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.”

According to a recent study by IDC Research, 80% of smartphone users check their phones within 15 minutes of waking up each morning.

In recent years, media has really had an impact on how people see the world. A technology driven society is emerging because people are hooked to their phones and social media handles. And while there is nothing inherently wrong with social media as a whole, there are definite issues with the credibility of the things shared on social media. Largely as a result of social media engagement, there has been a rise in both fake news and the use of click bait. Titles such as “Pope Francis shocks world, endorses Trump for president” and “WikiLeaks confirms Hillary sold weapons to ISIS… Then drops another bombshell” are some of the most influential fictional stories from 2016 (Hannah Ritchie). These are just two headlines of news stories

Growing up in the age of internet and being millennials, social media is as natural to the people of today as breathing or drinking water. Social media is a “series of websites and applications that have been designed to allow people to share content and communicate with each other quickly and efficiently” (“What is Social Media, 2017). A few people have a more confined perspective of social media likening it to mean the same as social networking on sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others. The power of social media is such that, the number of people using it worldwide is expected to reach 2.95 billion by 2020, which is a third of the world’s entire population (Facts, 2017). Social media has been described as being more addictive than even cigarettes and alcohol because it has entered so deeply into the lives of young people that it is almost impossible to stop using it every day (Winefield, Gill, Taylor & Pilkington, 2017). Today, social media can serve as a helping tool in changing a person’s life but at the same time it could also lead to a conflict which might have a negative impact on a person. As summarized by Huppert “Psychological well-being is all about the lives going well. It is a dual combination of feeling good and functioning effectively” (2009, p.137). Social media affects our psychological well-being in many different ways, both positively and negatively. Due to the broad nature of this topic, this essay will focus equally on both the pros and cons

Social media is the reason for many of the world's problems. It can be used to raise awareness for an important cause, but can also be used to distribute hatred throughout the country. Being a teenager, I can be the first to say that social media is how most teens ruin their life. “According to a common sense media poll from August 2009, 22% of teenagers log on to their favorites social media site more than 10 times a day, and more than half of adolescents log on to a social media site more than once a day.” Essential connections occur through the use of internet, but the reliance teens have on social media is

Social media has a lengthy list of cons and downturns which in return I fear will degrade and decrease youth’s minds and lifestyles in general as social media has become such a significant way of functioning on a day to day basis. Few aspects of this would include privacy and safety, Internet sex crimes, cyber-bullying, personality and brain disorders in children, possibility of depression and anxiety and self identification. This makes it difficult for users to fully comprehend the consequences of a world where social media can take over. I will discuss why I believe social media will produce negative effects in youths and adolescence in the future.

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

Used by the majority of Americans, social media has become a prominent source of entertainment, education, and communication. Social media is consistently at the fingertips of the average American, however, with this much exposure it has been shown to display negative effects, including of mental illness, addiction, low self-esteem and an outlet for bullying. Eventually, this can result in the downfall of social media

In the previous few decades, technology and the creation of social media sites have taken a great part in the lives of people. The internet particularly began to develop in the early 2000’s into a prominent use within professional companies and personal use. Myspace and Facebook began the launch of early social media sites. Most children growing up in the early 2000’s did not have a prominent engagement in social media. However, times have changed. Technology has snuck its way into nearly every part of people’s lives, including those growing up. But, the internet and social media do not always have beneficial effects. Social media creates lasting problems for teenagers.

The term social media “refers to networks that facilitate the interaction between individuals in virtual communities and networks” (American Economic History: A Dictionary and Chronology 12). The world wide web provides an infinite amount of possibilities for an individual to research, attain knowledge, and seek helpful advice, but what this popular phenomenon provides is not all positive. Social Media creates expectations, which “ come to have a collection of ideas about what is expected of “them” in terms of their behaviour in certain social situations and, in turn, of what they should expect concerning the behaviour of others and of their treatment in society generally” (Dictionary of media and Communication Studies). In today’s society the

Peter Drucker is best known for being the Father of Modern Management, as well as being the author of several books and articles about innovation, entrepreneurship and strategies for dealing with the world. Drucker once said, “The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said” (Drucker). Social Media has an had enormous effect on the world today. Everyday people are posting cruel comments and inappropriate posts about others without thinking about the effect it can have on that person. Although these sites provide us with easier ways of connecting with the world, they also have a negative impact on how people can view themselves. Social media sites such as, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram cause negativity all over the world today.

Before the era of social media, vacations got their meaning from the quality of the memories that were brought home; however, with technology and social media becoming increasingly more prevalent in today’s society, this is not the case anymore. With 76% of travelers posting their vacation pictures online through some social media platform, the “success” of a trip is now often defined by the number of “likes” that our posted photos receive (Frenaye). In this new culture of daily-life sharing, society has become addicted to the number of “likes” received; Consequently, there are unmistakable harmful psychological effects that develop in users of social media. Many travel photography accounts on social media, such as @MuradOsmann, create idealized lifestyles that negatively influence others’ self-perception and personal expectations due to frequent comparison to these professionally-edited images that display high economic status and perfect relationships.

People no longer stop by a friend’s house and get together around a table for lunch, when they can meet and chat with their friends online all throughout the day. Too often at parties and get-togethers, guests are attached to their smartphones texting, rather than truly interacting with the people around them. People nowadays are opting for online dating applications over face-to-face conversations and meetings. From all these transformations, it is evident that even though social media appear to have eased our lives, it has in fact made it more complex by ruining our ability to have relationships by robbing us of our precious time spent with our loved ones, interpersonal communication skills, and mental well-being.

Social media plays a huge role in today’s society. As technology continues to advance social media does too. While social networking sites become more popular the age of users on the site becomes younger. Social media has been around for what seems like forever, but it has only been around for less than two decades, “SixDegree.com, which existed from 1997-2001, is considered the first social networking site because it allowed users to create personal spaces and connect with friends online” (ProCon.org). Since the first social media site was created, there has been multiple new ones created like, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and many other commonly used sites. “As of Sep. 2014, 51% of US adults use YouTube, 28% use Pinterest, 28% use LinkedIn, 26% use Instagram, and 23% use Twitter” (ProCon.org). When analyzing the amount of time people spend on social media there are shocking results, “‘According to a [December] 2012 Nielsen…Americans spent 74 billion minutes on social media via a home computer, 40.8 billion minutes via apps, and 5.7 billion minutes via mobile web browser for a total of 121.1 billion minutes on social networking sites’” (ProCon.org). The large amounts of time people spend on social media affects society and people around by taking away face to face communication skills, making relationships weaker, lowering mental health, and

I’ve learned that everything that glitters ain’t gold. In my middle school days I’ve experienced the negative effects of social media, Now when I say social media, I’m referring to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat. By me being very active on social media I’ve been taunted, teased, threatened and harassed along with having low- self esteem and some suicidal thoughts . According to a recent study in the JAMA pediatrics, 23% of teens report they are or have been the target of cyberbullying . “A National survey of over 10,000 adolescents showed that 1 in 3 teens met criteria for an anxiety disorder. Severe anxiety, including panic disorders, generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and phobias, afflicts 8.3% of all teens. 5% to 8% of U.S. teens attempt suicide yearly. According to a new study from the Pew Research Center, it states that 92% of teens use their smartphones to access social media daily while 24% say they access it almost constantly”. Even though some people believe social media opens up a large network, social media do have an negative effect on teens because it is one of the main reasons for Poor Academic Performance, It causes teens to have Emotional Implications and Limiting time spent on social media can reduce the chance of being Cyberbullied.