Teenage Social Media Butterflies: Article Analysis

Social media butterflies are individuals who excessively use many types of social media such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. In Melissa Healy’s article “Teenage Social Media Butterflies May Not Be Such a Bad Idea”, she states that social butterflies are not so bad and can even be beneficial. Whereas in Hilary Stout’s article, she explains that teenage social media butterflies are not a good thing. Being related to people who fall in this category I have witnessed first hand the positive outcome that can come from excessive use of social sites. Therefore, making me more inclined to agree with Melissa Healy’s theory about the benefits of social media butterflies.
Most people may think that using too much social media is bad. The social

media butterflies can potentially be a bad thing, but are often a good thing. In Healy’s article she states that “Adolescents are largely using social networking sites to keep in touch with friends they already know, not to converse with strangers”. It is also a way to stay in touch with many people you know and want to talk to. Studies have also shown that children’s online worlds and friendships strongly resemble their relationships offline.
A person’s social influence of social media can also be beneficial. many individuals who have social media use their personal sites as a way to speak out on issues that may be affecting them as well as their friends. For example, my sister used her social media sites to address domestic violence and to make aware of outreach programs for anyone who was a victim of domestic violence. on a more global scale Facebook recently gave the option to change your profile picture to the French flag following the terrorist attacks in Paris to show strength.
However others may believe that Hilary Stout’s idea that social media is a bad thing is true. Others may argue that excessive use of social media takes away people’s ability to interact in person. This has been proven wrong by a L.A. psychology professor by the name of Kaveri Subrahmanyam. They also believe that spending seven and a half a day is found to be lazy and a huge waste of time. It may be lazy, but not a complete waste of time. In Healy’s article, it states “86 percent of kids who used social media sites (a number that reflects the national average), participants who were better adjusted in their early teens were more likely to use social media in their early 20s”.
These social media butterflies may actually be a little more benefited than you thought. I wrote this essay to get you and all other readers to agree with Healy and I. We both agree that social media butterflies are not too bad. But too keep safe, all social media butterflies should have a parent and or guardian to keep track of who they follow and are followed by.