Over the course of years, social networking sites have transformed the manner in which individuals use to communicate and mingle on a day to day basis. Individuals are able to make an online self introduction using the social platforms such as facebook, instagram, twitter and many more. Social networks surely help individuals in overcoming their fears of socialising by allowing them to talk without being seen. However, social media is assumed to be doing more harm to the society than actually bringing out the best in people. This essay will highlight both negative and positive impacts of social media and how it affects the society. The essay will also talk about a more in depth analysis of how social media can redeem itself by providing some solutions of the issues caused by the different social platforms. Studies recently done by some researchers claim that the use of social media is a good predictor of body dissatisfaction, eating disorders symptoms, and life satisfaction in mostly adolescent girls ( Ferguson, Munoz, Garza, & Galindo, 2014). Many teenagers are being shown the virtual perfect life in which they seemingly do not fit. Are teenagers being misguided on a path which leads to only disappointment and dissatisfaction ? Or are they being shown a life which does not exist in reality ?
As of late an examination was led by the Royal Society of Public Health and the Young Health Movement, which reviewed about 1,500 youthful grown-ups around the ages 14-24 from Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, and Wales.(Stonecipher, 2017). For this overview members were approached to rate 14 psychological wellness and prosperity related issues for various stages of internet based life. The psychological well-being and prosperity related issues comprised of things like: quality and measure of rest, sentiments of dejection, tormenting, dread of passing up a great opportunity (FOMO), tension, enthusiastic help, misery, self-articulation and so on.
The aftereffects of the examination demonstrated that there are both positive and negative effects of web based life stages. A portion of the constructive effects of web based life stages incorporate, that it is extraordinary for making and keeping up associations with individuals, self-articulation, self-personality, passionate help, and network building. Then again, the negative effects of internet based life stages incorporate issues like expanded dimensions of dejection and tension, poor rest quality, disappointment with self-perception, cyberbullying, and FOMO which is fear of missing out. When all is said in done these negative effects of online life are normally credited to doubtful delineations in presents that reason watchers on feel deficient. (Dion, 2016). This sentiment of insufficiency and low confidence can prompt the negative effects that were simply recorded above. Internet based life can without much of a stretch make individuals feel as though they are bad enough which would then be able to prompt negative emotions and craving to change oneself. These negative emotions and the craving to adjust one’s life is unsafe to one’s psychological well-being. Furthermore, it has been discovered that increasing amount of time which one spend via web-based networking media might likewise prompt increment negative sentiments and rates of dejection and uneasiness. It has been also claimed that the higher percentage of people using social platforms might lead to a higher rate of mental health issues (Boyd, 2007).
Online life has turned out to be massively prevalent, and as of late mental scatters among youthful grown-ups has turned out to be progressively normal. That doesn’t mean they are connected, yet the numbers are stunning and merit consideration. In 2016, an expected of 44.7 million grown-ups matured 18 or more established in the US had a psychological instability. Youthful grown-ups matured 18-25 had the most elevated predominance of any psychological instability at 22.1% contrasted with grown-ups matured 26-49 at 21.1% and matured 50 and more seasoned at 14.5%. (Chandra, 2018).
“Facebook melancholy” is a worry coming about because of youngsters’ utilization of web-based social networking. A report by the American Academy of Pediatrics characterizes Facebook dejection as “gloom that creates when adolescents and preteens invest energy in internet based life locales and after that start to show exemplary manifestations of wretchedness because of the power of the online world.”(Smith & Anderson, 2018). The components that may add to sadness are the different proportions of notoriety that Facebook makes. Specifically, Facebook can make kids feel deficient due to the companion counts, notices, and pictures of others having a decent time. For balanced children, be that as it may, online networking can have the contrary impact, boosting their effectively positive emotions about themselves.
For what reason is this? Things being what they are, composed kids will in general put their best foot forward, communicating just their best traits and characteristics on the web. They pick what to uncover about themselves and channel or limit negative qualities. They are capable, at the end of the day, to advance a to some degree misleadingly positive feeling of self. Accordingly, their companions’ input, remarks, and presents tend on be overwhelmingly positive, making a positive criticism circle. For less balanced youngsters, continually finding out about the appearing accomplishment of their Facebook “companions” can aggravate them feel than, in actuality, where, at any rate, their friends noticeably bomb every once in a while.(Boyd, 2007). The positive turn that mainstream kids put on Facebook winds up broadening the distinction between how less composed children see others and compare themselves to that unrealistic standard. Be that as it may, it is obscure whether Facebook Depression is a particular marvel or an expansion of wretchedness young people feel in different conditions. However, the American Psychiatric Association has not yet listed Facebook Depression in its symptomatic manual of the types of depression.
