Annotated Bibliography On Social Media

Rachel Ehmke addresses the negative effects of social media in a strident, yet true, way. The use of social media among teens in America is 75 percent and out of that percentage 68 percent use Facebook more than any other site or app (Common Sense Media, as cited by Ramasubbu, 2016, p.1). According to Suren Ramasubbu in his article “Influence of Social Media on Teenagers”, Facebook is an outlet for depression, sexting, and cyberbullying (2016, p.1). Ehmke points these effects as well to support her opinion along with other effects like indirect communication, loss of experiences, the imposter syndrome, and stalking. It can be concluded that the reasons provided by Ehmke are valid reasons to prove why social media can affect a person negatively.

The article Generation Z: Online and At Risk? by Nicholas Kardaras discusses how social media is affecting societies’ youth and essentially destroying their social and mental development. The article begins with a tragic story of a thirteen year old girl who becomes infuriated with rage when her parents take away her access to social media and must be sadly taken to a psychiatric emergency room for the second time. This story leads into the discussion of social media addiction as a concerning health issue for teens and developing youth. The article provides many valid sources and studies to show how the over use of social media is correlated with depression, drug and alcohol use, loss of sleep, academic failure, and a rollercoaster of emotional

The use of social media and the role it plays in the life of an adolescent: specifically an increase of depressive symptoms, anxiety, disruptive sleep patterns, and at times conflict filled family relationships are dynamics that are still actively researched. Parenting teenagers in the digital age does not come with a how-to manual and there are no easy answers. However, there are trends and longitudinal studies that support the following hypothesis’: 1) The adolescent’s brain is undeveloped and influenced by the depth of it’s social network. Isolation, particularly in females can cause an increase in the ideation of suicidal thoughts, further, mental illness and sociability share a commonality. 2) Professionals such as pediatricians or trusted professionals should be a resource to help parents navigate the use of social media and their adolescent. There are pros and cons to the use of social media and striking the correct balance is not a simple task. 3) Social media use specifically at night, interferes with sleep patterns, quality of sleep, will to exercise and an increase in anxiety and depression. This impacts a person across a spectrum, from grades to interactions with family members.

In Melissa Healy’s article, published on May 18, 2010, Los Angeles Times, “Teenage Social Media Butterflies May Not Be Such a Bad Idea,” she argues that social media and their social skills may not be such a catastrophe after all and that teenagers who use social media are psychologically healthiest. Healy supports this claim by first describing how, according to the research found by Amori Yee Mikami, social networking sites are mostly used to, not to converse with strangers online, but to interact with friends they already know and said, “So people of well-adjusted teens may have little to worry about regarding the way their children behave when using social media. It’s likely to be similarly positive behavior.” Then, she makes a connection

This annotated bibliography investigates several sources that discuss the positive and negative effects of social media usage in order to present an argument on the influence of social media on society. My position is that overall social media can have a negative impact if used irresponsibly, however given the prevalence of social media in today’s society, it is impossible to avoid.

Social media has been known to help students develop important knowledge and social skills. “At first glance this may seem like a waste of time; however it also helps students to develop important knowledge and social skills, and be active citizens who create and share content.” (Chen 3). The more time teens spend on social media the more they become aware of their own social side and how to interact with others, especially their peers. “Some types of social media has beneficial effects, like helping adolescents establish some sense of identity and build networking skills” (Riley Davis). Too much time being spent on social media can also exploit teens to some harsh realities that they’ve probably never experienced in their lives before.

Thesis: Dissemination of news through social media allows for rapid distribution and incredible accessibility, but can lead to decreased understanding, stifled discussion, and even the propagation of fake news stories.

The use of social networking sites is rising at great rates. According to a report conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project in 2012, ninety-five percent of individuals aged 12-17 use the internet; and eighty-one percent of those use social network sites (Pew Interest). Although it is known that social media can have a useful impact on lives, often times people forget that with a positive comes a negative. The continual use of social network sites will impact teen lives more negatively than positively because they can cause huge distractions from valuable and critical pursuits like education; they can also cause mental health issues and a reduction in communication skills.

Firstly, there have been significant links between our online presence and other aspects of our mental health, which has inspired the subject matter of many recent research studies around the world. There are many psychological and physical factors that affect our mental well-being due to the impact of social media. Depression and Body Dysmorphia being the leading causes, due to the content the individuals are exposed to while online. Even though researchers coined the correlation between social media use and depression as complex. Data was collected from a sample of 340 first year college students, and the findings were that the increase use of Facebook have been associated with higher levels of loneliness. Also the extensive use of Facebook has been associated with higher rates of disordered eating and body image insecurity.

