<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Abstract<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n This paper investigates the differences between online social media\ncommunities in children and adolescents when compared to the traditional\nface-to-face communities. Both avenues of communications are similar but\ndifferent in many ways of enhancing the way children and adolescents relate to\nother people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Introduction<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The phenomena of Social Media erupted in the\nInternet late in 2008, when Net Surfer Before the advent of the Internet, the\ntradition was to meet and, greet family and friends face-to-face. It is\nimportant to touch, smell and see the nuances of facial features, meaning a\nfirst impression could be made of people\u2019s personality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With online communication this first\nimpression is not available making it difficult to assess the person you are\ncommunicating with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Are they genuine in their identity, what has\nmotivated them to friend you, for teenagers and young children it is extremely\ndifficult to form any opinion due to their age! These age group in their\nnaivety often fall victim to unscrupulous \u201cfriends\u201d the incidences of grooming\nand bullying are highly published. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Teenagers search online for relationships,\nfriendship, acceptance, and social support. Facebook is the largest, most\npopular source of online connections, with teenagers and young children the\nmost vulnerable. There are many debates relating to \u201cvirtual social media\ntranscending time and space sui generis<\/em>,\u201d\ncontact between people in a face-to-face still much used with family and\nfriends who live locally [Wellman & Gulia.] \nWhatever the overall reasoning for using either method, the reasoning is\nthe same, to make contact with another person. On a social networking site,\nusing Facebook as an example, personal data is protected by a password and\nantivirus programs to keep information safe. Unfortunately criminals have\ndeveloped a format for “hacking” into data to use in criminal\nactivities. When personal data on the home device is not protected by security\nan individual’s photographs and personal information can be copied and used in\nnefarious activities. In a face-to-face situation, it is less likely to fall\nprey to the theft of a personal identity thereby eliminating personal anxiety.\nIn 2019, this once safety net is crumbling, as current media reported personal\ndata is no longer safe from criminal elements. Personal privacy of identities\nis being exploited leaving users virtually powerless to maintain personal\nrecords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Teenagers are an easy target for online trolls\nas they lack the psychological aspects of awareness when accepting a\nconnection. There is no realisation of the inherent dangers that social media\nplatforms have and how easily peer-pressure may affect them. They might have\nlow self-esteem or other issues, and connect in the hope they will be\nappreciated by new friends, increasing self-worth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Their reasoning is the same whether using\nFacebook or face-to-face with durability and consistency within each connection\nbeing transient [Jones 1997.] The creation of virtual online communities, such\nas: “Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and LinkedIn,” are defined as online\ncommunities! The article “How Using\nSocial Media Affects Teenagers,” advises: “Experts say kids are\ngrowing up with more anxiety and less self-esteem,” with teenagers\nstriving to gain a following of friends, the higher the number the more kudos\nthe user feels important [Ehmke n.d.] Children under three years, have little\ncomprehension of social media exposure, studies have found it is beneficial for\nthem to watch television at this age. Since mobile phones became affordable, parents\nare allowing children screen time to play games, or watch a favourite video.\nThis encourages creativity, develops social and communication skills and\nencourages problem-solving. It is especially beneficial when the parent is\nteaching children the etiquette of quality screen time [Raising Children 2019.]\n In some incident for many different reasons\nparents use online digital media as a babysitter with children by using online\ngames or videos. This causes tantrums, extreme anxiety, and angry behaviour\nwhen the parent takes the device away. Indications\nshow this can create an early intrusion to the child\u2019s psychology and physical\nbehaviour. A clear psychological indication in children of predictive behaviour\nto online activities in their future. “Children spend the most screen\nhours online per day, leading to deficiencies in their natural curiosity,\nself-control, and emotional stability.” [Schurgin O’Keeffe &\nClarke-Pearson, 2011.] It’s a common\noccurrence to see a group of teenager’s texting on their phones while blindly\nwalking along the street and not talking face-to-face with each other. Studies\nhave indicated an increase in anxiety or depression in the high users of screen\ntimes versus low users. The outcome of this study showed neither group’s\nwell-being is decreased. [Twenge & Campbell, 2018.] <\/p>\n\n\n\n Parents are finding children and teenagers are\nreluctant to give up screen time for recreation in the outdoors, playing outdoors\nsports or generally enjoying the carefree atmosphere of the sun, wind, and\nfresh air. They would prefer to continue online screen time plaining video\ngames or watching their preferred websites. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A journal on “Exercising\nSelf-Control,” focuses on competition between two opposing forces in\nadolescents. Indicating the “motivational force (impulse strength), versus\nchildren and teenagers capacity to control their impulses (self-control\nstrength.)” [Schmeichel & Crowell’s\n2016.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n A lack\nof motivation to leave the screen and try other types of recreation is associated\nwith the age of the child, and the amount of time they spend online. The\nyounger the users the less likely they would be to understand the concept of\nself-control. Parents have a responsibility to teach the younger child how to\ncontrol themselves. A teenager aware of\ntheir self-control, refuse to reduce their amount of screen time, in the\nendless and constant posting of comments to friends or unknown social contact. Teenagers\noften make poor decisions under pressure, stress or are seeking attention.\nParents believe teenagers know right from wrong! The frontal cortex of their\nbrain controls the impact of emotional arousal \u201chot\u201d and \u201ccold\u201d situations. A\nhot arousal felt by the teenager invokes the possibility of a teenager taking\nrisky or sensational-seeking behaviours without taking into account the\nconsequences. While a cold situation\nmade in \u201clow emotional arousal\u201d enable the teenager to make \u201cwell-reasoned and\nrational decisions.\u201d [\u201cA parent\u2019s guide to why teens make bad decisions, 2019.] This is not to say it only happens in an\nonline private space, to a lesser degree many teenagers in the public space\nhave the same difficulties. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To\nbetter understand Social Media isolation we need to explore social networking\npopularity held by teenagers today. Facebook is social media’s largest website,\nfollowed closely by Twitter, Instagram and various gaming sites. YouTube offers\na plethora of entertaining video clips, with cat videos being highly viewed.\nBlogging developed in the virtual world; such as: The Huffington Post, Boing\nBoing and Techcrunch. All offer exciting entertainment and communication to\ntantalise our teenagers of today. [Schurgin O’Keeffe & Clarke-Pearson, 2011.]\nIn a clinical report published by the “American Academy of Paediatrics’,\ninvestigation into the impact of social media on children, teenagers, and\nfamilies,” describes online screen time usage by children and teenagers\ncan improve their communication, social connection and enhance motor\nskills.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n In 1996, mobile phones became available and\naffordable to the public; many parents provided young children and teenagers\nwith a personal mobile phone to ensure they could contact their child and to\nenable a critic their online activities. [Lenhart 2009.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n Texting is the most common form of\ncommunication used online today. Platforms, such as; Messenger, What’s App and\nSnapchat gives quicker response to comments immediately rather than making a\nphone call or emailing the recipient. Texting is the new online language today,\nand participation in this activity continues the user’s emotional development\nand social skills which are continually happening. Children and teenager\u2019s own\nself-regulation are limited at this age, leaving them vulnerable to being\npressured into situations which they cannot understand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They will be exposed to peer pressure,\ncyber-bullied by hate texting, being alienated and isolated by supposed\nfriends. These situations often become volatile when nasty texting and\ndisagreements happen between two or more friends. Cyberbullying is prevalent in\nsocial media, where the chosen victim has been selected without any apparent\nreason, and are intimidated relentlessly by nasty texts. The victim’s\npsychological health will deteriorate because of this experience leading to\nisolation, loneliness, and low self-esteem, often ending as self-hatred. In some\ncases, the constant bullying can lead to depression and the risk of suicide is\nincreased because by the abuse. Although not all victim takes this last drastic\nstep, many have sought re-assurance and counselling to work through their\nmental issues. [Harris Hyun, 2017.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n Social Media cannot be responsible for the\npsychological, and mental health issues, Facebook limits the age for user to\nthirteen or older. Research conducted by the “Kaiser Family\nFoundation,” in 2010, revealed 11\u201318 year-olds average eleven hours online\ndaily are spent to follow their friends. It is typical for this age group to\nbegin their day checking overnight messages before breakfast and again at night\nbefore sleeping. In this example, social media trumps the face-to-face space!