As per the Pew Research Center (2017), by 2015, 73% of adolescents had cell phones. One brain research teacher at San Diego State University found that teenagers who burn through at least 5 hours per day online were 71% bound to have something like one hazard factor for suicide contrasted with adolescents who went through just 1 hour daily on the web. This hazard increments with just at least two hours burned through online.(Van Der Nagel & Frith, 2015). Again, this doesn’t demonstrate that investing energy online causes suicide, however the connection between time spent on the web and different elements connected to suicide is critical to think about.
The quantity of web based life stages utilised in relation to the quality of time being spent on it, is mostly identified with the youth psychological well-being. An ongoing report found that the more online life stages an immature uses is proportionate to the manifestations of dejection and uneasiness noticed in his behaviour, hence paying little heed to in general time spent on social media. Nothing more than trouble thing comes without bearing outcomes. As powerful as internet based life may be, there is a high shot that people are utilizing it for wrong purposes. Individuals are discovered squandering hours over hours on social locales procuring zero profitable data. Rebate plugs impact individuals to spend superfluously.(Boyd, 2007).
Most locales used to have an age impediments prior, however at this point with that being gone, youths are getting enjoyed surfing at an expanding rate. Furthermore, because of their youthful age, they as a rule fall prey to the digital tormenting. (Dion, 2017) This causes extreme impact on the psychological and passionate wellbeing of the adolescent. Absence of protection on the social locales has ended up being the most compromising thing. For the most part the youthful age is ignorant of the arrangements and end up transferring individual data on social destinations. The business destinations approach the private data and will in general abuse it. Thus, there is a major risk of an individual’s privacy being misused without his knowledge.
Moreover, the web is said to be hurting prosperity. the reason behind saying so, has to do with the exasperating pattern among understudies, who work as though all inquiries ought to be addressed on the web. The gadgets make it so natural to discover answers somewhere else that understudies neglect to pose profound inquiries of themselves. This absence of continuous thoughtfulness makes an extremely human issue: the tension of not knowing oneself. The more the way of life likens information with information and public activity with online life, the less time is spent on the way of astuteness, a way that dependably requires a decent remainder of mindfulness. This winds up clear in classes where a part of the evaluation is inferred by open-finished composition assignments. So as to compose a convincing article, the individual has to realise that the way toward making an inquiry is more intriguing than the recovery of any answer. Rather, the uneasiness is connected to getting the ‘right’ bit of information. Anderson (2018) claims that a great deal of the nervousness researchers find in surveys, is the desolation of youngsters not having an idea about their identity. As stated above, teenagers using social platform and accepting the virtual perfect reality as the truth, are losing a major part of discovering themselves as they are too busy in meeting the expectations of social media’s unrealistic standards.
In the light of the above, it can be concluded that social media is both a benefit and a harm to the society depending on how an individual is using it. Also, the issues highlighted throughout the essay bring light to the fact that many awareness about the issues of social media should be created and reach to teenagers and parents as parents are more likely to notice the changed behaviour of their child and therefore, explain to them the major issues concerning social media. Another point that should be highlighted about youngsters dealing with depression and anxiety in relation to social media is that they should be taught to talk about mental issues without feeling fear of being stigmatised. There is no real way to know without a doubt if the proposed thoughts will ever be put enthusiastically, so that is the reason it is imperative to be exhausted of one’s online networking use and the emotions that might be caused. On the off chance, one can sense as though one is always checking web based life or are feeling on edge or discouraged subsequent to survey your internet based life, it might be imperative to make a stride once again from smartphones or PC screen and enjoy a reprieve from social platforms. It is additionally as similarly imperative to invest energy assessing what one is putting via web-based networking media too, as some substance might be unsafe or harming to other people.(Chandra, 2018). In general however, it is imperative to recall that it is most essential to do what is best for one’s psychological well-being and prosperity.
