Kik and Wattpad

It was already established that Kristin's mother, Tilly Sawyer Fernando, writes YA fiction, which she publishes using the name Ariel Cross. Kristin follows in her mother's footsteps by getting a Wattpad account and publishing stories there using the name FernFayeCross.

Wattpad ( launched in 2006) is an online writing community where users can publish essays, articles, original stories, fanfiction, and poetry. (I have an account on Wattpad.) Once she starts using the site, Kristin learns to separate the person she created in her blogs from her real self.

The texting app Kik is also featured in this story, as a number of the kids in Cimarron High School use the app to text each other. Kristin becomes a reluctant user of the app (her username was Fernanger55), but her new friends use the app. But when a student was caught texting a mentally disabled student using Kik, the student president ordered the school to delete the app from their phones.

As for Wattpad, several people use the app on their phones, so Kristin is mainly all by herself when it comes to the site. But when she gains a following based on her fictitious character, she learns that while making up things about yourself is harmful, yet making up things about a fictitious character can be rewarding. (Plus, Kristin unknowingly becomes the subject of her mother's latest YA novel, which is ironically called "Disconnected", but that will be saved for later.)

Well, by the time the story ends, Kristin goes from social media addict to a well-balanced person who learns to use the Internet in moderation. She also learns to appreciate her family instead of always shutting them out. Plus, she learns that it's OK to have offline friends, even if they're fewer in number.

Now you know.