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18
Mar 19

Social Media and What We Know

Social media is a relatively more recent phenomena and upon further research, there appears to be many pros and cons to the use of such programs. Some of the more popular social media platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. One pro of social media is that it connects people who might have a harder time connecting; whether that be due to physical proximity or something more daunting such as social anxiety. People, and more specifically teens, are “hardwired for socialization, and social media makes socializing easy and immediate. Teens who struggle with social skills, social anxiety, or who don’t have easy access to face-to-face socializing with other teens might benefit from connecting with other teens through social media” (Hurley, 2019). This can in turn reduce feelings of loneliness and help them to build stronger kinships with friends online so that when they come across them offline they feel more comfortable in engaging with said friend.

 

Use of such platforms can have positive effects and be used to connect and create friendships with others, but it can also be a way to fight negativity and hate by providing an avenue to confront cyberbullying, trolls, and toxic comparisons (Hurley, 2019). For clarification purposes, trolls are persons whose goal is to attack other people strictly for the sake of making them feel bad about themselves.

 

In some cases, it is hard to decipher if social media is to blame for proposed negative side effects. Studies have shown that “Facebook and self-esteem may be related in terms of Facebook usage, causing lower self-esteem, but this may also mean that people with low self-esteem use Facebook more often. In other words, it is very difficult, and sometimes impossible, to conclude which variable is the cause and which is the effect” (Pantic, 2014). This can complicate the process of determining whether social media is the “cause” or rather the “facilitator” in demonstrating a person’s already present struggle with their mental health or behavioral state. However, data can be said to link a person’s frequency of viewing his or her profile, including one’s own pictures, biographical data, relationship status, friend count, etc. could “lead to either a short-term or a long-term reduction in self-esteem” (Pantic, 2014). This more clearly demonstrates that at the very least, a correlation is present.

Another positive to the modern age of socialization is the ability for the younger generations to “build on social communication and friendships taking place at school or during sports and other activities and extend it to the online world. They are not necessarily meeting new people so much as enriching their currently existing friendships. Because of this, barring teens from social media use could potentially deprive them of valuable learning experiences and limits their social lives” (Mir & Novas, 2018). These platforms are at this point a staple in American society and restricting access to these forums can have damaging effects on a person’s capacity to participate with the larger collective; causing possible feelings of social seclusion and dejection. “A study from Nottingham Trent University revealed typical addictive behavior including neglect of personal life, escapism, and mood-modifying experiences appeared to be present in some people who used social media networks excessively” (Knudson, 2017).

 

Posting in social media forums has been reported to generate feelings of satisfaction with one’s self, which can subsequently become habitual, and consequently become time consuming. “An individual may spend increasing amounts of time online to generate the same pleasurable effect as before, taking over the majority of their attention and time” (Knudson, 2017). This takes time away from other, perhaps more healthy activities that an individual could be participating in.

 

“Social media has also been found to be associated with self-image. A study found that greater Instagram use was associated with greater self-objection and concern about body image” (Mir & Novas, 2018). This is one of the more heated topics as body dysmorphia has recently hit mainstream awareness. Most people (especially women) who are active in social media would quickly be able to confirm that they are regularly inundated with posts regarding what “beautiful” women look like. These societal pressures can play an active role in distorting self-perception and formation of toxic behaviors related to poor self-esteem; including but not limited to development of eating disorders.

 

It would appear that there is much more research to be done surrounding the effects of social media involvement; and it looks to be clear that a main factor that demands much of the focus would be activity participation and time spent on the sites in question.

 

Resources:

Hurley, K. (2019, March 7). Social Media and Teens: How Does Social Media Affect Mental Health? Retrieved March 17, 2019, from https://www.psycom.net/social-media-teen-mental-health

 

Pantic, I. (2014, October 01). Online social networking and mental health. Retrieved March 17, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4183915/

 

Mir, E., & Novas, C. (2018, October 17). Social Media and Adolescents’ and Young Adults’ Mental Health. Retrieved March 17, 2019, from http://www.center4research.org/social-media-affects-mental-health/

 

Knudson, L. (2017, September 07). How Social Media Addiction Affects Your Health and Well-Being? Retrieved March 17, 2019, from https://www.psychreg.org/social-media-addiction-health-wellbeing/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Uncategorized — 3 Comments
15
Apr 18

Beware What You Tweet For

I’ve mentioned before how social media and technology has connected us all as a one giant community.  This connection has not only changed how we interact as a group but also creates a new method for social change.  Taking a look at recent “viral” causes such as the recent debate on the second amendment and firearms, people such as David Hogg are utilizing social media in order to enact social change.  Through just a few taps of a finger it is possible for a regular, normal, person to get in touch with thousands of others who potentially view the situation in question in a similar light (Gomez & Zdanowicz, 2018).  This new ability almost seems to bypass the need for trained social intervention activists, allowing the layman to become one all by themselves and in essence creating the perfect example of a participatory researcher, one who is involved in the work the are researching themselves.

