An Open Letter to Individualistic Teenagers: Seriously, Social Tags are Nothing to be Afraid of, Including the Stereotypes that Comes Along. | Teen Ink

An Open Letter to Individualistic Teenagers: Seriously, Social Tags are Nothing to be Afraid of, Including the Stereotypes that Comes Along.

April 29, 2021
By AllenHeartcore BRONZE, Haining, Zhejiang, Other
AllenHeartcore BRONZE, Haining, Zhejiang, Other
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Favorite Quote:
"One is not granted the right to speak about an issue without investigating it."
---- Mao, Zedong
“没有调查就没有发言权。”
——毛泽东


To the “Undefined,”

Hey there… wait, how may I call you? Generation Z? Computer geeks? Rock fans? You are throwing all these social tags behind your head and calling it “needless to define me in tags.” It instantly reminds me of various sportswear advertisements, where letting go of tags is almost the synonym of youth, freedom, and personality. Further research reveals that feeling annoyed by the stereotypes that come with tags is the underlying factor pushing your rejection. Maybe you will feel better after reading my letter – for one thing, one can never be defined by social tags, and simply being labeled is nothing to be afraid of; for another, being associated with tags can factually assist us in fighting against the accompanied prejudice.

You may wonder why I, as a university freshman who could have been part of the trend, jump out of and think critically about this swirl. Here is how I got inspired to research this issue. As rebellion means acting against mainstream values, teenagers of 13 or 14 hold views radically different from their parents. They form the new mainstream when I entered my rebellious years at 17 – as a result, many of my values correspond with that of my parents: having gone through two reversals allows me to adopt a mild and objective perspective towards “outdated” views, and though the actual trend may differ in America, critical thinking still applies. Thus, it has confused me for a long why the tags are rejected by so many, and ultimately, what we should do with them.

Let us trace back to the origin of this whole story. Some of you might be getting along well with social media platforms, where the “hashtags” are a huge part of this cyber-culture; but this is not the most accurate depiction yet – it is the events being tagged, instead of people. I am taking a sociology course recently, and it reminds me of the concept of Groups. Social tags are labels indicating the groups you belong to. Everyone is associated with groups via membership (e.g., taking a certain degree program), participation (watching a football match featuring Real Madrid), or identification (being a Nijigen since one loves Japanese anime) (Van Tubergen 485). Some of you are rejecting tags as they diminish your personality – on the contrary, they are the exact blocks that construct your personality and your friend circle. Tags are great inventions that help you find friends of similar interests and create a sense of belonging!

Another effect of social tags is quick categorization: they have evolved into a framework used for indicating your abilities. Suppose you are applying for a job in a company, and all their knowledge about you before the interview comes from your resume: for instance, you are more likely to be smarter and work harder if you graduated from a prestigious university, and you are more possibly enthusiastic with a sense of responsibility if you have taken a volunteer program. Though being inferences, tags have stood the test of history and are your “badges” of personal recognition – you are labeled, instead of defined, by them, just like one cannot know everything about an athlete by looking at his or her metals. Fitting into the contemporary system of social tagging promotes social adaptability, which builds a solid foundation for our future well-being (Sapra 335). Learning to integrate into society is our compulsory course as social members!

Considering all these benefits, why are you still rejecting tags? Problems arise when the inferences above become unreasonable, which leads to my biggest concern, and perhaps the most significant reason for your disapproval: the prejudice coming with them. Some of you doing well in programming (or even hacking) may have been regarded as “a nerd with cabin fever” – this is a perfect example when stereotypes leave false impressions. Similar statements include “all rock lovers are hostile to conventions,” “all men should be aggressive to enhance masculinity,” and “all Nijigens are home-staying.” They come from radicals ignoring the complexity of reality and attempting to build a one-to-one relationship between tags and characteristics – of course in vain. Prejudice has been a prominent social issue that seemingly cannot be eradicated since scientists from the University of California discovered that this thinking pattern is hardcoded into our minds at childhood when we value visually obvious group properties more (Dunham and Degner 566). Thus, prejudice does affect our individuality; but is it the right approach to neglect?

