Emilee Hoang Ms. Andrea Clark AP English III 17 November 2015 Is Social Media Ruining Society? The artist JR once said, “The more social media we have, the more we think we're connecting, yet we are really disconnecting from each other.” The truth behind his quote describes the way social media affects society negatively, taking away what it was actually intended for. Social media has the power to do positive things, but it may actually be a negative concept as well with dependence, shaming, and mental health as the main issues being concerned. Social media dependence has become an ongoing problem, forcing mental illnesses to come into the question with our generation slowly and unintentionally relying on technology and social media for their …show more content…
daily lives. Another problem posed by it is the usage of the media to shame others for things involving body image, mistakes, and cyberbullying. The final thing that is also posed as a problem is its ability to ruin mental health. These problems seem to be negatively affecting people’s lives on a day-by-day basis with evidence being shown in support of the negative effects of social media. The first problem that is of concern is our dependence of social media. We spend so much time now on social media that taking it away seems to be the most brutal form of punishment. Social media dependence is becoming more apparent nowadays with phones constantly being checked for new notifications from the menagerie of social media apps that are available. This constant need to check in also causes people to miss out on life due to the constant neediness to always be connected to everything and everyone on social media rather than enjoying what was given right in front of them. Social media has the ability to “distract us from our finest moments” (Gordon, “Social Media Is Ruining Everything”). Growing up, everyone seemed to have fond memories of spending their time outside, going on vacations, and playing with friends, but now, memories like that are all posted on Instagram and Twitter, for everyone to see how much fun they’re having. The dependence of the high of social media has slowly distorted every person’s mind to focus on what to post than what to see with his or her own eyes. This dependence also seems to be critically affecting mental health with more cases of teenagers and adolescents now having to deal with mental illnesses, such as anxiety and depression, even though social media was intended for entertainment and leisure. The apps people use start having a toll on everyone mentally and “social technology may bear some responsibility for anxiety and depression in adolescents, teenagers and young adults” (Potarazu, “Is Social Media Ruining Our Kids?”). The anxiety people get from social media dependence is correlated with having little to no time to adjust to adapt. In a world of change, everyone seems to be changing too fast where immediate responses to anything are expected and no one seems to have time to evolve since there is an expectation to adapt immediately. Even the most seemingly irrelevant things also cause anxiety due to social media dependence. Diana Graber, a co-founder of CyberWise.org, said, “It's almost like a little competition for the number of likes...I think that's anxiety-ridden, because you get likes based on how many friends you have, and you have to keep posting things to get more friends and it's like a vicious circle.” Social media propels anxiety by competition merely through the number of likes, followers, your friends, and your social circle through an intense cycle of what seems to be absolutely nothing. This anxiety is only one of many mental illnesses that social media seems to be causing for people. Social media has also brought mental illness into the picture with a higher number of reports of teenagers suffering from some form of mental illness in this time period than any other.
Being created to allow us to socialize, social media has instead brought a feeling of isolation and additional problems that should not have to be dealt with, but instead are. In the circumstances that people actually do socialize, most of the socializing is still done through technology of some sort, and nobody actually gets to see the mental and emotional impact that the things they do and say have on their peers, which again, can factor into serious mental health issues. This problem could easily be resolved by just interacting face-to-face with each other, something that could help promote good social skills and allow everyone to know if what they have done has affected someone else, something that anyone wouldn’t have been able to see if they just socialized through media. The extremities of mental health are also being constantly challenged by the sudden blur that differentiates between what’s good and what’s bad, causing people to feel hurt at things that might not have intended to make them feel hurt at all. Another factor into poor mental health caused by social media also comes in from shaming on social media in forms of cyberbullying, body shaming, and general …show more content…
shaming. Social media shaming has become a cultural norm in the past five years with every single mistake made by someone becoming the topic of ridicule for days on end.
