Despite the pitfalls of social media use, some students aspire to become influencers. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Imagine having thousands of TikTok followers -- a whole community of people waiting to see what funny or informative video you’ll post next.
Some of Mrs. Sharon Lenahan’s students -- including Carter, a fun-loving boy, who is a budding artist -- want to be TikTok stars or have their own YouTube channels when they grow up. Carter wants to showcase his art on YouTube, just like his favorite artist, ZHC, who has drawn art on a mega-sized PlayStation 5 and painted a swimming pool, before his audience of 24.8 million subscribers.
Mrs. Lenahan tries hard to expose students to different careers that interest them. For example, one of her students, Ashley, expressed an interest in becoming a singer and actor. So, Mrs. Lenahan asked Mike Obertacz, executive director of Near West Theatre, to speak to the class over Zoom, during a week in January when Covid had sent classes back into remote learning mode.
“I guess I can just only hope that they’re doing something creative, that draws people in, that’s healthy,” Mrs. Lenahan said. “And that it isn’t in any way shape or form promoting any type of violence or negativity. That it’s just positive, good, creative content.”