Young people and technology: Engaging with young people online

How do we connect with young people, in an authentic and non-cringey way? Steven Harper shares his thoughts.

There has never been a time so important as this. In the age of social media, tech has as many forms of non-physical society as you can think of. The message still hasn’t changed: we need to engage.

How? Well, it’s simple. Don’t just talk to young people on social media, or about social media. Listen.

Find out what they enjoy, how they communicate online; find out their interests.

You don’t have to join everything they do to engage with them. Just understand what they are comfortable with and work with that.

I hate snap chat. I don’t get it, and as far as I’m concerned it’s a waste of time. So you won’t find me on there, but you will find me on Instagram, which is a happy medium for me as I love sharing images, but it also gives me the chance to engage with younger people. They feel comfortable with me on there because I’m not trying to intrude on their space, and I enjoy it too. That is how you engage.

Listen. Find your medium, embrace it, and the engagement will follow.

You have to be willing to step out a little. You don’t have to make radical changes, just be open to move a little. The sake of our next generational Church depends on how willing we are to engage with it.

Steven Harper is the community developer for Yesheis.com