, the text of the book is more suited to readers who are age 13 and beyond. “Cupcake feminism and slacktivism are terms not likely in the vocabulary of many students under the age of 12. The book will contain an Index (I reviewed from an Advance Reading Copy, and so the Index was unfinished), and a Glossary highlights and explains words that are boldfaced throughout the book. Also included is a list of resources, including books, social media accounts (Twitter and Instagram) of women described as activists and “world changers” (p. 97), online mental health resources, and telephone and text numbers of hotlines to mental health resources.

I think that this is a book for female readers, age 13-14 and up, who have an interest in technology and/or social issues. Better Connected will provide them with inspiration and resources, although I think that it’s more likely that its intended readers would choose its EPUB or PDF format, rather than a hardcover book. Adult readers, both teacher and parents, who are sometimes dismissive of, or dismayed by, the amount of time their students or children are spending on social media, can learn about the positive aspects of those online experiences. Social media is a major means of social connection, and Better Connected offers examples of the best ways that young women can foster and use those connections.