Negative Effects Of Social Media On College Students

Kardaras, Nicolas. "Generation Z: Online and at Risk?." Scientific American Mind, vol. 27, no. 5, Sep/Oct 2016, pp. 64-9. MasterFILE Premier. Kardars discuss generation z use of social media affecting them negatively. He opens his article with a story of Heidi who becomes addicted to social media when her school issues her a Chromebook. Before Heidi is issued the laptop, she was a sweet innocent girl and after having it for a semester she became someone her parents could not recognize. He states that social media is a “perfect storm” for humans because having a social connection key to “happiness and health”. Having the ability to always use social media leads to hyper texting the illusion of a real connection making it hard for teens to have face to face conversations, making a teens become “glow kid[s]“, someone who is raised on mostly digital social interactions. Facebook depression” can result in the teen to have lower grades and behavior problems in teens. He concludes his article with facts proving that Facebook can become addictive in some people. This source helps support my thesis that Facebook affects teens mental health.

Social Networking: The recent study revealed that more and more people of all age groups are facing depression due to social networking. For e.g. someone enjoying outing/get together with friends or getting more likes or comments makes one feel jealous and/or left out. Most children and young people are experiencing loneliness due this.

Although it may seem unrelated, social media has been linked with depression. In reality, teenagers tend to spend a lot of time alone in their rooms accompanied by only their phones or laptops, which causes them to subconsciously feel alone even though they think they are communicating with the world through technology. In turn, loneliness increases the amount of time one spends thinking, making one

With this increase in technology, particularly the internet and social media, researchers have begun to question its effects on mental health, particularly anxiety, depression, and loneliness.

A recent study published in 2016 by a team of researchers found that in a survey of 1,787 adults, ages 19-32 there was a “strong and significant association between social media use and depression in a nationally representative sample of U.S. young adults” (Lindsey et al.). This is not the first study to confirm the hypothesis that social media use causes depression, but it is the most recent and largest study to date and it confirms the findings of other smaller studies done. Perhaps social media makes lonely people less lonely by allowing them to easily meet new people or rekindle old social bonds. However, a study lead by social psychologist Robert Kraut on depression and internet use found that users who were introverted were more likely to feel depressed and lonely using the internet that extroverted internet users (49-74). Social media has even given way to a new term, FOMO…or the fear of missing out which users can experience as they peruse Facebook. Not only does the internet hardwire us for depression, but its driving content can make us feel more lonely or

Social media has been known to have positive and negative effects on the happiness of college students. There are many outcomes to the use of social media and many of them can be detrimental to a student’s happiness. Social media can also encourage new bad behaviors in teenagers who are easily influenced. Teens that use social media must learn to prioritize their lives in order to prevent disorder in their lives. It can also be very helpful for some teens that are socially shy and need new ways of making friends. Many teens today struggle with being shy and don’t know how to interact with their peers. Sites like twitter and Facebook are a gateway in helping these teens

Firstly, there have been significant links between our online presence and other aspects of our mental health, which has inspired the subject matter of many recent research studies around the world. There are many psychological and physical factors that affect our mental well-being due to the impact of social media. Depression and Body Dysmorphia being the leading causes, due to the content the individuals are exposed to while online. Even though researchers coined the correlation between social media use and depression as complex. Data was collected from a sample of 340 first year college students, and the findings were that the increase use of Facebook have been associated with higher levels of loneliness. Also the extensive use of Facebook has been associated with higher rates of disordered eating and body image insecurity.

Becker, M. W., Alzahabi, R., & Hopwood, C. J. (2013). Media Multitasking Is Associated with Symptoms of Depression and Social Anxiety. Cyberpsychology, Behavior & Social Networking, 16(2), 132-135. doi:10.1089/cyber.2012.0291

Social media has connected us in unimaginable ways, and introduced us to a world much larger than our humble backyards. Nowadays, nearly everyone has a Facebook, an Instagram, or a Twitter account. Grandparents, teenagers, children, and even some pets are a part of one social network or another. While websites like Facebook are great for sharing pictures, stories, and interests, but they are also capable of raising awareness about important issues that may have been overlooked. Recently, the overuse of Facebook was thought to promote negative psychology well-being, including depression and loneliness. It 's safe to say that the world has become hopelessly addicted to social media. Plenty of people can 't make it through the day or in extreme cases a few hours without popping on their computers or scrolling through their smart phones to check the newsfeed on Facebook. As Stephen Marche says in his article, "Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?”, Facebook makes us miserable and lonely. In fact, even though there is evidence showing that we 're more detached or lonely than ever because given Facebook is about social relationships; however, the site also offers an extraordinary number of ways to connect with others. This is just a taste of what Facebook can do, and with a huge number of people utilizing them, its possibilities are only growing. Facebook does not replace real human relationship or create loneliness, but it does not exterminate it either. It all depends on ones usage.