When anyone makes a mistake, apologies and regrets aren't sufficient enough to satisfy social media, and the ridicule and criticism must be extended further just for everyone to have the last word. The problem with shaming is that no one ever seems to realize that there is an actual person on the receiving end of the hatred and criticism. Because of the constant need to having to “investigate” situations, people are instead instigating the problem, as it has brought out possibly the worst in the situation rather than the best. Social media shaming doesn’t stop at just the general Internet shaming, but it comes in the form of cyberbullying, too. Victimizing on social media has lead to major consequences, such as depression and a decrease in a healthy mental health. Dr. Melinda Ring, the medical director at the Osher Center, said, “Victims of cyberbullying are almost twice as likely to have attempted suicides compared with adolescents who were not the target of online attacks.” The likelihood of a suicide attempt by an adolescent is nearly twice the rate with a victim of cyberbullying than a peer that hasn’t been bullied at all over the Internet. Cyberbullying can also come in hand with body shaming, as well, as body shaming has become something quite normal taking over social media. Social media has suddenly become a
platform where physical appearances are constantly being judged by our peers and suddenly, we're in a state that our self-esteem decreases when we see another post of someone else's "perfect" body. People spend so much time comparing themselves to others that self esteem suddenly relies on what another person posts rather than how people feel about themselves personally, which is putting mental health at risk just by forcing people to want to look a certain way that might not be what they actually need to strive to be like because of the idea that "young girls seeking affirmation via social media were ''setting themselves up for negative mental health outcomes'' (Cossimer, “Under the Sway of Social Media”). It’s becoming an ongoing problem merely because society isn’t meant to satisfy everyone and to be perfect, but social media has pushed that to become the ultimate goal: be perfect. No matter how many Instagram likes people get, there will always be someone that isn't satisfied with the way someone looks or who is drawn to negativity, and relying on social media for happiness is only going to drag everyone down in the long run. Even though appearances mean everything to people now, there’s nothing society can do to please everyone, which is something that social media hasn’t taken the direct approach to responding to yet. Social media has been a norm for many of us and the negative effects of it since logging on for the first time ever have become more apparent today. People might not see the negative effects of social media because of the ignorance to realize that everyone plays a part in it, too, but many have come to realize what social media has brought over the years and it is ultimately up to society whether or not the impact of social media can turn into an all-around positive experience. In the near future, there might be a period where everyone could positively reconnect with each other online and offline, with a hopefully manageable and balanced social media experience, which could solve the problem at hand. Works Cited Al-Khatib, Talal. "Is Too Much Social Media Use Bad for Teen Health? : DNews." DNews. N.p., 10 Sept. 2015. Web. 15 Nov. 2015. . Doughty, Steve. "Three Hours a Day on Social Media 'is as Bad for Children as Being Bullied': Youngsters Much More Likely to Be Anxious or Depressed If They Spend Long Periods Online." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 21 Oct. 2015. Web. 16 Nov. 2015. . Gordon, Benjamin. "Social Media Is Ruining Everything." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 11 May 2015. Web. 09 Nov. 2015. . Lawson, Richard. "Is All Social Media Evil or What?" Vanity Fair. Condé Nast, 6 Nov. 2015. Web. 15 Nov. 2015. . Leopold, Todd. "Public Shaming, Social Media, Ruined Lives - CNN.com." CNN. Cable News Network, 16 Apr. 2015. Web. 09 Nov. 2015. . Marriner, Cosima. "Under the Sway of Social Media." The Sydney Morning Herald. N.p., 21 July 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2015. . Morin, Amy. "Is Technology Ruining Our Ability to Read Emotions? Study Says Yes." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 26 Aug. 2014. Web. 09 Nov. 2015. . Potarazu, Sreedhar. "Is Social Media Ruining Our Kids? (Opinion) - CNN.com." CNN. Cable News Network, 22 Oct. 2015. Web. 09 Nov. 2015. . Priestley, Theo. "Is Social Media Just Another Bad Habit To Break ?" Forbes. N.p., 13 Aug. 2015. Web. 15 Nov. 2015. . Ring, Melinda, Dr. "Teen Depression and How Social Media Can Help or Hurt - CNN.com." CNN. Cable News Network, 06 Aug. 2015. Web. 09 Nov. 2015. . Sassi, Annamarie Rose. "SiOWfa15: Science in Our World: Certainty and Controversy." SiOWfa15 Science in Our World Certainty and Controversy. N.p., 17 Sept. 2015. Web. 09 Nov. 2015. . Stolz, Kim. "Kim Stolz: How Social Media Is Ruining Our Relationships." Time. Time, 24 June 2014. Web. 09 Nov. 2015. . Wallace, Kelly. "Teen 'like' and 'FOMO' Anxiety." CNN. Cable News Network, 20 Nov. 2014. Web. 16 Nov. 2015. .