\nUsers are craving gratification, acceptance and self-worth from their online\npeers. Social media invitations\nnotifications are sent to fun parties, with Facebook user relaying good news to\nfriends, inducing them to “Like” all comments. An important aspect\nfor online users, is the more visitors who like your page, the bigger kudos users\nreceive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The number of friends on the page is essential,\nmost of whom the user will never meet, gives a feeling of gratification and\neuphoria with the number of friends they have accumulated. [Spies Shapiro &\nMargolin, 2019.] <\/p>\n\n\n\n For teenagers who are naturally shy and maybe\nintroverted, social media offers a format they can use without being\ntraumatised by meeting face-to-face meeting. \nA shy person can create a self-identity, and self-worth in the safety of\ntheir home to voice their views and be part of the Facebook community.\n[Sheldon, 2012.] The online community offers a safety aspect for the shy person\nwithout anxiety, when public space causes psychological issues in meeting\nface-to-face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conclusion:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The inception of electronic communication in\nthe 1990s and 2000s on the Internet and Web provided new virtual space to\nconnect instantly to acquaintances using online platforms and texting with a\nmobile phone. Thus changing people’s\nconception of “keeping in touch” by face-to-face space and contact by\nletters, phone, and get-togethers. While websites, such as, Facebook overran\nthe traditional methods of communication with friends at the touch of a button,\nthere was no significant change to people who continued to use the conventional\nmethod of face-to-face for many different reasons. In 2019, virtual online\nspace and traditional face-to-face space have been merged by users as real\ncommunities. Mobile phone footage of an event in face-to-face space can now be\ndownloaded on to the newer virtual space, making breaking news immediately\navailable to the population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An example of this was the recent shootings in\nChristchurch, New Zealand when the shooter streamed his ill intent from a face-to-face\nlive as it was happened. Live streaming from mobile phones in a face-to-face\nspace posted to Facebook and other platforms are inherently useful for many\nreasons. It’s not a symbiotic relationship, per say, as each space stands alone\nwith the ability to complement communications of the world’s population faster\nthan ever before. Both the virtual space and face-to-face space have their own\npositive and negative comparability. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The population usage of each gives the assumption\nboth be considered as “real communities.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n Each with much the same issues within the\nconfines of mental health issues, isolation, loneliness and low self-esteem in\nyoung children and teenagers of today who are looking for acceptance from their\npeers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n References<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n A parent\u2019s\nguide to why teens make bad decisions. (2019). Retrieved from: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/a-parents-guide-to-why-teens-make-bad-decisions-88246<\/a> accessed 21\/04\/2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n Computer\nHope. Is Facebook safe? (2019.) Retrieved from: https:\/\/www.computerhope.com\/sindex.htm<\/a> accessed 20\/04\/2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ehmke, Rachel., (n.d.) How Using Social Media\nAffects Teenagers, Child Mind Institute. Retrieved from: https:\/\/childmind.org\/article\/how-using-social-media-affects-teenagers\/<\/a> accessed 28 March 2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n Harris Hyun-soo Kim (2017).\nThe impact of online social networking on adolescent\npsychological well-being (WB): a population-level analysis of Korean\nschool-aged children, International Journal of\nAdolescence and Youth, 22:3, 364-376, http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1080\/02673843.2016.1197135<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kaplan, A., M. Haenlein, M. (2009.) Users of\nthe world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media. Kelly\nSchool of Business, Indiana University. pg: 60-68. Retrieved from: doi:10.1016\/j.bushor.2009.09.003<\/a>accessed 29\/03\/2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lenhart. A., (2009) Teens and mobile phones\nover the past five years: Pew Internet looks back. Pew Internet and American\nLife Project. pg: 1-17 Retrieved from http:\/\/www.pewinternet.org\/Reports\/2007\/Social-Networking-Websites-and-Teens.aspx<\/a> accessed 31\/03\/2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n McKenna, K.Y.A., Green,\nA.S., Gleason, M.J. (2002) Relationship formation on the Internet: What\u2019s the\nbig attraction? Journal of Social Issues. 58 (1):9 -13 Retrieved from: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/1540-4560.00246<\/a> accessed 31\/03\/2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n Raising Children Network (Australia) Ltd.\n(2019) Retrieved from: https:\/\/raisingchildren.net.au\/about-us\naccessed 20\/04\/2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Schurgin O’Keeffe, G., & Clarke-Pearson, K.