Since 2012, 75 percent of teenages are found to own cellphones, while 22 percent of those teens log on to their favorite social media site more than 10 times a day. As teenagers’ followers on Instagram creep up to 500 or more, we can’t help but wonder what it is about social media that keeps teens wanting the constant attention.

“I have a hunch that happy, well-adjusted teens probably have happy, well-adjusted social media relationships,” Julie Smith, Media Literacy professor at Webster University, said. “But I also tend to think that insecure people have a much harder time with the idea of ‘bullying.’”

According to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, teens should have a healthy balance between exposure to media and physically stimulating activities.

“I have seen people form online ‘personas’ that are very different from who they are in real life, and that persona can give them confidence which can blend into real life,” Smith said.

Social media is offered to people for many reasons such as educational, social and generational purposes. It’s the act of following someone’s actions that has you following your generation, but social media such as Twitter or Instagram can bring a variety of feedback to teens.

“I think social media makes teens feel more in the loop of what’s going on around them,” Emily Smotkin, sophomore, said. “All it takes is one flattering comment on someone’s Instagram to make them feel good.”

Although it seems as if social media is slowly taking over the world, people are experiencing events through through convenient technology, thinking of what tweet or post next, Smith said.

“I think it’s changed how we perceive our realities,” Smith said. “We tend to see things as possible posts or pics when an event is going on.”

Social media also diversifies teens’ social skills, which will help them navigate through a technologically-based society. According to The Raising Children Network, other benefits for teens engaged in social media besides increased confidence, is more social support and heightened media literacy.

“We want to show off where we are, what we’re doing, whom we’re with,” Smith said. “The idea is that we are very particular about what we post, so others only see the ‘good stuff.’”