Also, it is important to note that most guardians do not completely understand the concept and impacts of social platforms. With numerous guardians’ bustling calendars, many numerous children are left unsupervised in the online world thus prompting an increasing amount of issues. Parental supervision is as important online as it is disconnected in ingraining esteems and shields. Guardians should check in normally with their youngsters to guarantee that their online conduct is proper. Despite the fact that it is enticing to achieve this through regular observing, this can result in doubt among parent and youngster. Guardians should consider about discussing proper use of online networking early and assemble a relationship of trust encompassing web based life. Along these lines, it is more likely that a high schooler will be bound to converse with their parents upon encountering problems as regards to social media.
Reference List:
Anderson, J. (2018). Concerns about The Future of People’s Well- Being. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from https://www.pewinternet.org/2018/04/17/concerns-about-the-future-of-peoples-well-being/
Boyd, D. (2007). Why Youth (Heart) Social Network Sites: The Role of Networked Public in Teenage Social Life. In D. Buckingham(Ed.), MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Learning Youth, Identity, and Digital Media Volume. Cambridge, MA.: MIT Press. Retrieved from http://www.danah.org/papers/WhyYouthHeart.pdf
Chandra, R. (2018). Is Facebook Desrcitying Society and Your Mental Health. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-pacific-heart/201801/is-facebook-destroying-society-and-your-mental-health
Donath, J. (1999). Identity and Deception in the Virtual Community. In P. Kollock, & M. A. Smith (Eds.), Communities in cyber space (pp. 29 – 59). New York: Routledge. http://smg.media.mit.edu/people/Judith/Identity/IdentityDeception.html
Dion, N. ( 2016). The Effect of Instagram on Self-Esteem and Life Satisfaction. Salem State University. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.salemstate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1091&context=honors_theses
Pearson, E. (2009). All the World Wide Web’s a stage: The performance of identity in online social networks. First Monday, 14(3). doi:https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v14i3.2162
Van Der Nagel, E., & Frith, J. (2015). Anonymity, pseudonymity, and the agency of online identity: Examining the social practices of r/Gonewild. First Monday, 20(3). doi:https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v20i3.5615
Hi ABhackaurally,
Your paper was very interesting, a prevalent topic to discuss as well with the rise of social media only growing daily. You highlighted some key points, but I think the most important point that you stated was that “social media is both a benefit and harm to society depending on how the individual is using it”. I think this is such an important statement as it is so true. Social media can be a huge benefit for people to connect and communicate with one another, especially with friends and family who may living far away. But if the individual is only using social media for the sole reason of portraying an idealised image of themselves and not the true reality, it then becomes problematic.
You make a point to also include these questions of “Are teenagers being misguided on a path which leads to only disappointment and dissatisfaction ? Or are they being shown a life which does not exist in reality ?”. I have to say that I think the answer to both questions is yes. Teenagers are certainly being shoved down a rabbit hole of disappointment and dissatisfaction, but I think that is due to the lives of others they are viewing on such platforms. Teenagers are so influenced by what goes on around them, even in the social media context. They are certainly being shown a life that does not exist in the real world by both influencers and other users, as social media is where we can portray our ideal selves, without all the boring bits included.
My paper also explores social media and the harm it is causing. I look more specifically at Facebook and how it has caused major health and social problems within adolescent girls. If you get the chance, give it read https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2019Curtin/2019/05/06/facebook-and-young-women-the-social-isolation-and-the-health-risks/
Thanks,
BMaddison
Hello BMaddison,
I really appreciate your thoughts on my paper and likewise, i do agree with the fact that social media idealises the virtual life of users whereby they claim to have the “perfect” life which do not exist in reality. Teenagers feel pressurized to have the “perfect” life, the “perfect” body, the “perfect” skin and as a consequence, they end up being depressed with various mental issues. I would even go to the extent of saying that social media is influencing teenagers to fit in the unrealistic standard of living and being.
i also agree with your answer to the questions asked in my paper. As stated above, social media is the creator of unrealistic standards of beauty, being and living whereby no matter how perfect one can be, it is never enough.
i will surely read your paper and share my thoughts on it
Thank you
ABhackaurally
Hi ABhackaurally,
I found this very interesting to read, especially your point about the higher percentage of people using social media leading to higher mental health issues. I think this is very topical to what we see today. With so many articles about cyber- bullying, youth suicide (and the youth suicide statistics climbing rapidly) it’s very important that people become more aware of the negative effects that social media can have.
