The Effects of Social Media

There are various different kinds of media in this world and different people each prefer their own way of using what is presented on a phone, which leads them to make decisions that shapes their wellbeing. The more a person consumes social media, the more it exposes them to issues such as, cyber bullying, unaware of emotions and physical connections, and psychological effects. Though it does have positive impacts, mainly, using different sources of communications, and having an identity created through the internet. However, with the advancement of recent technology and more younger generation people are acquiring smartphones, they are not able to control the amount of social media they are taken in and an addiction occurs. There are several positive and negative effects in relation to social media, making it a debate on whether it is harmful or good for today’s society.

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 In today’s mainstream media it is known for its obsession and advancements developed in modern technology, especially with the younger generation. Technology is a key factor in day to day lives, specifically social media. The most well known social media apps of all are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat, all of them with the main purpose to uploading personal experiences, communicating with others and meeting new people. Stated in an article by Rudy Diaz, Teens and Social Media Evolution, “The Pew Research Centre found that three-quarters of teens have access to a smartphone. The Pew Study also reveled how teens display mixed feelings on the impacts that social media has on their generation.

  ‘A plurality of teens (45%) believe social media has neither a positive nor                             negative effect on people their age,’ according to the Pew Study. ‘Meanwhile, roughly 3 out 10 teens (31%) say social media has had a mostly positive impact, while 24% describe its effect as mostly negative.’ ”

 Recently, cyberbullying has become the new form of showing aggressiveness through the internet. Unlike the traditional bullying method, where once the victim gets home they escaped from bullying until the next encounter, while cyberbullying the bullying can continue by receiving text messages or anything within contact limits. Also, cyberbullying can reach to large crowds compared to the school borders which is the traditional bullying area. Once bullying happens within school grounds, the victim can expect most of the students to know, but the problem with the internet is once something is uploaded it is there forever, and if caught doing something illegal or threatening, there is major consequences. With consequences comes with different kinds of emotions and messes up the brain psychologically to who it concerns.

 Young people who are consistently on social media are far from living in reality. Stated from an essay by Carrie Wells, Towson class explores effects of social media: How students act in the age of cellphones, Facebook,“Reiner, a lecturer in English in Towson’s Honors College, says students sometimes pretend to send text messages when they are alone out of fear that if they are not constantly connected to their smartphones, they will be seen as losers… he believes their careful curation of their identities on social media has made it difficult for home to connect with their peers on a deeper level. They dodge situations that they believe will make them feel emotionally vulnerable, he says [Reiner], and rely on alcohol, drugs, and hookups to make shallow connections.” Instead of going out of way to meet up with friends or talk to family members living in the same household, the younger generation tend to love chatting more with friends through social media. Gradually, young people of today will only live in a world that is completely virtual.

 As social media becomes more common amongst adults in the work field, the influences of social media also extend into the youth which are increasing the variety of audiences on the internet generally. Many theoretically argue social media is having a negative impact on typically teenagers by lessening the amount of social interaction, whereas others say that is entirely false. The amount of technology used today in means of communication has made it easier to connect with one another, and social media helps strengthen the communication. In a Common Sense report, “According to the survey, 3% of survey respondents said social media makes them feel lonelier, 25% indicated the opposite.” Teenagers and youths have resorted more to online interactions, and a majority claim social media helped them stay connected with family and friends they rarely see. Another positive claim of social media is that it allows to make new friends online, find jobs, increase business opportunities, increase self-fulfillment, find importance, and fame. In society today, social media creates a link from sharing news and communicating with vast crowds from all over the world.

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 Self-identity, more or less, personalities take part in a significant part within social interactions with people from different parts of the world, and one’s self-identity of today’s society is somewhat from social media. Social media blasts of what today’s trends are from fashion to the way we speak in text and people tend to base personalities from it. Also, many people, especially those with anxiety of living in reality, find it quite easy to display their identities online. Social media does not affect the identity of the person, rather how the person handles social media is what affects their identity.

 To come to a conclusion, in modern life, the development and usage of social media is rapidly increasing among people throughout the world. It is especially rising more and more within the younger generations. However, there are many negative and positive effects to which the usage of social media can impact people either in a good or harmful way. The negative effects which are cyberbullying, the lack of communication and physical interaction of people are nonexistent. While the positive effects being there is more communication between people all over the world, creating a self-identity and an increase in more opportunities for people. The benefits and drawbacks create the topic of debate whether if it does harm or create any good for people.

Works Cited

• Baig, Edward C. “USA Today (Online); Arlington.” protest.nc-live.org. USA Today, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc., 10 Sept. 2018. Web. 24 July 2019
• Diaz, Rudy. “University Wire; Carlsbad.” proquest.nc-live.org. Uloop Inc., 5 Jun. 2018. Web. 24 Jul. 2019.
• Gonzales, Lisa, and Charles Young. “Can social media impact learning?” Tech & Learning, Mar. 2015, p. 36. Science In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A412555362/SCIC?u=nclive&sid=SCIC&xid=347b3f11. Accessed 24 July 2019.
• Wells, Carrie. “The Baltimore Sun; Baltimore, MD.” proquest.nc-live.org. Tribune Interactive, LLC, 21 Oct. 2014. Web. 24 Jul. 2019