Negative Effects Of Social Media

The use of social networking sites is rising at great rates. According to a report conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project in 2012, ninety-five percent of individuals aged 12-17 use the internet; and eighty-one percent of those use social network sites (Pew Interest). Although it is known that social media can have a useful impact on lives, often times people forget that with a positive comes a negative. The continual use of social network sites will impact teen lives more negatively than positively because they can cause huge distractions from valuable and critical pursuits like education; they can also cause mental health issues and a reduction in communication skills.

Social media sites are a few of the most visited sites every day. Everyone wants to know what everyone else is up to. People can follow their favorite celebrities every move and see what their friends are doing with every update. Few people go days without checking their online profiles on popular social media sites such as, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Many people joined these networks to keep up with old friends from the past and keep contact with everyone in their life and young people use them every day to check status updates and post selfies. In the article, " The upside of selfies: Social media isn't all bad for kids", Kelly Wallace claims that social media has a positive effect on young people. However, research shows that social media impacts young people’s emotional health negatively.

73% of teenagers use what seems to be harmless, social media. Although it’s main function is to provide online communities for friends to interact on the internet, social media is a direct link to developing mental illnesses. Mental health is a very important issue, especially in the millennial generation, because it can impact a life drastically. Mental well-being is at risk when using social media because it flaunts what society considers “perfection” to be, can become easily addictive and social net workings can be a hostile environment. All of these issues that are promoted by social media or that exists there can seriously deteriorate mental health and drive illnesses forward.

Online social media has gained worldwide growth and popularity through the use of teenagers and young adults which has led to attracting attention from a different variety of researchers throughout the world. Although with time, every generation has come to terms with the changes social network has brought to the world, teenagers and young adults use social media the most. According to multiple research studies in the field of online social networks, they have come to the conclusion that these sites are having a big but negative impact on the lives of the youth.

Social media seems to be one of the many hot topics of discussion recently, and consequently many people have the false sense of security that they have a profound knowledge on how it affects the health of the teenage population. A sedentary lifestyle, decreased sleep, as well as other physical health conditions seem to come to mind when one links health and social media. However, there is a much bigger problem that can go unnoticed because it can be impossible to see: the impact it has on mental and emotional health. These branches of health are just as important, and even arguably more important than physical health is. Social media can be utilized to connect with distant friends and express oneself; however, teenagers should refrain from the overuse of social media due to its detrimental effects on their mental and emotional health.

The article entitled, “I know who you are and I saw what you did” by Lori Andrews explains one of the major issues that the world of social media is facing is in protecting the privacy of the users. The creation of social media has changed the scenario of the world. It has opened new dimensions for people and is regarded as the most innovative and revolutionary creation of the 21st century which has played a significant role in globalizing the world. As much useful can social media be, one major phenomena is that no matter how protected the webs may be, social media has a much deeper and darker side where each user can be tracked and traced.

Social media is one of the most common ways for people to communicate anywhere and at any time in modern society. Some people think that it is beneficial to have in society. Although, many people are starting to see negative effects arise from the use of social media as well. These negative effects are increasing and becoming more problematic every day. The disadvantages of social media far outweigh the advantages. Social media effects everyone in society, especially teenagers by negatively impacting their lives, face-to-face interactions, and mental health.

Social media is unquestionably, everywhere. In spite of its recent beginnings, it has quickly become an indispensable part of everyday lives. Social media and various websites are the most commonly used among today’s society, specifically of young adults. Social media sites include learning resources, like blogs; image and networking pages such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter; streaming sites such as YouTube; and interactive peer-to-peer gaming sites. With these platforms, the world continues to grow smaller and smaller as social media connects every aspect of human life, benefitting young adolescents by improving connections, communication and even practical skills needed for adulthood. However, despite its ability to bring people together, several recent researchers share the belief that social media has affected society negatively, most especially those who are still in school. The problem that this essay tackles is how young adults’ mental health is affected by too much social media influence. Are online actions an expression of offline behaviors? Is social media harming young adults’ mental health? These topics have been argued by several researches and make for interesting debates. Statistics from a research done by Doctors Gwenn Schurgin O’Keeffe and Kathleen Clarke-Pearson show many mental health issues, about 50-70%, are diagnosed before the age of 18. Making this age demographic

Social Networking sites have become increasingly more popular in the last decade. This study was addressing the negative psychological consequences from heavy social networking in adolescents. Since technologies are evolving and having a connection to Internet in a portable device is common these days, this study wanted to determine the effects this can lead to. Teens and young adults are tested though a questionnaire in several different countries. The study mainly focused on FOMO as well as the just the general usage of the social networking sites (SNS).