Also the concept of ‘Facebook melancholy’ was very compelling, the idea that social media can come to control whether someone is happy or sad, encapsulates the hold in which it has on people’s lives and furthermore back how critical it is that people understand the impacts of its use when unaware of why they are using it and how much it dictates their lives and emotions.
I really liked what you said about the accountability of parents, this really resonates with me as i work in gaming retail and often am asked by parents whether I think a game is suitable for their child. Which really concerns me as they do not have the first clue what their child wants to play, the point of ratings or even bother to look into what their kids are doing, to their kids own detriment. So I definitely agree that parents need to be more proactive into their research and understandings of what their kids around doing in spaces that they may not understand or care to look into.
I can see a link in your paper to mine in the fact that online spaces (in the case of my paper gaming communities) are not as valued as offline to many people and therefore the idea of them having meaningful or detrimental effects on people’s lives it’s somewhat intangible to those who care not to understand it.
If you want to check out my paper:
https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2019Curtin/2019/05/03/online-or-offline-all-communities-are-important/#comment-194
Thanks, Casey.
Hi Casey,
Thank you for sharing your thought on my paper. I do agree with all the points you mentioned and i believe that it is of utmost importance for parents to be aware of how their kids use social media. They definitely need to be proactive into their research and also analyse their decisions. Parents nowadays offer their kids almost everything to make them happy or just to keep them busy without realising the consequences of their decisions. I would suggest parents to spend more time with their children in order to keep an eye on their activities and to help themselves in getting to know their kids better.
I will surely read your paper and share my thoughts on it.
Thank you
ABhackaurally.
Hey ABhackaurally,
This is a really interesting paper and an excellent form of awareness for the damaging and harmful effects that social media can have on users, specifically amongst younger people. Whilst I do believe social media has many benefits, I am also aware of the negative impacts that it can have and your paper has given me an even greater understanding of these issues.
I think it is extremely important for everyone to consider the risks of using social media and how it can harm individuals in a number of ways.
I really liked that you draw attention to the importance of parental supervision and how more parents should gain a better understanding and be closely monitoring what their children are doing on social media to minimise any risks that may be involved – I was wondering if you have any specific ideas on how parents would actually be able to prevent any issues that may occur with their child’s social media usage without ruining their relationship and trust with their child?
My paper explores a similar topic – more specifically focusing on the benefits and harms of job-related networking sites like LinkedIn and whether this is a successful mode of online recruitment. Feel free to have a read: https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2019Curtin/2019/05/05/the-inauthenticity-of-professional-self-presentation-in-online-profiles-and-the-effects-on-job-recruitment/
Hello EOwen,
Thank you for reading my paper and sharing your thoughts on it. I definitely concur with the fact that parents play a major role in how their child uses social media. To my opinion, it is nearly impossible for parents to monitor their kids to a hundred percent but I would suggest parents to indulge into deep conversations and spend more time with their kids. Like I mentioned in my paper, teenagers feel pressurised to live the “perfect” life and failure to do so, lead them to feeling depressed and insecure of their flaws. In order to bring a change, not only parents but society also needs to create awareness about how social media can influence teenagers in a negative way. Another solution that I would suggest, is to show the reality behind the life on social media. Celebrities can put up instagram stories where they narrate the reality and hardwork behind the unrealistic life on social media. For Instance; recently on instagram, an Indian actor has opened up about her struggles behind looking perfect in public and on social media. She also went on to share a picture of herself without any make up and filters. I believe that it is a great initiative to spread awareness and to enlighten social media users that life on social media is not real.
URL link to the Indian Actor article : https://pink.parhlo.com/sonam-kapoor-powerful-message-girls-power/
I will surely read your paper and share my thoughts on it.
Thank you
ABhackaurally
Hi ABhackaurally,
I really liked how your paper taps into a really relevant and controversial topic of is social media doing more harm than good for our society? Specifically enjoyed reading your view on one of your key topics on the damaging effects social media has on children, that dealt with self esteem, constant comparison and a false advertisement of ones life. I understand how these can be detrimental to anyone, let alone young children who are still finding their own self. In my paper I fail to really touch on the negative side of social media on children, and focus on how it develops social identities by expanding their social networks, facilitating real life interactions and creating stronger social ties.
