Effects Of Social Media On Teenagers

Older generations don’t realize how much technology has affected this generation of teenagers, along with the social media that comes along with the technology. As stated in “How Social Media Changed Teens’ Lives Forever”; “Negative posts or comments also can do great damage to a teen’s self-esteem.” (Ashley Black, Thomas Atseff and Colleen Kaveney) While many parents think social media is just a way to connect with others, many teenagers take it for granted. For example, “quitting social media because it made her miserable and obsessed with appearing perfect online”, is what a teenager felt about social media and what it has done to her. Though many think that social media is a great way to connect, teenagers take it to another level.

In our modern international society, technology continues to advance rapidly and change the way we communicate. In the essay “Is Technology Destroying Social Bonds?” Shawn Ghuman claims that “Digital communication has taken away from what makes humans thrive, the ability to express thoughts through in person discussion” (Ghuman 8). I agree that this may be the case, considering how often people now choose to communicate digitally rather than in person. Nowadays, young adults are becoming uncomfortable with direct confrontation of any kind. Even talking over the phone and making a simple dentist appointment. For our society to keep moving forward, it is necessary that we develop the social skills needed in order to have proper face to face communication. Unfortunately, due to over-reliance on social media to communicate with others, today’s young adults are losing valuable opportunities to practice face to face interactions that are needed to develop strong social skills.

, Chandra Johnson claims more young people are connected than ever before through media, the value of the communication that they take part in is leading to an inability to communicate successfully. Johnson argues that youth need face-to-face social communications, and that technology cannot replace traditional public situations. She states that youths today are not creating the empathetic ties that they should be, damaging their relationships. Per this article, young people need to balance technology with essential face-to-face

Many sources show there has been a significant increase in the use of social media by adolescents. According to Ward (2005), the amount of time that adolescents spend on social media averages 8 hours per day. This represents an increase in online social networking which has had dramatic effects on the interaction and communication among youth (Pantic, 2014). This excessive exposure has also been shown to have multiple negative outcomes regarding general development in adolescents. In fact, research from 2015 shows that in addition to these effects, excessive social networking also causes issues with loneliness, lack of sleep, and lack of proper nutrition and physical fitness (Cyr, Berman, & Smith, 2015). Three especially harmful effects include social anxiety, depression and self-esteem.

One problem with the Internet is young people are losing their social skills. Staples’ was from New York Times stated the quote explained, ‘But a growing body of research is showing that heavy use of the net can actually isolate the younger socially connected people who unwittingly allow time online to replace personally interactions with their families and friends’ (59). The more youthful teenagers and kids are all centered on Facebook, and Twitter, and they don 't come visit or don 't have enough energy to

Posting on various social media outlets such as Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram are outlets that the recent generations are prone to using. Being able to post online about yourself and showing the world who you are is the new thing to do. This also comes along with pretending who you are online getting caught in an unrealistic fantasy world. Be able to get away from your real life and going to your online fantasy life is what everyone seems to be doing. Many of these people will hide the ugly truths about what is actually going on in their lives, trying to prove to the world that their lives and who they are are perfect. Doing so, no one really sees the dangerous side to how social media and technology has been affecting our everyday lives. Between editing a picture of yourself to make you look skinnier or to fix your acne to try and fish for compliments from others they don’t even know seems to be okay. Behind the scenes, social media has been an ongoing issue for teens for decades because of one major issue called cyberbullying.

The world has changed dramatically since the creation of social media sites around the year 2000. Today, people communicate face to face or on the telephone less frequently. Fewer individuals obtained knowledge or information through books, newspapers, or television. With the creation of social media sites like Facebook, society has moved into the digital age where information and communication are just a quick click or search on our phones. Children born after 2000 will only know of a world with social media, a primary example being Facebook. One in seven people have a Facebook page and one of every four minutes on the internet is on Facebook. Left unchecked, Facebook can have grave consequences on a teenager’s physical, psychological, and social development and can lead to cyberbullying.

