Season 2 Episode 9: Don’t Sleep On This Episode!

We are back once again with three drops of information relating to youth culture. We look at AI in the digital world, the online allure of arena tours, exam stress and of course, our effervescent word of the month!  Digital World: AI – Clever, Fun or Scary?  Artificial intelligence - or AI for short - is technology that enables a computer to think or act in a more 'human' way. It does this by taking in information from its surroundings, and deciding its response based on what it learns or senses, and it certainly seems to be becoming a bigger part of our lives as technology advances.  Previously, the term ‘AI’ has conjured up thoughts of Sci-fi movies with overly-clever robots who want to take over the world or mega computers who hatch a sneaky scheme.  However, AI is playing out in various ways that young people are regularly engaging with and are aware of. One such example is Chat GPT, which is able to create copy or text based on inputted information. In fact, there are several students who have boasted online about handing in homework or essays written with the aid of Chat GPT.  There’s also a multitude of videos on YouTube, Reels and TikTok where AI is used for fun and interesting purposes. For example, TikTok has a selection of AI filters where users can play around with how it makes them look. Many videos also show totally AI generated images of famous characters from books or TV shows - although you can usually tell they’re made by AI due to the ‘tell’ that is some slightly weird looking hands...  Pop Culture: Viral Blue Ivy And Other Stars  It seems that the time has come in the year when many are attending the huge arena tours led by megastars such as Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Harry Styles. These arena shows are huge productions that naturally lead to the sharing of key moments in online spaces, spreading the hype further.  For example, Blue Ivy (Beyonce’s 11-year-old daughter) dances onstage next to her mother during one of the songs that is performed. A moment which has been continuously recorded and shared and now people are even replicating the dance themselves causing it to go viral even further.  Harry Styles and Taylor Swift attendees are sharing their outfits for the shows, the moments they get coveted tickets, surprising loved ones with the concert or sharing their seat location, whether amazing or hilariously bad (aka round the back of the actual stage). There have also been plenty of proposals taking place during Taylor Swifts tour, too!  Issues: Increase In Counselling Sessions   It’s no surprise that exam season can be stressful for the thousands of students in the UK taking them each year. However, NSPCC has recently reported a 10% increase in delivering counselling sessions about exam stress since the pandemic.  In the article (linked below) NSPCC quoted a 16-year-old girl as saying:  “The pressure from school and my parents over exams is pushing me over the edge. I’m so stressed I’m crying at every little thing and haven’t been sleeping.  I wish someone would ask if I need help, I’m not ok.”  Exam stress seems to increasingly rear its head and we know ourselves of many young people who skip youth group or bring revision notes along, because they find it hard to get out of the ‘exam mindset’. However, it’s not just GCSE and A-Level students feeling the pressure as there’s an increase in year 6 students who are finding SATs stressful – particularly those who live in areas where SATs, or similar year 6 exams can impact the secondary education they receive and which school they go to.  Word Of The Month: ‘sleep on’ - to sleep on something is to ignore, dismiss or be unaware or something’s value or how good it is.  For example, you might say ‘everyone’s sleeping on Harry Styles’ new song’