I agree with your view on how parents cannot be held accountable for constant monitoring of their children’s online footprint because that is just unrealistic. I also find from personal experience, that parents are not traditionally up to date on the latest doings with technology and could fail to see tell tale signs of content on the internet that could inflict those negative effects of social media. Social media is so beneficial and the best way to start minimising these horrible negative affects is through
– Parents having those important conversations with their children about social media, self esteem and reality
– Schools need to incorporate proper social media practice and familiarise the mental health issues that can stem from the use of the platforms
– The influencers that children look up to need to take responsibility and highlight the real struggles and real life behind social media, much like the Indian actor.
Would love to hear your thoughts on the popular influencers of social media, particularly Instagram. It scares me looking at the people that young 13 and 14 year olds look up too. I see far too much fake content, fake versions of reality and fake people with such a large captive young audience taking no responsibility for the effect they are having on the young demographic.
I think the best way for us to continue growing with the use of social media is to not abuse it, incorporate it into our life but don’t let it suffocate us, and realise there is always another story on the other side of every post, photo, video or other form of content.
Hello Sasha,
I really appreciate your opinion on my paper and liked how you suggested many ways of alleviating the negative impacts caused by social media. I do agree with you that the content being generated on instagram is fake and nobody is taking into account the negative effects that it has on youngsters especially. I believe that teenagers specifically have blurred the line between reality and social media. They are looking up to those perfect lives posted by influencers after 30 – 40 mins of editing in order to have the correct lighting and colour. I also agree with the fact that most parents are so busy with their work-life balance that they are far from understanding social media and the damage it is causing to children. It is really painful to see youngsters dealing with self esteem issues due to the constant comparison between themselves and celebrities without realising the amount of work and make up that goes into looking so flawless. Most teenagers are dealing with the self esteem issue and i believe it’s high time for influencers on instagram to show the other side of the story. Let alone teenagers but people need to start loving themselves and need to understand that it is perfectly amazing not be “perfect”. Parents need to understand that engaging into conversation with their kids and showing them their worth is really important. I believe schools should also have classes about mental health and self esteem.
Thank you
ABhackaurally
Hi ABhackaurally,
I think you’ve touched on some really important points here. With all of the new technologies and social media capabilities available to us, it is easy to get swept up in the hype but it is so important to consider that there can be negative effects from the use of these new technologies.
One thing I’ve been thinking about after reading so many papers about social media is that there doesn’t seem to be safety technology being created at the same rate as all the new social media tech. Yes, social media platforms usually have an age requirement to sign up, but further than that, what mechanisms can we put in place to mitigate some of the negative effects you mention in your article? Sure, there’s parental locks and timers that we can use, but once our kids reach the age where they can decide for themselves what sites they use, what protection is there then?
As a parent I am very interested in learning about the positive and negative effects of the ubiquitous social networking technologies we have available so your paper is much appreciated.
If you’d like to read my paper on impression management on LinkedIn head over and check it out…
https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2019Curtin/2019/04/30/linkedin-for-recruitment-no-thanks/
Hi Cesarina.F.
I appreciate your opinions on my paper. Yes, there is no safety technology being created at the same rate as all the new social media tech and the more technologies are being create, the more difficult it will be to tackle the “social media disease”. Definitely, parents cannot be with their kids everywhere and at all times but I believe that one way of tackling this issue might be communication. I cannot put enough emphasis on how much communication is important between children and parents. Talking to teenagers might boost their confidence about being imperfect and might also help them to differentiate between reality and social media. Another solution is to create awareness about the myths of social media on the platforms of social media. However, like I mentioned in my paper, social media has become problematic for most users and many surveys have been conducted in order to research about the issues that teenagers are experiencing and it might take a long period of time to find a concrete solution to it.
I will definitely take a look at your paper and share my thoughts on it.
Thank you
ABhackaurally
Hi ABhackaurally, i find your paper really interesting actually as the title is a direct one about social media positive and negative impacts on society. I like the fact that you not only offered us argument about the positive sides and the negative sides but provided us with solutions to show that its dark sides of social media can be actually alleviated to some extent.
Do you agree with me that we actually do question the authenticity present in social media? because its basically all about creating a self-representation in order to fit in?
Hello DRamen,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on my paper. Definitely, I agree with you that we do question the authenticity present in social media as most of the content posted by users are unrealistic. Moreover, social media is being upgraded with new features including filters which is one of the most used feature on social media. For instance, Instagram provides users with a variety of filters whereby they can choose to hide flaws and post a perfect picture. Hence, teenagers are believing those “perfect” pictures on social media and aspire to be perfect in real life.
