ABSTRACT<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With\na world in the midst of a social networking sites revolution, it is more than\nobvious that social media like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest are\nused extensively by teenagers to portray their online self. According to\nseveral studies, social networking sites are detrimental, distractive platforms\nwhich have led to moral decadence among the young people. It has shifted\nthe eyes of the teenagers from studies to a number of other vices, hence,\ncausing the scantiness of academic excellence among young people in the world. This\npaper will analyze the major impact of these social networking sites on the\ndevelopment of values among teenagers and how this extensive online presence\nhas ingrained depression and other emotional distress<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since its creation, social networking\nsites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat have tantalized multitudinous\nnumber of users from baby boomers to millennial who have incorporated theses\nsites into their day to day life. However, youngsters nowadays are the most\nactive users of social networking sites and they are growing up in a background\nwhere several facets of their lives will be liaised by social media and some of\ntheir knowledge and prospect will be determined within their involvement with\nsocial networking sites. Although these sites have several advantages, enabling\npeople to easily connect with friends and family all around the earth, allowing\nits users to destroy international borders and social barriers, social media is\nhigh-price. Consequently, several queries and arguments arise about the\nconsequences social networking sites may have on youngster\u2019s development owing\nto how their lives are entrenched in social media. Social networking sites have\na considerable Impact on young people and this is due to the fact that social\nmedia have now flooded their lives to an extent that may seem inconceivable to\nyesterday\u2019s teenagers. Bryant et al. (2006) established, through network data\ncollection and analysis study, that there is a rise in teenage depression,\nself-mutilation, dysfunctional families, and debauchery within youngsters\nnowadays than ever before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
All\nover the world, parents, teachers and medical professionals are showing concern\non how social networking sites impacts the youth and children. These sites have\nbeen deep-rooted in today\u2019s society that it is virtually impossible for anyone\nto take people seriously if they are not on any social media platform. However,\nmedia use for adults and children are different as it is linked to maturity and\nthe development. Adults have a level of maturity that allows them to make more\nknowledgeable decisions or to distinguish between the positive and negative\nfacets of on-screen or online content (Abba, 2015). Youngsters are vulnerable\nand they tend to construct their behavior patterns based on what they witness,\nhear or interpret. In other words, the attitudes that teenagers observe on\nsocial networking sites are often implemented in their real life. Moreover, an\noverexposure to these sites can have a damaging consequence on the emotional\ndevelopment and social interaction among the youth. Obsession\nwith the self and posting endless updates and \u201cselfies\u201d on social media is\nknown to influence young people development leading to a rise in narcissism\namong youngsters. Their moods depend greatly on how acceptable their snapshots\nare on social networking platforms and develop anxiety when they do not obtain\nthe attention they were anticipating. Furthermore, by having their own online\npages and social profiles, this can turn young people into a more self-centred\nindividual and some susceptible teenagers would then live with the belief that\neverything gyrate around them (Abba, 2015). Extensive online engagement in interrelated\nwith personality and brain disorder and this impact negatively on the\ndevelopment of values since this is a pioneer to dysfunctional emotional state\nlater in teenagers\u2019 life such as lack of compassion and empathy towards other\npeople, narcissi tendencies and other emotional distress like depression,\napprehension, and seclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Firstly,\nFacebook is one of the most famous social networking sites which influence the\nsocial behaviors and values decadence of young people. Seabrook (2016) have\nanticipated a recent phenomenon called the \u201cFacebook depression\u2019, which can be\ndefined as depression that build up when people expend a disproportionate\namount of time on social networking sites, mainly Facebook, and then commence\nto reveal typical sign of depression and since, Facebook is presently the\nleading and most commonly used social site, this social depression has taken\nits name. One of the main aspects of social life for youngsters is to seek\nacceptance and stay connected with their peers. However, the vehemence of the\nonline planet, which necessitates unvarying engagement, generates an aspect of\nself-awareness that could generate depression on the youth (Seabrook, 2016). Moreover,\nas with offline depression, youngsters who has experienced Facebook depression\nare at risk of social remoteness and may sometimes revolve to precarious online\nwebsites and blogs for \u2018support\u2019 that can encourage physical abuse, unsafe\nsexual practices, hostile and self-destructive comportment among teenagers\n(Jacobs, 2014). According to Boase (2008), depression is one of the unintended\ncosts of extreme social media exposure. However, Facebook depression is not\njust restricted to Facebook itself, but it also includes other social\nnetworking sites which is causing psychological harms. Furthermore, a research\nconducted by Professor Dr. Joanne Davila and Lisa Starr, on the link between\ndepression and social media on a sample of young girls shows that exorbitant Facebook\nusage engender the cluster sample to be at an elevated risk for depression as\nwell as anxiety. The same sample group was examined one year later and it was\nfound that the teenage girls who usually conversed about their problems with\ntheir peers, through social networking sites, endured a peak record of anxiety\nthan those who stayed secretive (Starr & Davilla, 2009). Dr. Davilla (2009)\nalso mentioned that, “Texting, instant messaging and social networking\nmake it very easy for adolescents to become even more anxious, which can lead\nto depression.” This shows that social networking sites are unconsciously exposing\nyoung people more prone to turn into an exceedingly self-conscious, apprehensive\nand ultimately depressed individual. