The Negative Effects Of Social Media

Social media has been widely used in the United States and the rest of the world. These sites influenced the way we communicate, but, what about our health? According to the National Center for Biotechnology, researchers have found that the use of social media has increased the number of psychiatric disorders

Social Media is affecting our society in a negative way. From being the number one cause of divorce, ruining people’s careers, and being a haven for teen suicides, many misfortunes arise due to social media. People may not notice its damaging side effects yet it is slowly but surely proving detrimental to all involved in the game. By taking a step back and maintaining self-control, any human being immersed in the frenzy of social media can enjoy its perks without getting caught up in the whirlwind of unfortunate events.

Did you know social media can change you? Social media can cause problems with your health? In the article, “Student examines negative effects of social media on teens” by Aurelie Krakowsky and “The Upside of Selfies: Social media isn’t all that bad for kids” by Kelly Wallace talks about social media, but clearly it’s harmful to people. Social media is for people to enjoy on a daily basis and be updated on what is happening in the world; however it can be harmful to your health and even your education. It can lower kids self esteem and make them feel uncomfortable about themselves. It can also cause health issues and distant yourself from the people around you.

Erik Qualman once said, “We don't have a choice on whether we do social media, the question is how well we do it?” (Qualman, Erik). This quote clearly states that social media has become a part of today's society and that avoiding it would be nearly impossible without total isolation. The quote also ask a rhetorical question that simply queries, how properly do we use social media? Qualman made it obvious that we’re not being as effective as we should be on social media. Social media began it’s thriving point, with the 21st generation, around 2005 when the website Facebook was created. At that point and time, the website was mainly for communication purposes. Whereas now, all social media has formed into an entertainment center. Unfortunately, the original intentions of social media have reached an ultimate downfall. Social media can be used in several harmful ways; such as, the unintentional way, the intentional way, and the way that people tend to forget about.

Social networks are extremely addictive. According to a 2012 study posted on the National Institutes of Health website, social media addiction destroys lives. Many complications can arise from this addictive habit, from neurological problems to social complications. Notifications act as a drug. For many people social media is there

Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are commonly used among the younger generations, but can the excessive use of these apps cause mayhem? According to a new study conducted by the Family Technology Education Non-Profit Group, teenagers are spending nearly 9 hours a day on social media. The excessive use of social media is a bad influence on adolescents because of the negative impacts it has. Social media can cause direct impacts to the mental health, safety, and lives of its users. Teenagers need to ensure that they are being cautious and responsible while using different social media networks.

In a growing world where technology has become an essential source of communication, special attention must be placed on the potential hazards of social media. The relationship between an individual’s social media habits and mental health is complex. In this report many concepts will be explored thoroughly such as, the effects of social media on mental health, how it is concerned with substance abuse, the advantages and disadvantages of social media and which social media site is cyberbullying occurred on the most.

Social media is used by everyone. 71% of high schoolers say they utilize more than one of these social networking sites: Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Vine and Tumblr (Lenhart). These sites can benefit people, but can also hurt them. The creators of these sites did not intend for people to abuse them. They were made for everyone 's enjoyment. They can also be very informative and relaxing. Unfortunately, when people continue to misuse social media there can be serious consequences.

However, these positive factors can be highly addictive. As mentioned before, social media can be very competitive and can lead to developing obsession to “win” or just an obsession with social media in general. Addiction and obsession of the internet has been proven to lead to sleep deprivation, which is connected to many mental illnesses. Scientists say depression, anxiety and high stress are all symptoms of sleep deprivation. Lulu Chang writes of University of Pittsburg's research that says, "the social media habits of 1,700 adults between the ages of 19 and 32 and found that those who spent more than an hour a day on social media or tried to fall asleep to their news feed were more likely to suffer from sleep disturbances." The Telegraph explains that those who struggle with sleeping can easily develop mental illness due to increased stress levels and chemicals that are released by the frontal lobe of the brain when it has had a severe lack of sleep. Social media has the ability to significantly impact mental and physical health because of it’s addictive qualities, leading to potential harm of an individual’s well being and to those around

In the article “Constant Social Media and Teens’ Mental Health” Alan Mozes theorizes that ninety percent of teens all around the world use social media. Meaning that this could be affecting their mental health. Adolescents are now vulnerable to depression, anxiety, and sleep deprivation due to social media use, says psychology administrator, Heather Cleland Woods. The article asserts that 467 people were asked about their social media use, what times of the day they use it, and the pressure they feel when they can not respond to a message. The tests show that those who were more involved and somewhat addicted to social media have the greater chance of depression, anxiety, and poor sleep. This test refutes that cutting the use of social media

Smartphones are keeping people from having more deeper and more emotional face to face conversations. Most Americans have had at least one type of internet conversation without meeting the person face to face. Almost ninety-seven percent of students bring some type of device with them to school. In addition, many studies on technology and the effects it has on social interactions and face to face conversations; since rise in amount of social media usage in the late 2000’s. Seeing people have deep or emotional conversations in person is very rare to see

Being on social media daily, affects the youth-even adults- physically, socially, and emotionally/mentally. Because technology is so addictive, over the past few years, social media has begun to influence and take control of our lives.

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.

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.

The notifications of text, like, and share in technology and social media can be satisfying for many users. In fact, every time someone receives a text, like, or share, a chemical called dopamine and serotonin (the "feel good" chemicals in our body) are released making each notification addicting. In the past couple of years, technology and social media have changed tremendously making every site more addicting than ever. YouTube has numerous blogs one can watch now, Facebook has stories and live videoing, and Instagram/Snapchat have influenced social media users with different ways to post pictures and videos. There are many social media sites that people do not know exist; however, social media has taken over people's lives and have been the main cause to why anxiety and depression have increased in the last couple years. The "game" of social media is dangerous to people's social skills, personal life, and people's health.