However, this ability to reach out and capture a large group’s attention almost creates a “beware what you wish for” approach in that you may not like the results that are created.  In the wake of the Parkland School Shooting a group of students took to social media demanding a change in school safety and firearm control.  In a controversial response the schools enacted new policies of mandatory clear backpacks and tighter security measures.  The new policy, while arguably creating a safer environment, wasn’t exactly the change that the student’s were striving for, leading to a largely angry response on their part (González-Ramírez, 2018).

My point in all of this is that while technology is great, it is important to fully understand the concepts that you are proposing be changed.  In this instance the activists suffered from the flaw of having an unclear message.  Most would agree that the real change that the activists were trying to achieve was a change in firearm control, legislation, and regulation.  However, in an effort to make it more engaging, appealing, and to tie it to an emotional event they re-branded the message as a social change movement demanding change in school safety.  This allowed the school systems to respond in a way that was beyond their desired outcome, in a way they did not wish, and are most definitely not happy about (González-Ramírez, 2018).  While I am not looking to debate the merits on either said of this social change movement, the point that I am wishing to make is that while it may be easy and quick for any of us to initiate a social change movement in our own community it is also crucial that the desired goals of the movement be clearly expressed so the desired outcomes can be achieved.

 

González-Ramírez, A. (2018). Here’s How the Parkland Students Feel About Their New Clear Backpacks.  Retrieved From:  https://www.refinery29.com/2018/04/195395/marjory-stoneman-douglas-students-clear-backpacks-reaction?bucketed=true&bucketing_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

Gomez, I., & Zdanowicz, C. (2018). A Brief History of how Parkland Survivor David Hogg Keeps Schooling Lawmakers on Social Media.  Retrieved From:  https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/28/us/david-hogg-social-media-trnd/index.html

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18
Mar 17

Social Media and Todays’ Youth

As we have advanced in technology and ways to communicate, when it comes to social media and todays youth, we are not in a place that we want to be. There are some major issues with social media and how it is negatively effecting younger people’s lives. There are several different types of social media websites out there in the cyber world. Websites such as Facebook, twitter and My Space are very popular amongst younger people and even adults. What are the issues that exists when it comes to younger people and social media? How can having a Facebook or a Twitter account can be harmful to virtually anyone? What are some ways that parents can protect their children from the issues that arise from social media and harmful websites? These are some questions that are very real and need to be addressed.

We need to know exactly why social media has so much power and influence on today’s youth. Social media has greatly affected the way todays youth spend their leisure time. However, with the rise in social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, more and more people are logging in everyday just to interact and share information with friends and followers. Moreover, social media has also changed the way people socialize and interact with each other. Unfortunately, youth who spend a lot of time on social media are at higher risk for depression, low self-esteem, and eating disorders and more prone to feeling isolated and disconnected (McGillivray N., 2015).

There are websites that can affect a young person’s health but glamorizing a certain behavior that will have a negative consequence on a young person’s mental and physical health. Websites such as pro anorexia emerged as a new form of thin ideal exposure. These types of websites put a positive twist on the negative truth that anorexia is not an illness but in fact a lifestyle choice (Bardone-Cone & Cass, 2007). This is a very good example on how often teens and even some adults are being misled by media through its context.

However, there are ways that we can decrease undesirable social media effects in our lives and young people’s lives. One way to decrease undesirable social media effects is by doing research and looking at different sources to see if what we are being told on one website, if in fact it’s true or not. Parents can educate their children by informing them to be very hesitant and careful on what they see on social media. Using technologies can reinforce new social behaviors and ways of thinking, including both desirable and undesirable behavior (Nelson A., 2017). Parents can also limit the amount of time their children spend on the internet and control what sites can be visible to their kids through setting parental control.

Even though social media can be a scary place for younger people, it can also be beneficial. There are countless educational websites that youth can take advantage of and use to get the help that they need in their academics. There is no doubt that the internet can either have a positive or negative effect in our lives and the lives of our children. People, especially the young, are often too open and public with personal information when online and that can have a negative effect in our lives (McGillivray N., 2015). We need to teach the youth to always limit the amount of information that they’re making available publicly. Our safety and the safety of our children on social media are mostly in our hands and we can always take precautions when posting comments, opinions and personal values online. There is always a safer and better way to socialize online, and we need to teach our youth how to stay safe and private when doing so.

References

Bardone-Cone, Anna M. and Kamila M. Cass. What does viewing a pro-anorexia websites do? An experimental examination of websites exposure and moderating effects. International Journal of Eating Disorders. 40(6). 2007. Pp. 537-548.

 McGillivray N., Turbo Future., (2015, October 12). What Are the Effects of Social Media on Youth. Retrieved March 18, 2017, from www.turbofuture.com

 Nelson, A. (2017). Lesson 9. Applied Social Psychology: Media/Communications Technology. Presented on the PSYCH 424 Course Content Site Lecture at The Pennsylvania State University.

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