90s VS. 00s

Chiharu | Christina | Naomi | Yi Ting

Concept

As times change, so does the way of living, people and habits. Being born in the 90s ourselves, we are fortunate enough to experience the world before it revolves around technology, and after. This project aims to use digital space — social media — to explore and compare the minds and behaviours of teens from those born in the 90s and 2000s.

Research

The internet was a new concept to people born in the 90s. It was a period when computers started to become a common household item. This was before we could carry the internet our in our pocket.  Social media was simple, yet fascinating. Everyone was eager to hop onto MSN, Myspace and Friendster. These chat rooms and digital spaces connected us with our friends and people in other countries. People shared funny photos, videos and moments sparingly. It was a tool that enhanced our lives.

With the rise of smartphones, social media became easily accessible. According to an article by The Business Times, a report by Hootsuite in 2017 has recorded that 7 out of 10 singaporeans uses social media on mobile, which is more than double of the global average of 34%.

By navigating through a few buttons, we can easily upload content to be viewed by our followers. 00s kids tend to overshare everything on social media — from selfies to which boys they like. Many treat social media platforms like their diary, using them to “document” temporary over-emotional adolescent moments common at their age. While previous generations derive feelings of self worth and achievement through career progression or sorts, it seems that 00s kids fill that void with social media. Likes and retweets translate into real world approval, and people without remarkable skills or substantial talent gain thousands of followers through pithy tweets and well-curated Instagram photos.

Relationship between content and form

Social media exposes the characters of the people using it. We decided to portray the lives of two 14 year old kids born in the 90s and 2000s, using Facebook and Instagram respectively. The two characters exist in their respective timelines, and react to actual events that occurred in those timelines. Posts made by both generations would reflect their influences and attitudes, as well as the culture and society of their time. The social media platforms were chosen based on proliferation of its use by the respective age group and its format of posts. Platforms such as Snapchat would be difficult to keep a record of posts as they disappear, eliminating it from our choices.

Experimentation

There are many articles and videos that compare a 90s kid to a 00s kid, but very rarely done on “fake” accounts on social media platforms. By faking the personas of these two characters on relatable social media platforms of their respective generations, it feels more realistic and intimate to the viewer. With the new advancements and additional functions these platforms now have – like the Instastory on Instagram, we will be able to execute the concept somewhat in real time to further enhance the experience.

The short-lived Instastories will disappear after 24 hours, so to ensure the viewer does not miss any part of it, we will be posting within optimal time range to assure its presence without losing its chronological quality.

Presentation

The posts uploaded will be a reaction to various world issues or epidemics from 2 of our characters. Through their posts on social media, we wish to portray the differences in the influence of different time periods towards the thought-processes and personalities of our characters.

As we have chosen to execute the concept mainly on digital means, there will be plenty of precise management and thought to make the experience as realistic and relatable as possible through a simple flat screen and finger swiping.

Some examples of similar major situations for them to react to:

• Financial crisis/depression
• Global politics: Election in USA (Obama/Trump)
• War/Conflict overseas (Iraq war/Ferguson riots)
• Widespread diseases (SARS/Ebola etc)
• Haze
  

Difference between Facebook and Instagram

The differences in the purposes, functions and content of each platform can reflect the personality of the users that engage in them. Facebook is a platform that 90s children engage in more due to the tendency to share interests, articles of current issues and a touch of personal posts. On the other hand, children from 2000s seem to prioritize original content that reveal much of their daily lifestyle.

Facebook (Founded 2004)

• Detailed bio and personal information
• Photo/ Video sharing
• Events
• Live Video
• Sharing of links
• Curated content
• Groups

Instagram (Launched 2010)

Instagram is a platform which encourages the capturing of moments. The interaction between users are different as compared to that of Facebook. Below are some of the differences:

• Photographs and short video clips
• Original content
• Interaction only through commenting, liking, following.
• Mobile-based

Website

We created a main website to explain our project and link to the Facebook and Instagram pages.

https://4dx4ofus.wixsite.com/90svs2000s

(Link to be updated.)