Antisocial Networking? By Hilary Stout: Article Analysis

Social media plays a big role in the majority of people lives.  There is conflict on whether it’s more harmful or more helpful.  In the article, “Antisocial Networking?” from the New York Times by Hilary Stout dated April 30, 2010, she explains her position of being anti-social networking.  She claims that social media takes away the chance for the youth to develop empathy, recognize emotions, and apprehend meanings of facial expressions and body language.  Stout fears these skills will only fade away.  On the other hand, Melissa Healy explains her reasons for being pro-social networking in her article, “Teenage Social Media Butterflies May Not Be such a Bad Idea” from the Los Angeles Times dated May 18, 2010.  Considering social media allows teens to communicate with each other, build social skills, and create opportunities for adolescents, I disagree with Hilary Stout’s position.

First of all, I disagree with Stout because social media allows kids to communicate with their friends.

For instance, social networking sites like Instagram allow me to direct message my friends to see what’s up or to ask questions about school.  Furthermore, I text my friends to make plans or to have casual conversations.  Additionally, Donna Swartz Mills, a source from “Teenage Social Media Butterflies May Not Be such a Bad Idea,” says that her daughter uses social networking sites to keep connected with her friends and coaches.  Moreover, 60 percent of my class uses social networking sites to stay in touch with friends.  Finally, Melissa Healy states, in her article, “Teenage Social Media Butterflies May Not Be such a Bad Idea,” “Adolescents are largely using social networking sites to keep in touch with friends they already know, not to converse with strangers”   In conclusion, social networking allows teen to communicate with one another more efficiently.

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    Furthermore, I oppose Stout’s position because social media assists teens’ development of social skills.  Melissa Healy states, “...electronics appear to be the path by which kids today develop emotional bonds, their own identities, and an ability to communicate and work with others,”.  This statement proves that social media is helping kids develop social skills, such as working together and creating emotional bonds.  In addition, Healy claims, “ ...kids most likely to spend lots of time on social media are not the least well adjusted, but psychologically healthiest...”  Additionally, social media allows me to make more relationships with other people I may know.  For example,  I would follow people from school on a site such as Instagram and then message them, starting a new friendship.  Therefore, social media positively contributes to the development of social skills in today’s teens.  
Above all, I disagree with Hilary Stout’s argument because social media creates new opportunities for adolescents.  For example, “The digital world is creating new opportunities for youth to grapple with social norms…” states the Digital Youth Project’s 2008 white paper.  For instance, many people have YouTube accounts, and certain channels have thousands to millions of subscribers.  Many YouTubers make a living by doing the thing the love, with a high amount of subscribers.   Moreover, many people have become famous through social media and had the opportunity of life-changing experiences.  Furthermore, it allows teens to explore new hobbies and places.  For example, Instagram's explore page showcases interesting areas locally and different tutorials on many activities.  Additionally, 85 percent of my class uses social media to explore their interests.  I also watch tutorials online and explore the many discover stories on the social networking site Snapchat.  As you can, see social networking allows teens to explore different opportunities and activities.  
You may think social media negatively affects adolescents’ social skills.  However, these claims against social media are far from the truth.  Hilary Stouts explains in her article, “Antisocial Networking?”, “Today’s youth are missing out on experiences that help them develop empathy for others…”  On the contrary, social media has introduced me to many stories that have made me develop the ability to empathize with the situations people are in.  For example, I read a post about someone being emotionally hurt by someone else online and I could empathize to times when a friend hurt me online.  Stout also declares that teens will not be able to understand different emotions.  On the other hand, social networking allows people to express themselves in many ways, including emotionally.  For instance, my friend always shares her feelings in her Instagram posts.  In the comments, there are always people giving her advice based on her emotions.  Moreover, Stout believes that social media hampers teens from understanding facial expressions and body language. However, video chatting sites as ooVoo and Facetime allow teens to communicate face to face.  This allows us to learn to understand facial expressions and body language by seeing the people in the videos .  Also, people share pictures and videos on social networking sites and we are able to recognize their emotion based on their  facial expressions and body language.  For example, my friend shared a video of her party and I could tell they were happy because they were smiling and dancing.  To conclude, social media positively affect teens’ social skills.
In conclusion, the debate on whether social media is harmful or helpful goes on and on.  Hilary Stout explains her stance against social media in her article, “Antisocial Networking?” On the other side, Melissa Healy explicates in her article, “Teenage Social Media Butterflies May Not Be such a Bad Idea”, her reasons for being pro-social media.  I disagree with Hilary Stout’s position because social media allows teens to efficiently communicate with each other, build social skills, and create opportunities for adolescents.  Teens should continue to use social media.  It makes it easier to connect and it does not hinder teens from developing the ability to understand emotions, facial expressions, and body language.  In the end, social media is more helpful than harmful, so get on you social media and continue scrolling through the posts..