Pali film teacher Malia Jakus launched a Social Media: Content Creation class at the beginning of this school year.  Offered during seventh period, the course is open to students in all grade levels.   

Jakus explained that she “decided that it was time to teach something that is a skill for this next generation.” Her goal is to prepare students for jobs that require skills in social media and to teach them how to use technology to construct messages. 

“It’s not necessarily about gaining followers or getting likes,” Jakus said. “It’s more about learning about what gets likes.”

In mid-September, the class started their first project where they were instructed to create a new brand and promote it through targeted social media content. 

“They are using all the social media content creation skills that we’re learning in class to build their brands,” Jakus said. She explained that understanding social media and what the most popular trends are will help them with their project. 

Senior Michele Farnoush said she joined the class because it seemed interesting and she had heard amazing things about Jakus. “I really want to learn how to harness the power of social media and use it for good versus bad,” Farnoush said. “I’m really excited to create and develop my own platform.”

Junior Sydney Geiger, another student in the class, said: “I hope to have a decently successful brand by the end of the year. I am excited to create content and just have fun.”

The class has also been working closely with a social media project led by award-winning documentary filmmaker Lauren Greenfield. The research team, which followed Pali students with microphones and cameras in the beginning of the school year, is investigating how social media affects the lives of teenagers. 

“I feel like [the research team] is learning a lot about the way teens think,” Jakus said. “Whatever we’re talking about in the classroom, whatever we’re doing in the classroom, may be put into the [research project].”

Geiger likes the idea of being a part of the research project and says she wants “to learn more about how to reach out to a lot of people and make an impact.”