Thanks for replying to my query ABhackaurally!!
well, you commented on the use of filters used on instagram.What i would like to know in particular is the ‘gender swapping filter trend’ used on instagram?
Don’t you think that for instance for a girl who has issues finding herself comfortable in her own skin might face more difficulties with gender swapping filters more like an identity crisis?
Hi ABhackaurally,
I found your paper very interesting. You have highlighted crucial aspects on to how social media affects people both positively and negatively in today’s society. You have mentioned interesting points whereby social media is seen to highlight the fact how in many cases of adolescent girls, these girls tend to suffer from depression, eating disorders and body dissatisfaction. Additionally, your paper focuses on the need for parental supervision as it is true that many parents are not aware how their children are behaving online.
My paper though is more about fake identities projected by online daters via social media and the fact that they think they are living a perfect life. Please check it out : https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2019Curtin/2019/05/06/fake-identity-through-online-dating-applications/
kind regards,
KRamdenee
Hello KRamdenee,
Thank you for reading my paper. I appreciate that you found it interesting and more likely to agree with my key points. How do you think we can provide support to teenagers suffering from depression, eating disorders and body dissatisfation ? Would love to hear your thoughts about it. Will surely read your paper and share my thoughts on it.
Kind Regards,
ABhackaurally
Hi ABhackaurally.
I found your paper really interesting, as it explored an alternate perspective to mine (as I focused solely on the ways Social Media can benefit adolescents’ cognitive development). I enjoyed how you explored multiple perspectives on the issue, and liked how you spoke about parental awareness and supervision as a possible way of overcoming the harms of social media. I’ve also found the discussion that has come out of your essay really illuminating.
In my essay, I discuss how early discussions of identity, and online conflict help the development of adolescents’ higher cognitive abilities – that of decision making, and of considering abstract and complex problems. Would you agree that although the adolescence can be extremely stressful (which is enhanced by social media), the fact that social media forces youngsters to consider who they want to be (identity) and the repercussions of their actions, could make them less likely to have these internal conflicts later on in life?
If you’re interested, you can find my paper here: https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2019Curtin/2019/05/06/social-networking-sites-are-beneficial-to-the-cognitive-development-of-adolescents/
Thanks,
Miranda
Hello Miranda,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on my paper. I agree that social media might help the development of adolescents’ higher cognitive abilities but at the same time, I believe it can work both ways whereby some teenagers might find social media helpful. On the other hand, it can be destructive to some. As far as your question is concerned, I think that social media does not give adolescents an opportunity to find their own identity. Instead, teenagers aspire to be follow the path of the “perfect” influencers who are trending on social media and therefore, I believe social media takes away teenagers’ identity which increases the risk of being dissatisfied with themselves.
Will surely share my thoughts on your paper.
Thank you,
ABhackaurally
Hi ABhackaurally,
Thanks for your reply. Although I definitely agree that teenagers aspire to follow the path of the “perfect” influencers, which can possibly shape the way they see themselves/who they want to be, I’m hesitant to agree that this is true for all stages of adolescents. For example, I think the younger adolescents (11-15) might have trouble finding their identity and simply follow the path of idealistic influencers, but I think with increased maturity, cognitive skills, and perhaps increased awareness of how these ‘perfect’ people aren’t perfect, it’s possible for older aged adolescents to find their online identity. Do you agree? I could indeed be too idealistic here!
Miranda
Hi ABhackaurally,
I found your paper really interesting, as it explored a bit of the same ideas as mine; whether social media is harmful or beneficial. I have also liked the discussion you have discussed. I agree that parents need to supervise and have control over the use of social media for their children, as it is not always beneficial.
You highlighted some key points, and I think that the most important point that you stated was that “social media is both a benefit and harm to society depending on how the individual is using it”. I think this is such an important statement as it is so true.
Social media is beneficial as it helps people to communicate, share their views and opinions and to connect with people overseas. However, some people might create a fake account (which I have stated in my paper, that there is a rise in catfishing and cyberbullying.
I can see a link in your paper to mine in the fact that social media is harmful or beneficial to adolescents.
