The Negative Effects Of Social Media

Social media is nothing, but a distracting, timewasting, nuisance to everyone surrounded by it, right? Wrong. Social media has changed the world as we know it. People can share information quickly, publish their thoughts, and exchange their ideas. Social media is becoming a certainty in this modern age, which is why it should be embraced rather than criticized. Although there is concern over potential for cyberbullying and lack of privacy, the use of social media is inevitable in teenagers’ lives, and necessary to the positive development of adolescents because it allows adolescents to gain confidence when interacting with others, it encourages users to create and maintain friendships, and it can facilitate learning while promoting educational growth.

Social media is something that has continued to evolve from how it was in the past. Even now social media is being used worldwide through advanced technology. In the video “Growing Up Online,” social media was something that teenagers had grown into and

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 media has been known to help students develop important knowledge and social skills. “At first glance this may seem like a waste of time; however it also helps students to develop important knowledge and social skills, and be active citizens who create and share content.” (Chen 3). The more time teens spend on social media the more they become aware of their own social side and how to interact with others, especially their peers. “Some types of social media has beneficial effects, like helping adolescents establish some sense of identity and build networking skills” (Riley Davis). Too much time being spent on social media can also exploit teens to some harsh realities that they’ve probably never experienced in their lives before.

The war concerning whether social media is fantastic or terrible has raged on ever since it’s birth. Our world has changed plenty due to advancing technology, and our generation is the first to grow up constantly staring at a screen. The question is, what will become of us? “Teenage Social Media Butterflies May Not be Such a Bad Idea” by Melissa Healy is an article from the internet that supports Social Media. Hilary Stout gives the negative and positive sides by writing “Antisocial Networking.”

Social media is the way teens network. It includes applications such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram where individuals can connect, share photographs, and like others posts or images. These applications can be accessed through electronic devices such as iPads, phones, computers, etc. It is known to educate, engage, and impact individuals and their environment. The most well-known theory is that an individual can control what he/she sees, considers, or feels about a topic. To some degree this is valid. Nevertheless, does teenagers know that social media influence them in some way? Social networking is harming to a teens growth as it boosts their online identities, separates them from the universe of social connection, occupies their attention from television, and it also affects relationships. The 21st century has seen the internet change into a device that has made communication less severe and handier. This change occurred rapidly with thoughts of social networks that would allow the association of individuals in various nations. Teenagers, being the principle players of the online networks, has been caught *up in the blend of social networking as they have developed into a period where innovation has reformed the way individuals approach their day by day routines. However, because of the extreme measure of time spent on these sites, they are left to result in pessimistic consequences for their advancement.

As time progresses it becomes evident that social media has become a major component in pop culture. Social media has proved to be a crucial element in communicating with others, not only locally but globally. Social media has given the general public the ability to share their voice and connect with the world at the push of a button. While social media affects everyone, it is particularly popular with teens and adolescents who are constantly connected. Although social media is a great way for adolescents to connect, it is also can also be used negatively towards innocent individuals.

Social media is exposing youngsters to the important issues around the world. Social media also helps to reinforce friendship and offer a sense of belonging. While excessive social media might isolate kids, a study conducted by Griffith University and the University of Queensland in Australia found that American teens feel less lonely than their historical counterparts. They report feeling less isolated and have become more socially adept, partly because of an increased social media use (Knorr). Social media also allows the youngsters to express themselves and share their talent with the vast range of audiences. Likewise, social media also helps to boost self-esteem of youngsters. Social media also can be a valuable source of emotional support and being honest in social media gives a feeling of more social support to youngsters. In research published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, reported that college students who viewed their own Facebook profiles enjoyed a boost in self-esteem

One of the biggest influencers today is social media. Now, some may say that social media is not considered culture. However, most of people living in the world today have some form of social media. In It’s Complicated a book by Danah Boyd discusses the use of social media and the effects that it has on young people today. The book covers a wide variety of different topics in the realm of social media and focuses a lot on how teens and young adults interact with each other through social media. It goes into detail on the societal

We are dictated by social media. It’s controlling. It’s possessive. Yet, we haven’t even paused to realize it because as teenagers we don’t know any differently. With teens as the subject of example, it is clear that social media has become a way of life. So now there is a debate. What exactly is it that social media does to us? Is the teenage generation the first product of a world run by social media? Most importantly, is this a positive or negative thing for us? There are many different things to consider. With all factors in mind, the biggest question of all comes to mind. Since it first emerged, what has social media truly changed about today’s teen generation?

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.”

As this class has progressed, I have learned vast amounts of information on current societal issues, such as the inundation of technology and the value of college, through the assignments given in class. In the case of technology, I have discovered the extent of how influential it is on the youth of today, especially with teens and young adults. According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted by Amanda Lenhart, over 70% of teens use more than one social media platform. When taken into context, that amounts to millions of teens and young adults who can connect through social media. As a result, Forbes reporter AJ Agrawal notes that social media is one of the best sources of information for teens and young adults, influencing their outlook

Most teenagers are very familiar with the old adage, “Back in my day, we didn’t even have phones!” which many of the older generations like to point out. It is no secret that while the older generations struggle to understand why today’s youth are so obsessed with their technology, teenagers struggle to convince them that change is necessary in order to grow as a society and that technology is the key to development. While both perceptions hold truth, the obsession with technology is something that could be a cause for concern. Why are young adults so technology crazed? The answer comes in the form of the newest trend: social media. Originally created for better communication, social media platforms have since evolved into much more. Now, social media has become a breeding ground for distractions, negative perceptions, cyberbullying, and online predation.

As social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram become increasingly prominent in the lives of America’s youth, society continues to see its impacts reflected in the lives of students. To some, social media acts as a way to improve interpersonal relationships amongst youth. Many use it to keep in touch with childhood and now long distance friends due to college or simply as a means to get information out to the masses as quickly as possible. Let us face it, we have all casually stalked a friend at one time or another to see how they were doing with the use of social media. To others, however, social media is serving as a substitute for a real social life. With such broad

Social media is everywhere but to the older generations, this did not exist. We kept in contact by being in contact and now we live digitally. We do not need to be near each other to figure out how we are doing or what we are doing. The society that we live in now cannot imagine a life without social media. (Barth, 2014) The younger generation created an era where we do not need to be physically near each other. As the adults catch up to the adolescents we are starting to embrace the culture around social media. We have a lot of adolescents who have never lived in a world without social media. (Barth, 2014) Facebook is used by everyone young and old and we even use it for career advancement now. Facebook changed the outlook on how we interact and some adolescents say they feel lonelier through it while adults feel like this is bring us closer together. (Barth, 2014) Social media has a huge impact on our lives and this article insight on how it is indeed the new normal and we develop through these platforms. (Barth, 2014)