The Effects of Social Media on College Freshmen Essay

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.

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.

Various individuals long for a time when technology did not take over the world. For teenagers, it is difficult to imagine a life without the World Wide Web and its countless perks at their fingertips. Social media consumes young lives more than any other form of technological advancement. Social media has a few pros, but also its fair share of cons.

The goal of this paper is to examine the effects of social media on teenagers and young adults. This study is aimed at looking at whether social media as a key influence in determining the attention span of young people and their capability in fulfilling their studies and responsibilities. As participation in technological social network has become a mainstream communication method for many, this research will delve on the underlying problems of social media addiction among students. It is also for this reason that this research will conduct a thorough survey on the causal relation between the amount of time spent on social media and the academic results in students. This paper will also look on the relationship between the age and the number of hours spent on social media.

This topic would drive focus towards social media and its relation to stress, anxiety, and depression on college students. I chose not to pursue the effects of social media on adults because that is a world I feel disconnected from, and I can’t provide valuable insight to. I will try to incorporate social media’s effects on adults in comparison to teenagers and college students though. The difference in lifestyles between teenagers and college students (constantly surrounded by kids) can be very different compared to the lifestyles of adults (sometimes around others in corporate world, but usually smaller groups).

Did you know according to the Department of Health and Human Services that 94 percent of teens use social media? Which has showed us social media is a major problem. Social media is applications and websites that people create and share information, ideas, and messages. Social media has caused many problems, including it has contributed to people being isolated. Isolation is to be set apart or separate and to be alone, which is harmful because you can lose basic social skills. Social media harmfully isolate people and users because it causes people to not fully engage with others, they do not make friends, and they lose practice on basic social skills.

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.

Currently individual adolescents are highly subjective to the new craze of ‘social media’, growing up in a generation that relies heavily on technology in every day life; adolescents have social networking at their fingertips through a number of technological products. A recent study shows adolescents use social media for a variety of reasons (Appendix 2). Among the group surveyed 75% had a social networking profiled, believing social media had a positive impact on their emotional wellbeing. Regarding relationships, the majority of the 75% whom have a social networking profile agreed it was beneficial to their relationships not only with friends and family, also teachers. Of this 75%, 88% agreed social media helped them keep in touch with friends they could not see regularly. This 88% also agree social media allows them to connect with students at their school, along with people who share a common interest. However research also showed (Appendix 2.1), most adolescents prefer face-to-face communication, believing social media can cause interference with this. From the group of adolescents examined, some also desired being able to disconnect from social media and connect more often with the people around them.

Jon Russell once said, “Social Media presents a huge opportunity for schools, universities and other educational organizations to reach out and connect with students and prospective students”. With no doubt, social media has influenced the way students are educated today. For those of you who do not know the exact definition of social media, the social media means ways of sharing information, opinions, images, videos using the Internet, especially social networking sites. Because of the Internet, people started finding ways to socialize through social websites and exchange information. Popular social network on the Internet such as YouTube became a sensation for me ever since I became a student in college. Today social media can be used for educational purposes. The ways social media is changing education has affected how the students express themselves, behave, and interact with each other.

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 any website that allows social interaction. Social media is growing rapidly throughout the world. More adults and teenagers are joining sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter to interact with friends, family, and strangers. The introduction of social media has changed the world in many ways. It affects each individual in different ways. Today it can be used as a very helpful tool in changing a person’s life, but at the same time cause such conflicts which can negatively impact a person. While there are some negatives associated with social media, the positives in communication all around, has made the world stronger and a better place to live in.

Is social media a hindrance to college students or is it an advantage to have on campus and in classes? This is a debate that has been on-going; ever since social media became a big part in the way college students communicate with each other in class and out. Yang and Brown propose that “social networking sites can be instrumental in maintaining existing relationships as well as establishing new social ties. Ellison et al. (2007,2011) found that it was common for college students to use Facebook to keep in touch with old friends and to learn more about classmates or people they met socially (404).” If we allow it, social media has the ability to positively affect the way we learn.

Studies have shown that the average person now spends more time each day on their phone and computer than they do sleeping according to Nick McGillivray (“What are the Effects of Social Media on Youth?). Social has become part of our social society, especially for the many youths. There are positives to being on social media and also equal amounts of danger that come with using social networking sites, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. These social networking sites also have effects on today’s youth by altering the way they behave, the way they learn, in not only a classroom setting but also in the real world setting, and the way that they socialize with their peers and others.

Everything looks and feels easier to do with social media. People who use social media are somehow limiting their abilities to make real interpersonal connections. Some teenagers are socially awkward in general, they seem really weird in person but on Facebook they seem to come off as pretty cool people. Technology is able to affect the teenagers of America in many ways, lowering their communication standards, which make them socially awkward. “The most recent nationally representative surveys of the Pew Internet Project show how immersed teens and young adults are in the tech environment and how tied they are to the mobile and social sides of it. Some 95% of teens ages 12-17 are online, 76% use social networking sites, and 77% have cell phones. Moreover, 96% of those ages 18-29 are Internet users, 84%

With over one billion Facebook users and 255 million on Twitter, there is no denying the expansion of social media uses. There is no denying that college students are not directly connected socially at all hours of the day. The rise of smart phone usage leads to a demand for a growing social media market. A study conducted by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin shows there is a positive relation between avid Facebook users and social satisfaction and acceptance (Valeenzuele et al. 894). Thus showing, those who engage more on social media, such as Facebook, find their connection to the world more meaningful because they can easily engage with others on