The Negatives 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 networking sites (referred to more broadly as social media) are a collection of websites and applications that enable users to swap ideas, post updates and comments, and participate in activities and events while sharing their interests with other users. From general chit-chat to propagating breaking news, scheduling a date to following election results, gentle humor to serious research, social networking sites are used for a variety of reasons by various user communities. Nowadays, nearly every person who has access to a computer and Internet indulges in some kind of social networking on a daily basis. The introduction of social media has changed the entire dynamics of our lifestyles: the ways we live, work, and maintain our friendships. Despite its numerous advantages, social media does yield some negative effects. However, the benefits of social media greatly outweigh its negative effects.

Social media has been a topic of debate for years. Some people are strongly against any use of it while others like the instant connection it provides. A major concern over social media is the lasting effects it has on teenagers. Social media can affect teenagers through many ways including things like their self-esteem. Cyberbullying is a raging topic of discussion centered around teens social media use. It can also effect their people skills and create a lack of community involvement. Some parents think that watching what their children do on social media is an invasion of privacy but is your concern for their privacy greater than your concern for their safety? Social media poses a great danger to today’s children. It can affect many aspects of their lives.

Nobody is immune to the harmful side effects social media including privacy invasion, cyberbullying, depression, anxiety, and lack of empathy. The negative risks involved with the extensive use of social media by youngsters are significantly serious than the few positive things they get out of using social media. Youngsters should be educated about negative consequences of social media so that they won’t get trapped by social media. Appropriate use of social media by youngsters is required to minimize the negative

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.”

There are 2.3 billion active social media users (Smith 1). Meaning the majority of people go on social media every day. Social media is almost a part of every teen’s life it’s how they stay connected and meet up with people. But social media is worse than what most people would think. It’s leading to worse things for teenagers since they won’t see the negatives coming. Especially not from social media since it’s a huge part of their life. Social media’s negatives outweigh the positives because it’s causing long-term consequences and impacts teen’s mental and emotional health.

The first thoughts that come to mind for many adults regarding social media are quite unfavorable. Profiles on Facebook, tweets on Twitter, and photos on Instagram all tend to have a negative connotation because they are typically associated with isolation, narcissism, and mental illnesses; however, the impacts of social media are greatly determined by how a person uses it. While one person may lose themselves in the online world that social media creates, another may greatly benefit through meeting new people and learning about new topics, such as other cultures, political views, etc., that can be introduced into their real lives outside of their online lives. Social media, while it can sometimes lead to a sense of loneliness and

Social media is one of the largest industries in the world “there are more than two billion active social media users worldwide, representing a global penetration rate of 28 percent” (Bennet). Whether you like it or not it seems almost everyone in the United States is involved in some form of social media. While it has many positives such as increased communication and spreading of ideas, it also has several very annoying negatives:

Social media affects many people’s lives. The world has changed so much in the last twenty years, and contributing factors like the invention of the phone and computer are a large part of the journey. Teenagers can now talk to anyone, anywhere, at any time. Although it is true that there are dangers within social media, its benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Social media platforms are positive outlets for teens and young adults to express themselves.

In a world where technology and social media are essentials to everyday life, parents need to know the negative effects it has on their children. Since the rapid growth of the internet in the past several decades, social media has become one of its most utilized services. Today’s youth document their everyday lives through various social media platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, among many others. Although many will believe that this is considered an escape for teens in this crazy world we live in, there are negative repercussions that come with social media. The negative effects of social media outweigh the positive effects which in turn create a major concern for our youth. They are our future and we need them to prosper in order to better their own lives. Being exposed to social media may lead to cyberbullying, poor health and negative life decisions, and lack of social skills. Parents and guardians should be more informed on this issue in order to protect their children from the negative effects of social media.

One major downside to social media is cyberbullying. Many teenagers are on social media. Because of this, it makes many teens an easier target to bullying because the bully doesn’t have to be face-to-face with their targets. This means that the target may not be safe even when home, and for those who already have bad home lives, they could become worse. Not to mention the fact that social media makes it easier to spread lies and rumors about other. These reasons can be repeated easier and are harder to reprimand or stop. Altogether, these can add a lot of stress onto already-busy lives of teenagers.

The fact that more teens are sharing their personal information makes them more susceptible to dangerous circumstances. 61% of adolescents have received mean or embarrassing posts online and 59% have received mean texts, e-mails or instant messages (Anderson, Bresnahan, & Musatics). According to Procon.org, “In July 2012 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 browsers, a total of 121.1 billion minutes on social networking sites”. Spending this amount of time on social media negatively modifies the individual. Social media has been found to affect its users in many ways; socially, mentally, and physically. “Opponents of social networking say that the sites prevent face-to-face communication; waste time on frivolous activity; alter children’s brains and behavior making them more prone to ADHD; expose users to predators like pedophiles and burglars; and spread false and potentially dangerous information” (Procon.org). Social networking sites can lead to stress and offline relationship problems as well as aiding the spread of hate groups. Social media is also very damaging mentally. According to Procon.org, “The use of social networking sites is correlated with personality and brain disorders, such as the inability to have in-person conversations, a need for instant

Does social media provide benefits or is it damaging? This is a dilemma faced by both parents and teens today with numerous social media platforms evolving and growing. While issues with social media can arise, such as excessive usage, an effort to balance work and entertainment must be carefully achieved in order to live a fulfilling life. Undeniably, the benefits of social media, like easy sharing and starting conversations with others, outweigh the detriments. Although social media can become addicting and hurtful, in general, it benefits society by providing unlimited amounts of information, creating an equal platform for all, and allowing people to connect easily.

A picture is worth their pride. A picture is worth their self-esteem. A picture is worth their dignity. Social media networking has become a large part of today’s society. Media applications such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat are rising in popularity, not only amongst teens, but adults as well. According to Pew Research Center, in 2015, 65% of American adults now use social networking sites up from 7% back in 2005 (Perrin). Bringing people from all over the world together, social media sites have made it easier for people to communicate and interact on all different levels.

It is no news that, the steady and overwhelming advancements in technology, have made our past and present lives so much easier, and have also filled our posterity with enduring hope and promises. However, the changes and innovations in social networking and social media, have immensely changed our modes and methods of communication. Keeping in mind that, every new level, has new devils and difficulties that needs to be conquered; Similarly, the idol, that is social media, worshipped by both teenagers and adolescents, poses a lot of problems which have been overlooked by parents and most individuals today. For this reason, it is very consequential that parents become cognizant of the nature of social media environments, for children and adolescents, to monitor for potential problems like cyberbullying, Facebook depression, gaming addictions, sexting, online harassment and inappropriate content.