Thank you
SPrayag
Feel free to check out and read my paper if it interests you
https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2019Curtin/2019/05/05/the-risks-of-using-facebook/
Hello SPrayag,
Thank you for reading my paper and sharing your thoughts about it. I do agree that the statement “social media is both a benefit and a harm to society depending on how the individual is using it.” is a really important one as it is not fair to blame social media for all the harm being caused. Social media is surely providing individuals a platform through which they can always be updated and connect with new people. However, influencers and celebrities are partly responsible for misleading teenagers towards the path of being “perfect” without realising the consequences.
Therefore, it is not only social media causing the harm to users. Also, we cannot overlook the benefits that social media is providing to users such as easy access to people, rise to small businesses, shopping made easier and so on.
I will surely read your paper and share my thoughts on it.
Kind Regards,
ABhackaurally
Hi ABhackaurally,
A very relevant paper indeed, as the negative aspects of social media use, especially by children, teens and young adults is still discussed today over a decade after the popularity of social media exploded.
One of the most interesting points I think you made was about the differences in how “composed” kids are can affect whether they experience “Facebook Depression” on the platform. Kids who post their achievements and have (assumingly) strong emotional composure tend to enjoy the positives of social media use, but those with less composure (especially if they tend to be spectators rather than creators or shares) will compare themselves with their peers and feel more inadequate.
I’d like to play devil‘s advocate and propose a question to you: do you think that social media could be seen as merely an extension of what kids already experience offline? Looking again at the point I highlighted from your paper, some kids are more composed than others before they enter an online space. Kids compared themselves to each other and developed feelings of inadequacy before social media became a more central presence in their lives. If social media is not merely an extension of this, what about it do you think takes it a step further? To phrase this a different way, what characteristics are present in social media but not in offline life that could be amplifying the negative effects and experiences it has led to?
I’m curious about your thoughts on these questions because I discuss how offline factors affect the experience of virtual community for a specific group (people with disability). You can find it at the following link if you would like to read it:
https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2019Curtin/2019/05/06/web-accessibility-issues-for-people-with-disability/
Hello PMwenda,
Thank you for reading my paper and sharing your thoughts on it. I believe that social media is not merely an extension of what kids already experience offline as social media highlights the life that people choose to share which are mostly their good times. If we take a look of the structure of social media, it is designed in a specific way to deliver informations (pictures, posts, stories) that people choose to share. In that scenario, a user has the ability to go through an individual’s day in seconds, thus going through the “online” lives of people in less than day. For instance, personally speaking, I do not have the time out of the busy schedule daily to meet more than an average of 8 individuals with whom I strike a conversation and it is however insane how social media allows me to grasp information about others without even any sort of communication with them. Back to your question, Social media is now one of the most upgraded tool which people use in their daily life. With the availability of filters, locations, stories and editing facilities, social media is pushing users towards a fake version of their lives and with the increased use of these technologies, users often blur the line between fake and real. Hence, amplifying the negative effects and experiences it has led to.
I hope I answered your questions. Do you agree with me that social media is not merely an extension of what kids already experience offline? Also, how do you think we can alleviate this issue of social media being the “reality” for teenagers ?
Kind Regards,
ABhackaurally
Hi Bhackaurally,
I found your paper rather insightful when looking into both the beneficial and harmful aspects of social media.
Your paper mostly focusses on harmful effects of social media which you state is “unsafe to one’s psychological well-being.” I think it is great you discuss issues which can mentally impact a social media user such as self-esteem, cyberbullying and depression as due to the large place social media has in the live of millions of individuals, it is vital to bring awareness to these issues in order to overcome them.
Another harmful aspect of social media which I think is extremely important to focus on which you did not mention is issues regarding privacy. As individuals publish details of their lives on social media, personal information can be available for many other users to see which can put ones personal safety at risk. In my paper I discuss how issues of privacy on the social media site Facebook come about as a result of “friendship” between unfamiliar persons. Feel free to check out my paper to gain another insight of the harmful impacts of social media which strongly relate to the topics you have discussed.
Here is the link:
https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2019Curtin/2019/05/06/how-friendship-on-facebook-between-unfamiliar-persons-raises-issues-of-privacy-%EF%BB%BF/
Jess 🙂
Hello Jess,
I really appreciate your opinion on my paper. I do agree that privacy is another important issue to be tackled when it comes to social media. I believe that privacy on social media needs to be taken into consideration by the developers as this can lead to risk of being exposed to dangers, misuse of informations and so on.
