The Negative Effects Of Social Media

Social media has become a part of our life, and no one can imagine living without it. Social media has grown a lot over the several years. Young individuals have always thought that social media is a marvelous piece of technology, but they never think about the negative effects of ‘like’ culture, which contributes to conformity and other negative consequences. The article, The Insidious Evils of ‘Like’ Culture, written by Neil Strauss, tells us about to what people can go to get more “likes.”

In the article, Liliana Escobar-Chaves and Craig Anderson focus on how youth are spending more time on social media and how that time spent of social media is causing them to bring negative effects to society. The authors go on to explain how the trends in increased social media use is increasing the health risks of obesity, smoking, drinking, unsafe sex and violence. The authors provide an in-depth look into each health risk and provide multiple facts and research studies to help support their claims. These research studies provide a clear and excellent understanding into how the increase in the use of social media can have a negative effect on the health risks they mentioned in the article.

Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram are just a few examples of social media that our society revolves around. From hate posts to videos of dogs eating ice cream you can find pretty much anything you want with a touch of a button. Everyone has their different opinions and it is much easier to share those through that little thing you cling onto as if it somehow protects you. We have adapted to being able to type whatever we want and post it for everyone to see instead of confronting the problem face to face. Social media provides a mostly negative effect on not only our generations but past and future generations as well. There could be the best thing for America today and you will find someone who disagrees and changes that into a bad thing that should have never been introduced, self esteem is determined by how many likes you got on your last post and lastly, these poor kids can’t have their own thought process they have to go along with the “status quote.”

Once upon a time, folks were able to create small talk with one another with ease, even if they were complete strangers to each other. Eye contact and showing that you were engaged in what someone was speaking to you about was not an issue. Fast forward to when electronics such as Personal Computers, Smartphones, and Tablets started to distract society by becoming prominent products of daily usage and with the birth of social media (which is accessible through these devices), they are now taking over for the worst. Those once normal abilities to mingle and get to know one another with comfort is now on the backburner, and it has been there for a while now. In light of technology and social media’s effect on people’s social skills, the argument can be made that with its growing prevalence and usage, it indeed having a negative effect on us. The negative effect being our basic social skills rotting away and the issues of social media literacy and the distinct difference between this generation and our parent’s generation also surfaces.

Scientists as well as prominent Facebook associates and employees are questioning whether or not it’s remotely possible for social media to ever fade away. The question is just as valid as a challenge to early suggestions some ten years ago or less that social media would merely be a fad. They question this, though, only because they fear that it might be best for everyone if an end to the social media era did come to fruition because of the litany of adverse effects it’s been proven to have on people. New research finds that children as young as 10 years old fit the psychological profile for addicts with regard to social media and that their happiness directly correlates with how many likes they get.

Social media is dangerous. In other words, the advances of technical communication and networking have contributed to the declining mental health status of the American youth. As a matter of fact, it has been linked to body insecurities, depression, and addictive or obsessive thoughts and habits.

Throughout the years, social media has gathered friends and family from near and far with the ability to remain closely connected and in touch as if your loved one was in the same room. In today’s society and in my generation and further generations to come, social media has gained so much public attention. Social media has gained the ability to inspire towards a fast paced lifestyle. Social Networking has changed the way society communicates, does business and interacts with outside sources for numerous of proactive circumstances. It gives us the ability to stay connected with easy and efficient instant communication, and provides us with great business opportunities. Social Media helps new businesses and long standing businesses with a cost effective way to promote their services with the option to receive instant feedback,

There is no doubt that social media and the internet is an insanely popular way of communicating among our friends and family, but with so much time spent on social media, there are bound to be effects that can be felt by all of us. Big social media platforms like Instagram and Snapchat have such a widespread user base that the amount of time spent on these platforms by all users is most likely an unbelievable number. A lot of people may think that social media is a waste of time and has addictive qualities, and has mostly negative impacts on its users; Social media can also be used in a variety of ways that are more beneficial and not time wasting.

Most teenagers have cell phones that they use for large portions of the day. Yet we do not know what they could be doing on there. Social media has a huge impact on someone’s life when it comes to Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and ect, however a lot of it is negative. The social media platform is enormous and still expanding every second, almost every kid has some platform of social media. Kids as little as five have some social media accounts! What the older generation grew up with and this generation now are way different. Social media has a negative influence on society because it is a platform for bullying, can lead to poor grades and puts your safety at risk.

