The Pros and Cons of Social Media

2625 Words6 Pages

My favorite part of growing up was playing night games with the neighborhood kids and awaiting my father’s vociferous shout to get inside for dinner. Older generations know even more about the familiar experience of playing outside with their peers until the sun set. It would seem as though the fluorescent youth could not be stopped from staying out late. However, in light of new technological advances in social media, a new “hang out” spot has become increasingly popular right from the security of one’s computer room. Instead of being yelled at for dirtying their acid-washed jeans outside, today’s youth are yelled at right from the kitchen for spending too many hours hanging out with their “friends” on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Researchers agree that social networking on popular websites like Facebook can have beneficial and detrimental effects on adolescents and seniors alike. However, because younger generations grow up using social networking sites frequently, they suffer from being immersed in the addictive, impersonal, and peer-idolizing nature of the online culture, while seniors who have already gained invaluable face-to-face skills; seem to thrive from the newfound social technology.

Generations who grew up listening to the newly emerging radio and eight-track cartridges, know what it means to have genuine face-to-face interactions with their peers. Today, the Millennial’s and Generation Z folks are becoming dissociated from their peers as they are raised and integrated into the daunting virtual world. With puberty being a time of embarrassing change and exponential growth in intellectual aptitude, adolescents are now hindered by the ever-present virtual world that Facebookoffers, result...

... middle of paper ...

... Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families.” Clinical Report-The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families. N.p., 28 Mar. 2011. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.

Pfeil, Ulrike. “Age Differences in Online Social Networking.” Computers in Human Behavior 25.3 (2009): 643-54. Print.

Ralph, Gerry. Personal Interview. 29 April. 2014.

Ryan, Erin. “Can Social Media Help with Social Anxiety Disorder?” Soshable Social Media Blog. N.p., 22 July 2010. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.

Schroeder, Stan. “Facebook Users Are Getting Older. Much Older.” Mashable. N.p., 7 July 2009. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.

Stout, Hilary. “Antisocial Networking?” Nytimes.com. NY Times, 30 Apr. 2010. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.

Subrahmanyam, Kaveri, Dr. “Teens, Social Media, and Relationships: An Interview with Kaveri Subrahmanyam.” The Prevention Researcher. N.p., 1 Jan. 2010. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.

Open Document