Interview questions and transcript

Teenage expiriences-

The sad club is a play all about the experiences of teenagers and how we are brought together by
our shared emotions. So first I'm going to ask about your opinion of teenagers when you were
growing up compared to now:

 How do you view teenagers in this generation compared to when you were a teenager?

I think the biggest issue is technology. We didn't have technology when I was growing up as a
teenager. I didn't have any, we didn't have any mobile phones or anything like that. And I think
there's a lot that you can say is very positive, about being contactable and being on social media
and friends group and all of that. But there's a huge negative to that as well. So I think in the
olden days, as I don't like to say but that's what it is, I think you connected more and you had to
make arrangements and then turn up those arrangements because you couldn't get in contact
with people. And I just thought there was more socialising generally as teenagers- face to face
rather than over the old internet.

 What do you think was the biggest challenge teenagers faced when you were growing
up?

Oh, I think every generation teenagers have challenges. That's what teenagers are about. So you
have the normal things that teenagers have to face, which is you aren't changing who you are,
you don't know who you are. From anything from 11 to 17, I think you really do struggle with
finding your own identity. What your opinions are, what your beliefs are. What your work ethic
is, your morals, I think that that can be said about every generation. I don't think that changes
from generation to generation. I think the challenges would be different but the fundamental
elements, I think, is the same. Or are the same, I should say,

 Do you have any memorable experiences that you still think about from when you were
younger, maybe a relationship or trip or embarrassing moment you look back on?

I don't know how much I can say really. I think with my upbringing, we had a lot of freedom, but
then and there was less threats out there, or perceived threats. So I remember going out and
saying like, I'm going out to play and my parents didn't really know where I was going. And I'd
be out in the field, riding my bike, meeting friends, I was probably 10 or 11. And now I wouldn't
like my daughter going out at 10 or 11. Because I don't know if there's more threats. Or that the
threats are more known. And that's a shame really, because there was a lot of like innocence
about that, you know, just spending the day in nature walking through, like fields and things like
that. Yeah, and I think that that was that was good. That was good bit of wildness, I suppose.

Mental health

The play also focusses on the mental health of teenagers a lot and what they may be going
through. So I'm also going to ask your opinions on that:

 Do you think teenagers were more happy when you were younger compared to now?

I think teenagers now have a lot more anxiety. 100%. I think they get worried about things that
we never used to worry about. I think as I was saying teenagers do worry about the same sort of
things, but I think there's a lot more pressure, peer pressure. And it's sad to say that even now
you know, I would I thought that we were moving forward with forget about being judging
people on appearances too much. That's only got worse and worse. And it's so much worse now
about how it's like it's more pigeonholed than it ever has been I believe when I was growing up,
there was more diversity. Now, I think that people are supposed to look a certain way. And I
think that's more pressure. So yeah, I think that causes a lot of anxiety.

 Do you think the opinion of mental health has changed over time?

People talk about it more. It's not frowned upon. If you've got mental or issues or you're
struggling. I think that's very much different. That's bad English. That's totally different from
when I was growing up, you know, now, It's talked about and it's recognised that mental health
is very, very important, but there's a lot of things today that caused the anxiety that we are living
with now. 100%.

 What do you think is the main cause of teenage mental health problems today?

Social media.

Social media

A lot of people comment on social medias involvement on mental health, Id like to ask you about
this too:

 Do you think social media has been positive to grow up with in these times?

Negative.
Because I think it's 24/7 Bullying is 24/7. I think it's built on projecting untruths, lies, idealise- I
just I just there's there is some positive but I think the negative outweighs it. 100%, I think
people are on it too much. I think hours are wasted on social media. It's not productive. I think
you can find out things but you can do that reading a book. I think people's concentration is not
as good is your brain is a muscle and I'm guilty of as well. We're not using our brain muscle as
we should be. We're becoming really like Flick, flick flick. We've got no attention span.
So I think negative outweigh it so much.

 What did you think about technology and social media as it was being developed over the
last 20 years or so?