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Social\nnetworking sites is now turning into a medium for discussions and authorizing\nfor the sustained repetition of the debate over teenage girls\u2019 \u201cproblems\u201d,\nleading them to become gripped over this dilemma while hampering them from progressing\nin their life. For most of these\nteenagers, their \u201cproblems\u201d are commonly petty issue, such as obsessing over\ntheir appearance or distressing about peer rejection (Boyd & Ellison,\n2007). In the past decades, teenage\ngirls would write their problems in a personal journal or they would just\ndisclose their issue to a friend on a landline telephone to deal with their\nproblems they are suffering from. However, in today\u2019s era, social networking\nsites are the prime medium for youngsters to voice out the problems they are\nexperiencing in their daily life (Saedi, 2012). As such, when a teenager posts\nabout some issues online, it is expected to obtain both optimistic and\npessimistic comments. Besides, once an information or any photos is posted\nonline, the post will never disappear, even if it was deleted it still remain\non the web or even taken as a screenshot on any apparatus which may lead the\nsender to be more depressed and anxious. Additionally, a research conducted by\npsychologist Dr. Mark Beckerhas found that youngsters, who use social\nnetworking sites, engage in gaming and texting are more expected to be\ndepressed and anxious. His study discovered that a \u201c70% increase in self\nreported depressive symptoms among the group using social media and a 42%increase in social anxiety\u201d\n(Beckerhas, 2013). This discovery again shows that an exposure to social media\nwill obviously lead teenagers more susceptible to depression, tension as well\nas stress and this might impact negatively on their values and responsibilities\ntowards society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instagram\nis another prime social networking sites that impact on the social wellbeing of\nyoung people. Teenagers suffer from depression and tension due to the stress\ngenerated from relentlessly attempting to present an idealistic and unfeasible insight\nof flawlessness through picture and videos on their Instagram account. The trial to present an ideal self at all\ntimes lead to the social tension of stress among teenagers (Jacobs, 2014). Livingstone\n(2008) mentioned the act of posting selfies and other non-suicidal self-mutilation\nact can have significant consequences to teenagers\u2019 emotional wellbeing. He\nalso pinpointed that conceited behavior is when a teenager has tantalizing satisfaction\nfrom approbation of his or her own substantial or psychological attributes, and\nthis can be far-fetched by glamorizing self hurting behaviors (Tanner, 2015). According to Dunggan et al. (2012), \u201ca non-suicidal\nself-injury behavior is the most alarming of them due to the dangerous effects\nit has on one\u2019s body and the risk of suicidal tendencies\u201d. This type of conduct stems to a significant\nsocial and cultural power that is influencing thousand of teenage girl into the\nworld of self-loathing (Tanner, 2015). Another consequence of excessive usage\nof social networking sites resulting to melancholy is the occurrence of false intimacy.\nFirst and foremost since social media encourages building up a facade that\naccentuates all the enjoyment, thrill and achievement people appear to enjoy\nbut merely alights about where teenagers are battling in their daily life. As\nsuch, to fit in the image of \u2018perfection\u2019, these teens strive to reveal\nperfectly cheerful and perfect fa\u00e7ade since this is what they see others doing\non social media(Baym et al, 2007). As a result, their online profiles portray\nhow they wish to be perceived seen, rather than showing a candid picture of who\nthey really are. Furthermore, many people are displaying their eating disorders\nsuch as anorexia and addictions of all kinds on several famous social\nnetworking sites such Instagram and are promoting immoral messages to teenagers\n(Tanner, 2015). In his study on teenage girls, Tanner (2015), she deduced that\namong the social networking sites subcultures, these teenagers share photos and\nvideos which portray and encourage eating disorders and much other dependence.\nFor instance, these online users often convey the belief that to ease negative\nemotional tension such as loneliness and any kind of stress, they must execute\nself-mutilation, drink alcohol or starve themselves. These explicit images of\nthe act of physical mutilation can become thorny as they communicate the\nmessage to youngsters who have never self-hurt themselves, that this will\nalleviate their tension and stress (Tanner, 2015). Undeniably, such types of behaviors might have\nadverse effect on teenager\u2019s emotional growth (Tanner, 2015). