She was just looking for a friend when her Facebook page opened that evening. The social media site had long been her escape when days seemed to pass by too quickly and it was difficult to stay in touch. This particular evening, however, finding the friendly face was not going to happen. Instead she found a running commentary among her friends about her lack of preparedness earlier in the day. What started as a joke had turned into a full blown discussion of every detail about a situation she was trying to forget. She turned off the screen, but could not forget the words.
The world today uses the internet and social media at every turn. The internet is used to learn, purchase, read, explore and communicate without a second thought, using cell phones, notebooks, and laptops all full of social media sites, search engines and apps. Gathering information is easy. Connecting with friends takes seconds. Buying online saves time. The benefits are many; however, for certain groups of the population, too much of a good thing really is too much. The above-detailed situation is just one example of cyberbullying and very well could have happened to an adolescent, college student or adult worker. Very real problems occur when the internet and social media are not closely monitored by an individual or authority figure. Researchers have gone in depth to study cyberbullying, sexting, dependence issues, depression, and workplace problems brought on by overuse of the internet.
The American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) released a report in 2010 regarding the issue of “Social Media Syndrome,” a condition that they maintain is just as real as a broken bone or chickenpox (Sloveiter, 30). While an increasingly useful too...
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Social media is changing the way that doctors and patients communicate. It is reshaping health care with the help of modern technical innovations such as internet connectivity, smart phones, tablets, and desktops. This ranges from patient support groups to instant messaging (Aishwarya, 2012:[sp]). Media usage has evolved over the last few years and research in this field has shown how children’s psychological factors are linked to social media (Heim, et al, 2007:49). These factors suggest that the internet is a powerful communication tool that not only connects children with others but also empowers them by providing a learning environment and social support (Heim, et al, 2007:52-53). A rapid and innovated advance in social media offers numerous opportunities for modifying health behaviour by allowing the users to conduct research, review previous experiences, seek out medical advice, and lets users choose whether they would like to be identified or anonymous. Although there is a considerable potential for these media tools such as, video chat, weblogs and social networks, this media usage, requires careful application with regards to how the information is used, and may not always give the desired results when seeking medical advice or solutions (Korda, Itani, 2013:15). Carleen Hawn (2009:361) explains that across the health care industry, new media tools are changing the way that patients and doctors interact which is why people are adopting this method of using social media for health related issues (Korda, Itani, 2013:15).
The internet has enabled our society to accomplish great things that would not have been achieved without the advanced technology available to us today. Everyone knows that there are both pros and cons to the advanced technology available practically worldwide. However, everyday youth are finding new ways to engage in inappropriate behaviors such as cyberbullying and sexual misconduct (sexting) with technology, and most adults are practically blind to this rising problem until it is too late. There are however, many solutions that schools, adults, and parents can do to put a stop to these cyberbullying and sexual misconduct activities occurring online.
Today, roughly two billion computers and two billion phones are in use (Mathews). With this, come almost four billion people with the opportunity to use the internet and to connect to social media. Linda Ogbevoen states that “with digital media’s increase in functionality and decrease in price, more and more rely on digital media for work, play, and socializing.” Over the past decade social media has become more and more popular, thus causing it to become part of people’s everyday lives. Along with the widespread of technology today, various people of all ages throughout the world have started to log onto social media sites. The most prominent users of social media have been shown to be adolescents. As a result of the excessive use of social media, adolescents have encountered problems such as internet bullying (“cyberbullying”), privacy concerns, and internet addiction.
In recent decades, there have been numerous technological advances. Due to the availability of such advances, the use of this technology, particularly the use of Internet, is overwhelmingly present in our society for people of all ages. For instance, 93% of teenagers, ages 12 through 17 use the Internet, matching the 93% of young adults. Whereas, 74% of adults, ages 18 and older, use the Internet (Lenhart et al, 2010). Studies found that adult users over the age of 18 consider the Internet as a means of completing tasks such as shopping and paying bills, in comparison to those under the age of 18 who considers it a tool for social connections (Bhat, 2008). About 73% of teenagers and young adults as well as 47% of adults use social networks, the most commonly used being Facebook (Lenhart et al., 2010). The use of the Internet is not only limited to that of computers considering cell phones now offer mobile Internet. A large number of the population have cellphones, with 58% of 12 years old, 75% of teenagers, and 93% of adults owning cell phones (Lenhart et al, 2010). With advances in technology and its increased use, we have become perpetually in contact with one another, opening ourselves up to a new form of bullying: cyber bullying.
Technology has changed the world for today’s teens, and not all for the better. According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, cyberbullying can happen twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, and reach a kid even when he or she is alone. By definition cyberbullying is “willful and repeated harm inflicted through the median of electronic text” (Deuck). This happens in many ways shapes and forms. The use of information and communication technologies such as e-mails, cell phones, pagers, text messages, instant messaging, and defamatory online personal polling web sites has became common among teens. As a result of cyberbullying, victims suffer from emotional harm, loss of self- esteem, and experience physical harm.