\n(2011). Clinical Report. The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents,\nand Families. Retrieved from: http:\/\/DOI: 10.1542\/peds.2011-0054<\/a>\naccessed 28\/03\/2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n Spies, L.A., & Margolin, G. (2014). Growing\nUp Wired: Social Networking Sites and Adolescents Psychosocial Development.\nClin Child Fam Psycho Rev.17 (1): 1-18 Retrieved from: doi: 10.1007\/s10567-013-0135-1<\/a>\naccessed 31\/03\/2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n Schmeichel, B.J., & Crowell. A., (2016). Exercising\nSelf-Control Increases Approach \u2013 Motivated Impulse Strength. Self-Regulation\nand Ego Control. Science Direct. Retrieved from: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.pmedr.2018.10.003<\/a> accessed 30\/03\/2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sheldon, P. (2012). Profiling the non-users:\nExamination of life-position indicators, sensation seeking, shyness, and\nloneliness among users and non-users of social network sites. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Computers In Human Behavior<\/em>, 28<\/em>(5), 1960-1965. doi: 10.1016\/j.chb.2012.05.016<\/a> accessed 29\/03\/2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Complex Links Between Social Media and\nMental Health. (2019). Retrieved from https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/au\/blog\/evidence-based-living\/201903\/the-complex-links-between-social-media-and-mental-health<\/a> accessed 01\/04\/2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n Twenge, J, M,. & Campbell, K. (2018)\nAssociations between screen time and lower psychological well-being among\nchildren and adolescents: Evidence from a population-study. Science Direct, Vol\n12, December 2018, pg: 271-283. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.pmedr.2018.10.003<\/a> accessed 30\/03\/2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wellman, B,. & Gulia, M,. (1997) Net\nSurfers Don\u2019t Ride Alone: Virtual Communities as Communities. Retrieved from: http:\/\/groups.chass.utoronto.ca\/netlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Net-Surfers-Dont-Ride-Alone-Virtual-Community-as-Community.pdf\naccessed 29\/03\/2019<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n WELLMAN,\nB., HAASE, A. Q., WITTE, J., & HAMPTON, K. (2001). Does the Internet\nIncrease, Decrease, or Supplement Social Capital?: Social Networks,\nParticipation, and Community Commitment. American Behavioral Scientist<\/em>,\n45<\/em>(3), 436\u2013455. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/00027640121957286<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Abstract This paper investigates the differences between online social media communities in children and adolescents when compared to the traditional face-to-face communities. Both avenues of communications are similar but different in many ways of enhancing the way children and adolescents relate to other people. Introduction The phenomena of Social Media erupted in the Internet late… Continue reading Children and Adolescents Addiction to Social Media \u2013 Mental Health Issues<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-social"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Open\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Open\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Open\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Open\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Open\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=454"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Open\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/454\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":455,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Open\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/454\/revisions\/455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Open\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Open\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/networkconference.netstudies.org\/2019Open\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}‘<\/del>s\njoined social networks becoming, “joiners, spectators, and critics!”\n[Kaplan & Haenlein 2009] January\n2009, saw the inception of “Facebook,” beginning the erosion of\nface-to-face interaction between family and friends. The advent of mobile\nphones became widely accepted as the preferred source of communication amongst\nyoung adults and teenagers. Face-to-face\ncommunication became less important to users, as Social Media created immediate\naccess to friends at any time allowing users to stay abreast of friends\u2019<\/ins>\nactivities and to post comments, good and bad, regardless of time or place. Since\nthe inception of online communication, It has been debated if these platforms\ncan be considered a “real community” when compared to the traditional\nface-to-face meetings. [“Wellman & Gulia 1997.] Evidence comes from a 1998 survey of 39,211\nvisitors to the National Geographic Society Web site, that people\u2019s interaction\nonline supplements their face-to-face and telephone communication without\nincreasing or decreasing it.\u201d [Wellman, et,.al.] Children and adolescents have an attraction to\nsocial media sites, such as Facebook can lead to arrested development and\nmental health issued and open them to cyberbullying and identity theft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n