Many children are ridiculed and bullied via social media pages such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. They are publically shamed for various reasons some being considered not popular, promiscuous, or homosexual. They receive messages and are included in posts or tweets that target them for who they are. Others who see these posts can take part in commenting and ganging up on the individual. On ABC News most recently, teen girls have targeted others by posting “silly photos of themselves then altered to include blunt advice to each other, about things like how to dress more appropriately.” Today the person being targeted eventually commits suicide because the humiliation becomes unbearable. To shame a person to death is unacceptable, it is their right to be who they are without being judged. Society and the people within need to worry about their own
Facebook, Twitter and other social platforms have become one of the central activities in human affairs. Used by people around the world promoting communication, social media gives scope to everyone to exhibit their ideas and thoughts. The plethora of social platforms is a revolutionary invention that is changing the way of how people moderate and communicate with others in their daily lives. Although many people admire this revolutionary concept, it can be argued that it has a negative impact on society. Extensive usage of social media can cause addiction, affecting productivity, and also reduce the level of human interaction, which in turn leads to isolation. Social media is correlated to many of the issues that revolve feminism and mental illness through anthropology, sociology and psychology.
Social media has changed the way people communicate with each other and in turn, has affected our ability to empathize in both negative and positive ways. One of the most harmful consequences is the rise of cyber-bullying. Another negative issue has been the trend of trolling in comments sections of websites, chat rooms, and other online venues of communication. In spite of this, there have been constructive consequences due to social media such as the ability for family and friends to keep in touch on a regular basis. Because of social media, many people are finding support and resources to help them when they fall on hard times or experience tragedies like death and illness. Overall, social media is an exciting new world that changes as it grows and it will be up to society to utilize it for good.
While in the process of creating these artificial connections we fail to realize we are isolating ourselves from forming real relationships. This complied with the unjust evaluations of our accomplishments can lead to a lowered self-esteem and deepen our depression. Now I am not placing total blame on social media of these negative effects. I am however attempting to make it known that this is just a tool that has made it easier for us to see our voids and short
The University of Salford in the UK did a study last year on social media’s effects on self-esteem and anxiety, and reported that 50% of their 298 participants said that their “use of social networks like Facebook and Twitter makes their lives worse”. (Medical Daily) The study also reported that participants said ...
In the article” Twitter won’t water your flowers: How social media is destroying our sense of community,” Erick Erickson argues about how social media “replaces engagement in our local community” which degrades physical relationships(Erickson). He believes people will neglect their own problems since they created their own delusional world by social media. Also he states that people who spend most of their time on social media will start to have a less of an opinion since they do not want to be “deviated from the group”(Erickson). Erickson criticizes how social media is leading people to be thoughtless, mindless drones that in the end will result in the loss of the physical community.
Social media is so popular that according to a recent article published by forbes.com, “72% of American adults are currently using social media sites; that figure has gone up 800% in just 8 years”(Olenski). Social networking was originally created to simply reconnect people with old high school pals, but in recent years it has evolved into a completely different operation. When social media first originated it was also intended for adult usage, which has in recent years expanded into the usage of all ages. Social media can create a negative affect on lives because it has been proven to be a dangerous addiction, for it takes away interpersonal relationships that are essential in life, and it has been proven to prevent people from being productive in life.