Social media is a large set of networks that allow individuals to communicate and engage with one another. Originally, these networks started as an extra way of communicating, but have now become a primary source (Johnson, Auria, et al. 1). Media can be used in positive ways such as spreading mass news, social marketing, connecting with family and friends, and as a search engine. Now, it is commonly used in negative ways. Festinger proposed that individuals use social media to evaluate and compare themselves with one another (Tatangelo & Ricciardelli 776). This leads to change in their “social and emotional development,” especially in teenagers (776). That statement can be proven by the fact that because so many individuals rely on social media, they end up worrying about what others think, so they feel insecure or ashamed. The effect of this can end up causing extreme changes to an individual’s life. This essay will argue that individuals darken social media by using it as a mask to influence one another, which increases the risk of mental health issues. This will be accomplished by analyzing how the people who engage in the media can change their own image, an individual’s self-image, value and identity, which can lead to stress, anxiety, depression, and even suicide.

However, does that mean that social media has a negative effect, restricting children from forming strong bonds and relationships? Yes and no. Going deeper into the discussion, I was reminded of a video that I had come across from a TV show called ‘Adam Ruins Everything,’ a series based around debunking common misconceptions. In this video in particular, the host interviews Anne Curzan, a Professor of English at the University of Michigan, discussing how language has changed in culture because of the addition of texting. She explains that it is not that the grammar of texters is improper, it is only that it is different and everchanging. Nowadays, it is common knowledge that if someone ends their text in a period, then it means that they are angry. Curzan also explains that while parents and adults might believe that their children do not put grammar into consideration, text messages actually are thought over quite intentionally because text has almost become its own language; a “text language.” (BATORACLE) With that, Turkle also describes the use of images and memes with funny texts in group messages, saying that people should never let it replace empathetic face-to-face conversation. However, one must look at texting, instant messaging, and memes and pictures as just a different language from spoken English, bringing up emotions and phrases that can not be defined in typical spoken conversation. In fact, the use of slang, now used especially on social media, has always

Erik Qualman once said, “We don’t have the choice on whether we do social media, the question is how well we do it.” According to Merriam Webster, social medias are forms of electronic communication through which people create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, etc. Certainly, most high schools students own more than one account on the Internet. Because younger generations have little understanding of social medias, they are more likely to be controlled by the Internet. For instance, bad manners out there might take advantage of them. Nowadays, adolescents are more likely to be on their phones rather than enjoy the sun out there. For this reason, teens are less experienced the state of being teenagers. Social media has a huge impact on our future generations because it causes addiction, distraction, and depression.

The effects of social media have been known but disregarded by the young. Especially now in this age we live in, social media is heavily favored by young and adults who uses social media daily. Everyday, there is someone sitting in front of a computer or using their phone to see what friends or doing or what not. There is at least 70% of Americans who uses social media meaning they will most likely tend to the argument that social media is a positive effect to society. Although, there are the many who also argue that social media are affecting the youth of this generation negatively. Whether it being the positive effects of social media or the negative effects, there are many good arguments against each claim or statement.

Social media is a part of society as water is to life. Without the use of social media there would be a world of close friendships and face to face communication. “It’s estimated that by 2018, 2.44 billion people will be using social networks, up from 970,000 in 2010” (Guzman). Imagine not having social media to communicate with friends and family. Think about having to have a face to face conversation instead. “We use it for every part of our lives- in our personal relationships, for entertainment, at work and in our studies… every minute we collectively send more than 30 million messages on Facebook and almost 350,000 tweets” (Guzman). Social media is becoming an increasing problem throughout society, taking away face to face communication, effecting relationships, and causing a negative effect on mental health.

Imagine the world without any form of social media: No Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, or Twitter. We would have to stop endlessly scrolling through our feeds. We would not be able to conquer the constant overwhelming urge inside of us that makes social media a popular dependency. We would have to look up from our phones and see the world around us. Our society today solely revolves around the use of social media. Even though social media can be an exciting form of entertainment for many, the amount of hours spent on social networking is clearly unhealthy. Kelly Wallace, a television journalist who reports for CNN, states that “on any given day, teens in the United States spend about nine hours using media for their enjoyment”. On average, teenagers spend sixty-three hours a week on social media and about two hundred and fifty two hours on social media in a typical month. Despite the negative effects of social media, such as cyberbullying, depression, and unrealistic body standards, teenagers keep returning to their favorite apps for entertainment purposes. Disturbing websites and apps can be found on the internet and recent suicides have been linked to the use of social media that have taken place all around the world. In one case, The Blue Whale Challenge has caused over 130 deaths in Russia. The challenge gives unsuspecting people tasks to complete such as cutting your body and watching scary videos. At the end of the challenge, the last task is to commit suicide or else someone would supposedly go and kill the player’s family. Police in the United Kingdom are currently warning parents and children about the dangerous social media phenomenon. Social media can be a great source of communication but is a cruel and menacing commodity when used incorrectly. The increasingly high demand for social media is driving our world into a downward spiral and is creating a cynical environment. The unhealthy addiction to social media is a serious issue that needs to come to an end.