The advent of social technology may bear some responsibility for anxiety and depression in adolescents, teenagers, and young adults. Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram -- they are all fun -- until things get out of hand. The 2014 National College Health Assessment, a survey of nearly 80,000 college students throughout the United States, found that 54% of students reported experiencing overwhelming anxiety in the past 12 months and that 32.6% "felt so depressed that it was difficult to function" during the same period. The study also found that 6.4% had "intentionally, cut, burned, bruised or otherwise injured" themselves, that 8.1% had seriously considered suicide and that 1.3% had attempted suicide (Potarazu). Sreedhar uses logos to support how social media have some part in the causes of anxiety and depression in adolescents, teenagers, and young adults. He uses the survey data conducted by The National College Health Assessment to prove his point.

Depression is a serious mental illness; it can affect an individual’s well-being, destroy their relationships with others, and even lead to suicide if left untreated. Though many of its causes are known, scientists are conducting research to see if social media now plays a role. Depression has become a much bigger issue in recent years; between 2010 and 2016, depression rates of adolescents in the U.S. rose about 60% (Heid 46). There’s a multitude of reasons for why this could be, but the rise in social media use is a very likely cause. A U.S. study determining the association between depression and social media claims that “Multiple studies have linked social media use with declines in subjective mood, sense of well-being, and life satisfaction” (Lin et al. 328). With this information, it’s definitely possible that there is a relationship between depression and social media usage. This may be because of the situations some people face online: comparing themselves to others through photos and status updates, coming across dangerous and stalking characters, and cyberbullying. The reason for this relationship may also be simply unknown. Whatever the cause, heavy social media users are highly at risk for symptoms of

The popularity of social media giants such as Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook are on the rise and so is our nation's overall poor mental health status (The State of Mental Health in America). Studies have shown that there is a direct link between our social media obsession and our poor mental health (Walton). Social media can lead to feelings of comparison, jealousy and even delusional behavior. Another effect that social media has on our mental health is that it often leads to feelings of sadness and loneliness. Lastly, social media addiction is one of the many things that affects our mental health. Studies show that social media is often the cause of poor mental health, it can cause comparison, jealousy, loneliness and lastly addiction.

“The analysis showed that people who reported using the most platforms (seven to 11) had more than three times the risk of depression and anxiety” (Zagorski web). The younger the person is when exposed to social media the more likely they are to suffer from depression and anxiety. With teen’s brains not fully developed and using multiple social media site this could lead to negative thought or feeling in a teen. This could lead to making a teen self-harm or committing suicide. With so many teens on social media and so many emotions on these sites they are contagious to read, however when a teen reads these statuses it also can make them feel the same way. So, when a teen reads a depressing status it can cause them to feel the exact same way.

Are we becoming less human with the passing of each day? Have we become too dependent on technology, specifically social media? In this day and age, people have different views on social media. They question its true purpose and its effect on society as a whole. With that said, although there are many thoughts concerning the topic/trend of social media something that is undoubtedly true is that social media plays an active role in the lives of the majority of people. Whether in a positive or negative way, social media influences the lives of all people. However this paper focuses on the effect of social media on college students. It addresses both the positive and negative effects of social media on those in college; focusing on a student’s academic efficiency, social interactive skills, and overall productivity.

Our lives seem to be more and more consumed by technology as great advances in this area have continue to be made, especially when it comes to social media. Many researchers have begun to notice that depending on how much time individuals spend on these social media sites, they can negatively affect their daily lifestyle in very significant ways.  For example, social networking has become a huge distraction for students and it can affect their grades depending on how often they check their various accounts while doing class work.  Researchers have also come to find out that social media can contribute to the development of psychological symptoms