As technology is emerging and advancing, social media is often being used as a means of communication. In Harke’s article “Is Social Media Making Us Antisocial?” on Huffington Post, he talks about the effect that social media has on people and focuses on how technology can influence the way that people are treated. Aside from the positive effects that comes along with technology, Harke believes that technology is undermining the “complete experiences” in life. As he sits at a dinner table, he notices that one of the guests was lacking manners because he had his phone next to his plate.
Social media plays a big role in the development and maintenance of psychological disorders. It is my opinion that social media tends to play quite a negative role on psychological disorders. It is most often seen on the news or on social media that an individual with a psychological disorder went on a rampage, or committed some serious crime. However, no one explains the fact that not all people with psychological disorders are dangerous criminals. Yes, a psychological disorder could cause someone to deviate from the law and commit acts of terror and violence, however, the most common psychological disorders, like depression, make it hard for a person to even find life worth living at times. More people die of suicide caused by an underlying
All of the information used in this essay is from the article "Social Media" on Wikipedia other outside sources includeScienceDaily.com, WordPress.com, and Letstalkaboutinformationtechnology.com. How many times have you heard follow me on Twitter! Or add me on Facebook! Although social media is a great tool in promoting businesses and build on relationships, it can also have very negative effects on us mentally. Social media can cause us to lose our sense of concentration. It can also create false presumptions of what happiness is based on a fake reality. This paper will focus on the many effects of social media both good and bad. Also it will be discussing the mental distress social media can have on someone 's brain, (More negative stuff)
In the US, 6.7% of the population over the age of 18 is suffering from depression (Sunstrum 2014). In today’s society, there is technology dependence. Although social media can enhance learning and facilitate habits, it can also have a negative effect on the individual because it can affect their ability to form relationships.
Social Media is something that millions of people of all ages are using to communicate with one another even if it 's through twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and or texting. Because of the Social Media, it is now the number one interaction that dominates online and offline when it comes to socializing. According to USA TODAY, a Yazino Founder Hussien Chahine said in the telegraph that “Communication is constantly evolving. Some people are used to seeing their friends’ online avatar as they are their face.” But here’s the problem, people are abusing the social media way too much, I mean if it is not on their phone then they are on the computer 24/7 checking to see if anybody responded. Me for one,
We live in a world that has become addicted and dedicated toward social media and it is driving America’s youth into the ground. Teenagers and adults are so wrapped up in social media that is runs their lives every day. Constantly people are checking their phones for the latest on social networks. They have to see pictures, tweets, statuses, comments, likes, and the list goes on and on. Social media is becoming the focus point in the modern American society that it is beginning to control people’s social skills, communication skills, and their livelihood.
The impact of Social Media on Society Technology has come a long way from its existence till today. In today’s modern world, people are surrounded by technology everywhere. In the present, people are surrounded by disrupting technologies every day. Today, innovators are always creating new technologies that will make an impact on the daily lives of millions. Technology has made the lives of many people easier.
Social Media is defined by Merriam-Webster as “forms of electronic communication (as Web sites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (as videos)” (Merriam-Webster), and for many Americans is a method of social interaction that is used often on a daily basis. It has been determined that one in five people use social media at least once a day and that 19% of Americans between the age of 15 and 54 are on sites like Facebook and Twitter(). It’s no longer common place to send handwritten letters or birthday cards, now writing on a wall, sending a tweet or snapping a picture is accepted. Although social media has provided todays society with instant forms of communication and ways to connect, it also created a new standard for living and has caused problems for many groups of citizens in all walks of life and has caused society to re-think its usage. There are two views about social media, either that. It is a positive addition to society and its benefits outweigh the risks, or that social media causes more harm than good and it’s usage should be limited.