In her article “How the Internet Has Changed Bullying”, Maria Konnikova explained how bullying has reached technology, and in the workplaces of many adults. The Internet has made it harder to escape from bullying, and easier for bullies to escape from confronting their victims. Furthermore, the author stresses that cyberbullying not only targets high schoolers, but it’s affecting the lives of college students as well (Konnikova 1). Cyberbullying takes place in the Internet world where is easier for a bully to gossip and humiliate multiple of victims in a faster pace. The studies have shown that cyberbullying is making a greater impact in the victims’ and the bullies’ lives more than the traditional bullying and many people are not aware of it; therefore the schools, witnesses, and employers should work together to fight against cyberbullying and provide help to the victims and bullies.
This sort of phenomenon makes major headlines regularly in recent times and effects a clear majority of today’s youth. State and local lawmakers have taken steps to prevent this type of bullying by making illegal under several criminal law codes. Michele Hamm, a researcher in pediatrics explained, “There were consistent associations between exposure to cyberbullying and increased likelihood of depression.” Cyberbullying became widespread among students with the rapid growth in use of cellular devices and the Internet. With this kind of technology bullies have the ability to send harmful messages to their recipients at any given time. This type of bullying is the hardest to control because it involves students but often happens off school grounds. However, because the evidence is material, students and parents could bring this evidence to the school and local police departments if a situation were to happen. Parents should be mindful of their child’s use of the internet and electronic messaging, cyberbullying usually takes place in a medium in which adults are seldom present (Mason, 2008). Also, instead of sending direct messages to other students, bullies use platforms such as social media and anonymous blogs to post harmful things for others to see. Educators must understand the significance of social media use to their students, especially
Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are only a few of the most common words used in today’s language among children, teens and adults. Such words can be described as popular terms related to what many of us know as social media. In today’s culture, many teenagers rely so heavily on the usage of social media that issues once thought to be revolutionary are now taking place offline and online. In fact, several cases of mental addictions, depression and even suicide have all stemmed from the initial usage of sites such as Facebook, which are otherwise socially accepted as a simple means of communicating with “friends.” While social media does have its advantages, it can also be held responsible for several negative events in the lives of today’s teenagers.
Cyberbullying has risen since the inception of social media sites and the rise of the internet. While the statistics regarding cyberbullying vary widely, anywhere from ten to forty percent or more of adolescents have reportedly been bullied online. The percentage of those on social media, like Facebook, has an even gre...
Clarke-Pearson, K., O’Keeffe, G., (2011). The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families. Retrieved from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org
Harmful insults and acts of bullying are no longer restricted to the actual world. Cyber world is now infected with these issues in which technology and private information are instinctively used to constantly harm or bash emotionally hostilities towards a group or one particular individual. Social networks such as Facebook, twitter, and Google plus have been gaining immense popularity in the past years. With the popularity of these sites, the problems of cyber bullying, online sexual predators and accessibility to adult content also continue to grow. The younger generations are becoming more techno-friendly, with electronic devices such as tablets, computers, and cell phones. With this fact younger children are becoming more vulnerable and more likely to be confronted with these problems. These problems and issues of social discriminations are why there needs to be an age restriction or improved rules and provisions in order to prevent this.
One of the most concerning effects of social media is depression. When teens create an online identity, they are often displaying an unauthentic self. This “other” self is often what the person wants to be like. Having to jump from the online self to the real self can often lead to depression. In an article in the Huffington Post, Dr. Jim Taylor calls this Facebook depression. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that “Researchers have proposed a new phenomenon called “Facebook depression,” defined as depression that develops when preteens and teens spend a great deal of time on social media sites, such as Facebook, and then begin to exhibit classic symptoms of depression.” (802). Facebook and other social media outlets create an almost high school-like environment outside of school where the teen has to strive for acceptance as well. Dr. Moreno tells the New York Times that ...
The cons of social media can be very risky, especially when the youth of this society is partaking in it. Children and adolescents are now known for inappropriate content on social media sites or just simply not understanding the concepts of privacy. A nationwide issue that has been addressed is the action of cyberbullying. This action often leads to harmful circumstances such as suicide attempts, with some being successful. In just one state in the U.S., 1,491 high school students that were the “cyber bullies” were related to suicide attempts and about 4,693 students were rel...
Mickie Wong-Lo and Lyndal M. Bullock, in their encouraging attempt to intervene in incidents of cyberbullying, have recommended many ways to deal with it. In their article entitled “Digital Aggression: Cyberworld Meets School Bullies”, they asserted that children do not acquaint their parents with their activities on the Internet and as a result parents do not know how to address similar situations (67). According to Kowalski, parents ought to follow “reporting techniques, which includes knowing when to ignore, block, or react, being mindful of the language being used and respond appropriately;” (qtd. in Wong-Lo and Bullock 68). In other words, the authors rightly emphasize that systematic supervision and knowledge can be valuable measures because parents will monitor children’s use of Internet and will be able to provide appropriate guidelines just in case a danger arises (Wong-Lo and Bullock 68). Moreover, as Keith and Martin argue, “[…] incorporating popular youth technology would be to teach youth how to use a social networking site to promote themselves in a positive manner that would appeal ...
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