Because I probably miss the initial curve because I never went on Facebook. I never went on
Instagram. I miss the property, the beginning of it where it was really exciting. I remember
getting my first mobile phone, I mean nowadays we call it phone but my date is called mobile
phone., I was about 22 and to actually have a text message from a friend was so exciting. And
you actually felt quite important that you know someone text you and you're with somebody
else and but someone had to get a hold of you. So the whole I mean, just the whole concept of
being in a restaurant and everyone's on their mobile phone is really quite depressing. It really -s
and it is very disrespectful that you would think that being having a conversation that
someone's not even with you is more important that the person sat across you. I think that
whole thing is really damaging.

 How do you think life would be different if social media was invented a lot earlier while
you and your parents were growing up?

Obviously, it'd be 20 years down the line. Where are we going to be in 20 years down the line?
I'm trying to be optimistic about it because I think things go round in circles. I think we're
getting to hopefully we're getting to a real acknowledgement of the damage it is actually
causing people I mean, then then you go down the AI bloody road and you know that the lids
already off that genie so that's gonna be a problem.

We can always say that the positives expand your mind and you have a network of people
across the globe. And you can you know, from a business sense, there's businesses that are
really multimillion pound businesses that have been created because of social media and things
like that. So it's a new medium in that respect. But although the world is so small because of
social media, I think sometimes we I had this this comment the other day, sometimes we need
to go outside and touch the grass. And that's what I think we need to do. I think we need to all
go out and touch the grass. We seem to be so concerned about the environment, climate
change and all of that when we're not even that concerned about the climate around us as in we
should be getting off social media. we should be going outside and walking rather than
worrying about the whole, whole world when we, when we're not even doing what's around the
corner from us. So, yeah.

Interview analysis

One thing that surprised me a lot was how negative the view of social media is from older
generations. However, they have these views but are usually guilty of spending just as much time on
screens as the younger generation. I believe what often happens is they like to believe they are
separate from the chronically online youths which are often stereotyped however, technology is so
vital and inter-grained to our modern lives that they too could not survive without it- especially
when considering how useful it is for businesses and communication. Saying this, it's also important
to not neglect the truth in the negatives of social media, it can cause a lot of issues and challenges
for young people growing up- especially concerning beauty standards and self-image. It is important
when discussing social media, we are conscious of its flaws and positives to give the most realistic
impression of it. If we are making references to media in the play, its important they are relevant and
can be understood by multiple generations as different age ranges tend to have distinctive styles of
comedy and understand different pop culture references. Otherwise, the danger is we add things
that only generation z understands, making it confusing and unrelatable for the audience who will be
a range of ages. Additionally, I think it is useful to know that the teenage years being challenging is a
universal truth throughout all time. This time period we all must go through is filled with new
experiences and emotions- which is what this play is all about. Although this play mainly focusses on
the contemporary experience's adolescents face, it's gratifying to know that this process has been
faced by many generations and will be relatable to them too as they have gone through the same
thing. For example, all generations have dealt with common human experiences like playing with
friends, relationships, and anxieties from school. It's likely that no matter the age, they too will have
had something like this in their life. This is one of the reasons the sad club feels so inclusive, as it
comments on moments that nearly everyone has and can relate too. In the play, maybe we could
recreate some of these moments that are talked about as part of growing up- like exploring nature
with friends. I think this could add a very wholesome and intimate moments in the background of
some scenes. For example, maybe in the younger you scene, we could have children playing in the
background common playground games- such as hopscotch of tag. I think adding an element of
innocence and purity would be a nice contrast to some of the heavier things discussed in that scene,
like depression and breakups. I think it can also remind us of a simpler tie without the pressures that
come with social media and growing up in our technological age- which most of the audience can
also relate to. However, i think it's important not to neglect the role social media plays in teen lives.
For better or for worse, so many people spend hours of their days online and it is the way we receive
news and information and stay connected. So, it's important to incorporate that into the world of the
sad club to create an authentic representation of teenage life.