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Furthermore,\nanother adverse effect of the usage of social networking sites is that is has\ndisabled teenagers responsiveness and consciousness of surroundings (Boyd, 2015\nand Lee, 2009). Due to their head being constantly looking at their phone\nscrolling through the various social networking sites, these teenagers is\ndeprived of observational abilities. Lee (2009) highlights that youth nowadays\nare oblivious of how to reach to some places due to their constant usage of the\nelectronic devices and they are not observing where they are going while being\non a ride in a vehicle. He also added that teenagers have insufficient sense of\nsafety when they are attending any public occurrence as they are constantly\ndwell upon their social media profiles while being unaware of the people and\ncircumstances around them (Boyd, 2015). Additionally, it was found that\nteenagers overpasses the aptitude of engaging with other individual on a face\nto face conversation while they in a public settings and as such lacks the required\ncommunication skills indispensable for daily life (Boyd, 2015). Furthermore, with the use of the web and electronic\ndevices, a new type of bullying has materialized, frequently called \u2018cyber\nbullying\u2019. This type of bullying occurs online through an electronic device and\nvia the internet and social networking sites. \u201cCyber bullying has become a\nmajor issue among youths in the last couple of decades, as it allows its\nvictim’s to post things in front of their peers and humiliate them\u201d (Boyd, 2015).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To\nconclude it can be said that social networking sites have some consequential\nimpact on today\u2019s youth and can impact significantly on their development of\nvalues and influence their behaviors towards their peers, families and the\nsociety as whole. Young people are spending too much time online and not enough\ntime in the \u201creal world\u201d which may influence their character and teenage\ndepression is the main consequence of this extensive online presence. Modern-day\nyouth are growing up in a social environment in which some areas of their lives\nare controlled by social networking sites and several of their escapades and\nopportunities are generated by their involvement with social media. However,\nconnecting to a social media has proved to be precarious and unsafe not only\nfor teenagers but also for any other generations as no one is safe from cyber\nbullying, online fraud or any exposure to inappropriate content<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bibliography<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Abba, S. A. (January 2015). Moral Decadence Amongst Youth: Who is\nto blame?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Baym,\nN. K., Zhang, Y. B., Kunkel, A., Ledbetter, A., & Lin, M. (2007).\nRelational Quality and Media Use in\nInterpersonal Relationships. New Media & Society<\/em>, 9<\/em>(5),\n735-752.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Becker,\nM. W., Reem A, & Christopher J. H. (2013). Media Multitasking Is Associated\nwith Symptoms of Depression and\nSocial Anxiety. pp 132-35. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking <\/p>\n\n\n\n Boase,\nJ. (2008). Personal networks and the personal communication system. Information,\n Communication & Society,\n11(4). Retrieved from: https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1111\/j.1083-6101.2007.00393.x<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Boyd,\nd., & Ellison, N. (2007). Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and\nScholarship. Journal of\nComputer-Mediated Communication<\/em>, 13<\/em>(1). Retrieved from: http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/j.1083-6101.2007.00393.x\/full<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Bryant,\nJ.A., Sanders-Jackson, A., Smallwood, A. (2006). Iming, Text Messaging and\nAdolescent Social Networks. Journal of\nComputer Mediated Communication, 577592. Doi: 10.1111\/j.1083-6101.2006.00028.x <\/p>\n\n\n\n Duggan,\nJ., Heath, N., Lewis, S., Michal, N. (2012). Non-Suicidal Self-Injury, Youth,\nand the Internet: What mental\nhealth professionals need to know? Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 6(13), 1-9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jacobs,\nT. (2014). The Link between Depression and Terrorism. Retrieved from: http:\/\/books- andculture\/antidepressants- depression-terrorism-weapon <\/p>\n\n\n\n Lee,\nS.J. (2009). Online Communication and Adolescent Social Ties: Who benefits more\nfrom internet use? Journal of\nComputer-Mediated Communication, 509-531. Doi: 10.1111\/j1083-6101.2009.01451.x\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Livingstone,\nJ. (2008). The Role of Social Networking Sites in Early Adolescents Social\nLives. The Journal of Early Adolescence,\n36(8), 348-371.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Saedi,\nA. (2012). Psychology Today; Millennial Media; The media saturated generation\nY; \u201cCatfish\u201d and the Perils of\nOnline Dating. Retrieved from http:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/blog\/millennialmedia\/201212\/catfish-and-the-perils-<\/a> online-dating<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seabrook,\nE. (2016). Social Networking Sites, Depression, and Anxiety: A\nSystematic Review<\/em>. 3rd ed.\n<\/p>\n\n\n [ebook]<\/p>\n\n\n\n Clayton, Australia: Monash University. Retrieved from: https:\/\/mental.jmir.org\/2016\/4\/e50\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Starr, L & Davilla, J. Dr. (2009). Excessive Discussion Of\nProblems Between Adolescent Friends May\nLead To Depression And Anxiety. Stony Brook University. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Tanner,\nE. (2015). Girls, Instagram, and the Glamorization of Self-Loathing, 4(1), 105-117.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" ABSTRACT With a world in the midst of a social networking sites revolution, it is more than obvious that social media like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest are used extensively by teenagers to portray their online self. According to several studies, social networking sites are detrimental, distractive platforms which have led to moral decadence among the… Continue reading Social networking sites impact on the development of values among young people leading to a rise in teenage depression.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/50"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=465"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":727,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465\/revisions\/727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=465"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Curtin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}