Professor Joanne Simpson wrote in her article “Multitasking State of Mind”, “When [Gen Z is] not connected, they don’t know quite what to do with themselves.”(Par 17) Generation Z has been attracted to social media in a way that is has made them addicted to it and also sleep deprived. Lack of communication with other human beings however, is another negative effects of social media in accordance with Generation Z. Social Media affects Generation Z in a positive way by how it is used educating young children and giving the teens the potential to improve the many practical skills. Social media has been a big part of people’s lives since the mid 2000s and it is affecting Generation Z both negatively and positively.

Social media seems to be one of the many hot topics of discussion recently, and consequently many people have the false sense of security that they have a profound knowledge on how it affects the health of the teenage population. A sedentary lifestyle, decreased sleep, as well as other physical health conditions seem to come to mind when one links health and social media. However, there is a much bigger problem that can go unnoticed because it can be impossible to see: the impact it has on mental and emotional health. These branches of health are just as important, and even arguably more important than physical health is. Social media can be utilized to connect with distant friends and express oneself; however, teenagers should refrain from the overuse of social media due to its detrimental effects on their mental and emotional health.

In this case, the study proved that teens and young adults have become obsessed with social networking and has led to many questions if networking is good or bad (Conger, 2010). In 2009, the media expressed that social networking could cause harm to our bodies and brains by “shortening our attention spans” and “weakening our immune systems” (Conger, 2010). Whereas other studies that have been conducted prove the opposite and suggests that teens who spend more time on social networking sites are more likely to be “well-adjusted” and “psychologically” healthy (Healy, 2010). At this point, it’s time to investigate the pros and cons of children being on social networking sites and understand why parents are against social networking and why certain individuals feel that networking is beneficial.

The most genuine complication of social media is addiction. A reporter on Salem health characterized that text messaging is no longer the biggest teenage obsession, and enormous phone bills from lengthy phone calls are no longer the biggest doubts for parents. These teenage addictions still remain, but in our generation and in analogy to the Facebook mania, it’s quite insignificant. Facebook addiction is advised to be a disorder driven by a craving. Not being able to access Facebook creates anxiety among fanatics. It is one of the most prominent social networking sites and has over one billion users without exception. People detach themselves from family and friends. Further symptoms of Facebook addiction have been related with needy sleep patterns. Researchers have also attempted to evaluate certain personality traits to the obsession. Being in touch with friends and family might clarify the logic why people are unreasonably obsessed.

Studies have shown that the average person now spends more time each day on their phone and computer than they do sleeping according to Nick McGillivray (“What are the Effects of Social Media on Youth?). Social has become part of our social society, especially for the many youths. There are positives to being on social media and also equal amounts of danger that come with using social networking sites, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. These social networking sites also have effects on today’s youth by altering the way they behave, the way they learn, in not only a classroom setting but also in the real world setting, and the way that they socialize with their peers and others.

A study by Harvard Business Review found that team performance went up 50% when teams socialized more and limited email and eventually, anyone or “operational-only” issues. Clearly, there’s a theme here. We don’t just “become lonelier” as a human race over time. It seems that with the advent of social media, laptops, and apps, we’re choosing screens over personal interactions. According to Time, most Americans from age 18 to 24 check their phone 74 times a day on average. Use of internet has certainly increased the quantity of our mental stimulation, but we lack the quality. According to Forbes, The American Academy of Pediatrics aware the possibility of negative effects of social media in young kids and teens, including cyber-bullying and Facebook depression. Using social media disturbs make deep relationship with others. When they are using social-media we do not need to move a lot. It is okay just to stay. We do not need to active a lot. As a result, it leads naturally mental and physical disabilities. Although social media can connect teens to the world and friends and family around them, it is actually one of the highest-ranking cause of suicide among teenagers in 21st century. People sometimes talks about how social media is becoming part of their world, it is becoming their world. They are unaware of the fact that social media encourages the false images of how everything should be in a perfect world. This not only increases stresses and changes in a normal human life but, it leads to depression and some mental diseases. When it comes to study, a study conducted by Liberty Voice shows that, children have become more dumb, lazier, rude and depressed due to the use of social media. They have been spending