Factually, due to the factors of group recognition and categorization mentioned before, turning down tags altogether is unrealistic. Therefore, it is up to us not only to stay sober and avoid being misguided but also to strive for altering public opinion. Does it sound surprising that associate yourself with tags will assist us in fighting against stereotypes? Remember that your every move speaks for your group against the wrong views. Consider the marketing campaigns by companies trying to build a link between tags and certain products and urge people to buy them to form an external label of identity. Nonetheless, their logic can easily be refuted – who says diamond rings and chocolates are a must on Valentine’s day? Who makes the rule that one should wear sunglasses to be cool and trendy? It is indeed a pity to have so many customers buy things merely for achieving “personality,” but by refusing to blindly follow the moves, we speak for the group we represent and convey the message that “we are not what you think.” That is a signal that may directly affect the propagation strategies and lead to a wider renewal of ideas!

Note that I am not denying your choice – seeking personality is nothing to be ashamed of. However, excluding yourself from the social tagging system appears less constructive, especially when considering the social environment and your future roles. In conclusion, your motivation to socialize is embedded in your personality, and it is realized via your social relationship (Thompson). More importantly, to deny stereotypes that claim characteristics of a person with certain tags with full confidence, being associated with tags can help us speak for our group and push a change in thoughts. Fighting against prejudices almost certainly calls for the joint effort of the whole group of teenagers – to stress the importance of adaptation, to clarify our attitude against prejudice, to avoid being spellbound by tags on the market, and to push a change in social thoughts through our roles of both customers and “tag representatives.” Accept social reality, embrace the social tags, and behave in the hope of creating changes using our power. Above all, there should be a flow of rationality among all of us.

The best time to start moving is right now. Go for it, then.


The author's comments:

Dear editors of Teen Ink,

I feel honored to submit my original work to Teen Ink in the hope of achieving wider social repercussions among teenagers.

I am Ziyuan Chen, a freshman from ZJUI Institute, International Campus, Zhejiang University in China, and I major in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Since my institute is in collaboration with the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, I am exposed to foreign (especially American) norms and lifestyles via international students and course materials. I have noticed that some teenagers adopt a radical value and reject being viewed and defined in terms of social tags. They are not only guided by certain advertisements but are also concerned about the prejudice that accompanies the tags. Therefore, I am writing an open letter to point out that accepting social tags is an important step of integrating into society. Moreover, I am arguing that instead of escaping the problem by rejecting tags, we should face and fight against stereotypes by "speaking for our tags."

The reason that I turn to Teen Ink for submission is that I am inspired by the innovative concept of "By Teens, For Teens." If we realize a certain problem in society, we have the power to push social changes starting from the "teenage" group we are in. The persuasion of "accepting tags" may not be targeted at all readers (since a number of them are already doing so), but integrating into society and altering stereotypes concern with the future of everyone and calls for joint efforts. One can potentially feel the echo when the fact is revealed that some teens are neglecting stereotypes, and will consider changing them with action; one might dream of eliminating prejudices, but will learn the benefits of "quick categorization" (as explained in the letter) and understand this inevitable trend. These suggestions are universal: I go beyond appealing to the "Undefined" as my addressee and reach the whole community of teenagers in the hope of building a supportive atmosphere for my argument.

Additionally, I incorporated some academic sources in my writing to help build credibility. You reserve the right to edit or delete the in-text citations to meet the format requirements of publication. Since I have not found a proper place to attach my Works Cited page (in MLA format), I include this material at the end of this section to avoid plagiarism.

(As for the accompanying image, it is hard to find one representing all three elements of teenagers, social tags, and stereotypes. Thus, I am uploading a photo of my campus. Feel free to find another image that better resonates with the topic.)

It is my sincere hope that my work gets published, finds its way to American teenagers, and serves as a trigger of long-lasting social influence.

Looking forward to your reply.

Yours respectfully,

Chen, Ziyuan

Thursday, April 29, 2021

 

<Attachment: Works Cited>

Works Cited

Dunham, Yarrow, and Juliane Degner. "Origins of intergroup bias: Developmental and social-cognitive research on intergroup attitudes." European Journal of Social Psychology, vol. 40, 2010, pp. 563-568. EBSCO, DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.758. Accessed 5 Apr. 2021.

Sapra, Rekha. "Social and emotional skills as a scaffold for mental well-being of children and adolescents: A construct." Indian Journal of Health and Well-being, vol. 10, no. 10-12, 2019, pp. 334-336.

Thompson, Ross, author. Social and Personality Development in Childhood | Child Development. Lumen Learning, courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-hostos-childdevelopment/chapter/social-and-personality-development-in-childhood. Accessed 5 Apr. 2021.

Van Tubergen, Frank. Introduction to Sociology. Routledge, 2020, pp. 485-486.


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