(3) When these concepts are isolated to Generation Y, Subrahmanya proved that adolescents primarily use the Internet as a communication tool to reinforce relationships. The changes in relationships are exceptionally present in teens that use instant messaging as a substitute for face-to-face conversation with friends. (4) Scholars explain this phenomenon by discovering that using computer networks for social interaction relieves many aspects of group anxiety. (5) The infinite possibilities of the web help define alternative realities where anonymity is welcomed and potentially psychologically rewarding. (6) Scholars agree that the rapid growth of these alternative realities is beneficial. The ambiguity of social network profiles allows adolescents to create an identity and find social acceptability without having to directly face scrutiny. (7) College students are exposed to a higher risk of Internet addiction because of their vulnerability. College students, in particular, are adjusting to massive amounts of developmental and life changes. (8) This susceptibility and exposure to an abundance of new things are aided by the use of technology and social networks that ease new connections and relieve societal pressures.

Teens that use the internet daily are believed to have bad social skills. When it comes to interacting with other people, adolescents have lost touch with real life conversations with

Teens are meeting friends online who are complete strangers. Many teens connect through online game and social media and do not meet online. According from the Washington Post by Kang (2015), 6 out of 10 teens say they met at least one friend from the web. Only one-third of adolescents end up meeting each other in person. Meeting someone online sometimes a person may never know who is on the other side of the screen. Sexual predators prey one teens that engage in the online social networks. For example, when adolescents are online, some are not attentive of the behavior the other users online. Social media has taken place of extracurricular activities; fewer adolescents are not involved in sports and clubs. “The digital world has taken its place alongside school and friends’ houses and extracurriculars [sic] as a place where teens go and strengthen

The research question is designed to indicate the reasons that makes social media so attractive for teenagers. Habits of teenagers and young adults in their social media activities will be assessed for a further understanding of the research question. This study also aims to look at how social media has affected the emulation of identity among teenagers and to what extent are social media channels considered an outlet to express themselves. The findings of this research will hopefully create awareness among

What happened to the days when talking to someone was either face to face, or on the telephone? Today, children and teens hardly ever speak to people face to face, even when in a public setting with people that they know. This is not only present in teens, but with most age groups. In today's world, instead of talking to someone face to face, social media has come along making face to face communication less common. At the same time, social media makes it possible for people who live in different countries, such as family, able to communicate with one another anytime."Social media is a great way to connect with my friends and family back home in Florida," State U. freshman Rob Dole said.

Social media sites are described as rapidly growing platforms of user-generated content: digital images, videos, and blogs. They encompass a vast majority of contemporary websites and serve as a place to divulge in interesting discussion, reconnect with past friends or family, and even serve as footholds for important parts of one’s life through posted content. Social media sites are sitting on their throne in the fast-paced world of instant communication. However, it is also for this reason of mass communication that bring about the detriments of social media. They can often influence younger minds, specifically teenagers, into partaking in drug abuse through several forms. It is an unfortunate fact that teenagers are exposed to this type of social peer-pressure daily, through a variety of sources such as their favorite music artists. In fact, most modern day “rappers”, consistently post self-glorifying images of themselves smoking marijuana. The social environment of open drug use and advertising on social media sites plays a major component in the recent trends of drug abuse present in teenagers aged 12-17 in the United States through various influences.

Social media is a crucial part of a person’s everyday life. Many teenagers use it as an outlet to develop their identity and a way to communicate with others. However, some teenagers use it in a negative way. They use it to bully others online causing them to suffer negatively both mentally and physically.

Some of the top benefits of social media over the years are that it is free to anyone, the content can get out to resources virtually immediately, and it can be delivered to a wide variety of people. For these reasons, communication through social media has become an extremely accessible and convenient way to communicate. It is also popular for those who need to be in contact with others. One example that comes to mind is a teenager who goes away on a trip to visit a friend or family. They can be hundreds of miles away but still talk to their parents as if they weren’t. Another example is a person who is shy and has a hard time making friends face-to-face, social media sites are a great way to meet people and build relationships.