Social media is most commonly driven by consumerism, but emerging from behind the scenes of platforms are content creators.
Students at Liberty are interested in expressing themselves through social media in a variety of ways.
Ellie Lieu, 9, enjoys sharing videos people can relate to and looks to her creativity for what to post. She appreciates being able to share her thoughts and craft her own space on the internet.
“I started my TikTok account in seventh grade, and I just wanted to post relatable videos,” Lieu said.
Lieu does not let the opinions of other people dictate her content. Instead, she focuses on having fun with what she posts, whether or not it follows trends.
“If people like [the videos] then people like it, and if people don’t, then they don’t,” Lieu said.
Former Liberty student Hayden Johnsen has been making videos for the past six years. For Johnsen, content creation is a way to document and reflect on moments in life.
“I want the products I create to be something that when I look back at, I’m actually proud of and enjoy, and then, it makes me understand and feel the feelings that I feel now in thirty years when I look back at [the videos],” Johnsen said.
Johnsen also uses posting videos as a tool to grow.
“I feel like I live my life to the fullest, but I also care too much about what other people think of me,” Johnsen said. “I can kind of force myself to put [videos] out in front of a bunch of people, even if that makes me uncomfortable.”
Students in the community demonstrate that content creation does not have to be about chasing likes or views but about people genuinely sharing their perspective and content that represents who they are.
While there may not be famous social media influencers at Liberty, students, both current and former, use platforms as an opportunity to express themselves and share their creativity.