Will surely read your paper and share my thoughts about it.
Thank you
ABhackaurally
Hi ABhackaurally,
I thoroughly enjoyed reading your paper, it was rather engaging and presented unique ideas and perspectives. What initially grabbed my attention was the title, I found it very intriguing and an appropriate choice for this paper.
I particularly liked the discussion on the Royal Society of Public Health and the Young Health Movement research findings. This resonated with me, as I similarly have experienced feelings of insufficiency and low confidence from social media consumption, although I would argue this could be described as feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem. I also really appreciated your thoughts on psychological wellbeing, instability and the notion of the ‘positive criticism circle’. I think you raised some insightful and credible points throughout this paper that clearly stand out. Moreover, to some extent I agree with the discussion on ‘Facebook melancholy’ and ‘Facebook Depression’. However, do you think that Facebook Depression is solely web-based behavioural induced? Or is it a result of the ambiguity, external anxieties and pressures, and turbulent times in our physical environment and modern society? In other words, are there other factors and external variables at play that are contributing to this new phenomenon?
In addition, the discussion on the youth spending hours upon hours consuming social media I think really hit the nail on the head. Do you think this is indicative of a form of addiction? Is this something you are concerned about? Also, in relation to your thoughts on parental supervision and guardians checking their children’s online behaviour and consumption practices, I feel that whilst this is a good idea theoretically, perhaps might be proven difficult to enforce in reality. Do you think that a practical method to ensure children and the youth are equipped to navigate both the risks and benefits of social media is to educate and provide the necessary coping skills and tools? If not, will this lead to an increase in mental health issues?
Overall, this was one of my best reads thus far, excellent work! I look forward to hearing your response.
Kind Regards,
Alexandra
Hello APusey,
Thank you for reading my paper. I really appreciate your thoughts on it. I completely agree with your personal experience of feeling inadequate and low self esteem. I have other friends who have had these issues and I do not blame them as social media is turning into a platform of fake realities. Like I mentioned in one of my comments, influencers and celebrities need to initiate a step towards sharing their struggles behind being “perfect” on social media. For instance, an Indian actor shared her story behind being perfect in order to showcase the reality that nobody is perfect.
Check out the link if you are interested : https://pink.parhlo.com/sonam-kapoor-powerful-message-girls-power/
I believe that social media has rather a major contribution in teenagers being depressed with external factors adding to it. Studies also suggest that limiting the use of social media directly leads to a decrease in depressed feelings. Thus, social media in itself is not an illness but how people use this platform affect users in many ways whereby the common issue is assessing self worth and comparison. Social media can be an addiction depending on how and why people use it. As much as it is a concern, it is important for society to acknowledge their fair share of contributing to it as no initiation was taken to create awareness of the impacts of social media until it has reached an alarming rate. I also agree that the idea of parents monitoring their kids’ online behavior might be difficult and I believe that both parents and school should educate kids about the social media and its impacts.
I hope that I answered your questions. Do you agree that with all these issues happening due to social media, there might be a risk of imbalance in users’ lives and relationships? Also, do you think social media is taking away productive habits of users and risks at converting users to be more passive? What is your take on these issues ?
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
Kind Regards,
ABhackaurally
Hi, ABhackaurally
This is a very interesting paper, I really enjoy reading it. I agree with you that social media is assumed to be doing more harm to the society than actually bringing out the best in people. Many people now tend to show their life on social media platform, they show a life which does not exist in reality, that has caused a lot of psychological issues, especially the youngsters, they may experience cyberbully or disappointment with self-perception. I definitely agree with that parents need to pay more attention to what their children are doing at social media platform. Do you think the negative effects of social media outweigh the positive effects? What are the methods do we need to eliminate these negative effects?
If you’re interested, you can find my paper here:
https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2019Curtin/2019/05/14/online-course-community-a-strong-support-for-online-learning-courses/
Hey ABhackaurally,
Your paper on the issues that arise with the advent of social media (SNS) was indeed thought provoking as these services are accepted as an overall benefit to society.
I was specifically fascinated by the idea that these new technologies should not be used as digi-babysitters and parents need to be more mindful of what their children are absorbing, as it could be detrimental because younger minds are more easily influenced.
Thank you for writing this paper as it covers an issue that is still growing and we are yet to see the full effects until perhaps a few generations have passed with social media as a normalized form of communication for everyone not just the younger generation.