With the help of technology, we can spread information faster than any other media source. From natural disasters, a famous figure passing away, or other shocking news; it only takes seconds for a friend to post it on their social media page, along with their reaction. With that in mind, because we live in the information age, the abundance of data we are exposed to can easily cause weariness (Kelly). As not everything shared is of interest to some individuals due to the information can be truthful, untruthful, or an opinion of the writer. Truthful information oftentimes becomes difficult to ascertain. While social media has allowed thousands to have a voice and spreads information that the user feels is important, a side effect is the spreading of false information distinguished as the truth. According to a website called Statista, eighty-one percent of U.S. Americans have had a social media profile, which is a five percent growth to previous years (Peng). While those numbers can be helpful while spreading news of a lost child on social media, negative results can take place as well. I have experienced firsthand how social media can spread news like wildfire, but in the process, the information gets twisted and changed becoming no longer truthful. Despite the previous viewpoint on the positives of social media, there are noticeably more negatives that imperil individuals.

Have you ever been left upset or had the feeling of unacceptance due to using social media? Using any social media of any kind can negative effects on you, these can be, low self- esteem, bulling and your social skills.

Approximately 81% of the United States population is reported to use social media sites on daily bases (Statista). Social media is specific to websites and applications such as Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and the alike. Each of these social media sites have their own effect on different kinds of people. For instance, older people are more likely to use Facebook than Snapchat, where younger generation is more likely to use Snapchat and Instagram over Facebook. Many of these social media sites are created by individuals as a free enterprise economy; this means the individuals that created social media sites want people to use it in order to make money. Although some people might believe that using social networking sites increases cyberbullying and online predatory behaviors, in fact social networking sites only helps people increase connection with friends and improve life satisfaction.

In today's world, social media and technology play a huge role in people's everyday aspect of living. The use of Social media has increased over the past years and still continues to rapidly grow. Some people may agree that it is a helpful tool for communication while other say it is harmful and that in fact, it distances us from our love ones. The argument for both sides has long been going on. However, in my stand, I strongly believe that social media has enhanced our communication in our communities in many positive ways.

The use of social media sites has increased with this generation of teens and young adults. These sites have become even more accessible to people now more than ever with the use of smartphones and tablets. Most social media is made with good intentions, from reuniting with old friends or keeping up with distant relatives. But as the saying goes, too much of a good thing can be bad for a person. Social media has opened up many beneficial avenues and opportunities for this generation to enjoy that weren’t there before, such as staying connected with friends or raising awareness for social causes like the ALS ice bucket challenge. As much as social media can benefit us, though, the misuse of it can have a negative impact on different aspects of someone’s life, including health, social interactions, and employment.

Social interaction has always been an essential to the survival of the human race. Socializing makes it possible for people to fully function as human beings because through socialization individuals learn their roles in life, their culture's language, and form their personality (Sociology). In today’s society, media plays a powerful role in people’s lives. It provides people the ability to form broad connections through countless social media sites and apps such as Facebook, Instagram, Skype, Youtube, and Twitter. Therefore, media has been growing rapidly throughout the world and has become a part of our generation. As users increase, the debate over whether the use media give a negative or a positive influence on people’s lives increases. Nowadays, youth lives most of their lives on media networks. They share news, pictures, secrets, love, and hate through a single tap on the “post” button. Media has a positive impact on our generation, yet at the same time, it can lead to negative influences that affect our society. I agree that the overuse of media can negatively affect youth because it can lead to addiction and cyberbullying.