The Internet is like the wilderness where anyone can wander, explore and discover other worldly things. And so once a child reaches the teenage years and starts going off on their merry little way browsing through websites, they will definitely find a lot of “cool stuff” out there, maybe too much for their own good. Here at TechLifestyle, we have compiled a very short list of websites teenagers often check out.
Youtube.com
Countless bandwidth are wasted through the uploading compilations of epic fail videos. But hey, that’s not what the website is all about, besides putting up trashy vids, watching movies and trailers, and listening to music, Youtube has become a medium for teenagers to show their creative selves, posting short films, displaying their own awesome (or silly) talent in whatever it is they want to broadcast to the world. Or, it is gateway for them to open up to the world about their fears, frustrations, and dreams about the future. Youtube may somehow be a lot deeper than we think.
Bored.com
A bored teenager who can’t live their computer for a while, may start searching for online games instead. And not stuff like Facebook games, but crazy, head-scratching, jaw-dropping and plain outrageous games. Bored.com has them all.
Wikipedia.org
Right off the bat, we have this massive, collective pool of knowledge and wisdom powered by the millions of the people who use it. Believe it or not, lots of teenagers spend their time building up stock knowledge here. Or, they could be finding certain information and write inaccurate articles about it – it happens, it’s a silly thing to do, true, but it’s also fun for some, especially when after mere moments the article reverts back to the previous state when a serious writer re-edits it, it’s a way of getting into other people.
Break.com
This humorous website has been around for a very long time, providing long-hours of entertainment through comedy videos – including fail videos, flash games, and pictures of all kind that were posted to give people a break in their everyday seriously busy lives.
9gag/Reddit
Let’s breeze this one quickly. 9gag provides humor and endless hours of entertainment and fun, plus their repeated use all over the Internet has become a daily thing. While Reddit is a social news website that provides new, possibly interesting content by registered users.
Youngcomposers.com
Music plays a vital role in defining a teenager. And Young Composers is a haven for everyone, including teenagers. One can post their music composition and get insightful reviews about it. It is an online communiaty where everyone gather around, share, and hone their skills to their fullest. But most of all, just to have fun while broadening their passions.
Scenariosusa.org
Unlike the previous websites, Scenario USA is all about giving teenagers a shot to the movie industry. It is a non-profit organization that aims to educate the youth about the workings of filmmaking. Teenagers write their stories, submit it, and if their entry is accepted, they get to work with professional filmmakers and turn their stories into short films for national distribution. Sadly, we don’t have this kind of thing in the Philippines, but maybe someday every aspiring filmmaker, small or tall, would be given a chance.
GameFAQs.com
This website has been a personal favorite for more than a decade. They feature accurate hints and tips, detailed walkthroughs and guides written by members of the forum. Within the forum they have a vast selection of boards ranging from video games, to movies, to creative writing, photography, graphic novels, music, literature, and the list goes on and on and on. It’s a great source for everything under the sun.
Collegehumor.com
Actually a year older than Break, Collegehumor.com is one of the longest standing comedy websites. It offers original video animations (produced by the staff behind the website), comedy essays and articles, photo-based contests. Images submitted and shown are quite bizarre.
Cracked.com
One of the youngest comedy websites that is visited by millions. But unlike other websites, Cracked.com is interactive. They host contests like captioning an odd image, which has been widely used in forums today. They also act as “virtual writer’s room” where amateur writers pitch their own ideas. It is actually a nice place to try to write and express thoughts. They also provide some quasi-serious article where they do post something interesting and yet, present it in a humorous way that keeps the reader interested.