How Does Social Media Cause Isolation

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.

Kardaras, Nicolas. "Generation Z: Online and at Risk?." Scientific American Mind, vol. 27, no. 5, Sep/Oct 2016, pp. 64-9. MasterFILE Premier. Kardars discuss generation z use of social media affecting them negatively. He opens his article with a story of Heidi who becomes addicted to social media when her school issues her a Chromebook. Before Heidi is issued the laptop, she was a sweet innocent girl and after having it for a semester she became someone her parents could not recognize. He states that social media is a “perfect storm” for humans because having a social connection key to “happiness and health”. Having the ability to always use social media leads to hyper texting the illusion of a real connection making it hard for teens to have face to face conversations, making a teens become “glow kid[s]“, someone who is raised on mostly digital social interactions. Facebook depression” can result in the teen to have lower grades and behavior problems in teens. He concludes his article with facts proving that Facebook can become addictive in some people. This source helps support my thesis that Facebook affects teens mental health.

Furthermore Isolation can cause sense of feeling loneliness even though they are connected “online” or cause even worse scenarios depression which can lead to suicide with the low self esteem. A Research done in the University of Pittsburgh questioned a group of 1,787 adults aged between 19 and 32 about their different use of social media. They found that “people who visit social networks over 58 times a week are three times more likely to feel lonely than those who use the sites under nine times.”(Hosie). Therefore those who visit social media often the less time they have for real-world interactions. Adding on to isolation, their is a huge risk that leads to depression with people feeling low self esteem with the use of social media. It makes a “Standard” of beauty that you have to be, which its unrealistic, but some people believe it to be true. This low self esteem can lead to more serious issues like suicide. According to The National Institute of Mental Health reports that an “estimated 3.1 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 in the United States have had at least one major depressive episode”(Apodaca). Apodaca goes further on stating how the possible use of social media at the young age pressure people to be “perfect”. experts say “ that teen depression and suicide rates began spiking at the same time that social media started taking off”

Social media can be very addicting, and in some instances can cause isolation. Isolation is a big issue when it comes to social media use because in order for a person to become isolated addiction has to occur; when addiction occurs it causes a person to lose connection with the real world and the people in it. Many people use social media as a distraction when unoccupied, but can also be the cause of behavior change in children when exposed to social media and other dangerous websites. An example, is cyberbullying, which can cause an adolescent or a person of any age to commit suicide, and can also cause a person to create emotional and physical problems.

Did you know social media can change you? Social media can cause problems with your health? In the article, “Student examines negative effects of social media on teens” by Aurelie Krakowsky and “The Upside of Selfies: Social media isn’t all that bad for kids” by Kelly Wallace talks about social media, but clearly it’s harmful to people. Social media is for people to enjoy on a daily basis and be updated on what is happening in the world; however it can be harmful to your health and even your education. It can lower kids self esteem and make them feel uncomfortable about themselves. It can also cause health issues and distant yourself from the people around you.

Social media has been a topic of debate for years. Some people are strongly against any use of it while others like the instant connection it provides. A major concern over social media is the lasting effects it has on teenagers. Social media can affect teenagers through many ways including things like their self-esteem. Cyberbullying is a raging topic of discussion centered around teens social media use. It can also effect their people skills and create a lack of community involvement. Some parents think that watching what their children do on social media is an invasion of privacy but is your concern for their privacy greater than your concern for their safety? Social media poses a great danger to today’s children. It can affect many aspects of their lives.

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.

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.

We are living in a high-tech society. The internet is one of the representatives of high-tech inventions which can provide the connection to the globe via online platform. The online social network has become a widespread phenomenon nowadays. Technology makes things easier and become inseparable part of our life. However, the overuse of the internet will lead to social isolation between people. There are three reasons that I think will make social isolation by over using the internet, which are people may not gather frequently, build up an estrangement and build up the misunderstanding in the family.

Being on social media often, can result in lack of communication and isolation. For instance, Facebook is a social media app that is frequently used, and it causes "increased feelings of isolation" when passively used (Greig 8). The feeling of isolation also results in someone to be less communicative. When using the internet for a long period of time "a decline in communications with friends and family" occurs (Greig 10). By not communicating with family and friends one's social skills become highly inadequate. If the time spent on social media lessens then being social in the real world would be much easier.

Did you know according to the Department of Health and Human Services that 94 percent of teens use social media? Which has showed us social media is a major problem. Social media is applications and websites that people create and share information, ideas, and messages. Social media has caused many problems, including it has contributed to people being isolated. Isolation is to be set apart or separate and to be alone, which is harmful because you can lose basic social skills. Social media harmfully isolate people and users because it causes people to not fully engage with others, they do not make friends, and they lose practice on basic social skills.

Social media is one of the most common ways for people to communicate anywhere and at any time in modern society. Some people think that it is beneficial to have in society. Although, many people are starting to see negative effects arise from the use of social media as well. These negative effects are increasing and becoming more problematic every day. The disadvantages of social media far outweigh the advantages. Social media effects everyone in society, especially teenagers by negatively impacting their lives, face-to-face interactions, and mental health.

As of 2017, there are 3.77 billion internet users in the world and of these 3.77 billion users, it is estimated that 2.80 billion use social media. ("Digital In 2017: Global Overview - We Are Social UK") Along with this, the fact that the average user spends over 20 hours per week on the internet (Anderson, Elizabeth.) makes for a truly intriguing set of statistics. However, does access to this type of technology really serve to foster a sense of community and closeness within these virtual settings or is the internet simply acting as an agent in social isolation for those who become engrossed in its marvel? While the internet and its boundless connectivity can act as an addictive agent for some people and a simple convenience to others, it is undeniable that the internet acts as a major agent in social isolation for many people by cheapening the value of socialization. Social isolation is defined as “a state or process in which persons, groups, or cultures lose or does not have communication or cooperation with one another…” ("The Definition Of Social Isolation") The internet acts as an agent in this ‘process’ by cheapening the value of online interaction versus face-to-face interaction, permitting users to have near constant access to communication almost instantly, and even going so far as to create addictions to the internet, ultimately leading to social isolation.

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.

At any given time of day, anyone can access an abundant amount of information at the click of a button. Men, women, kids, teenagers, adults and even the elderly are learning how to use the internet to their advantage. Among all the benefits the internet has provided to us, online communication has proven to be the most beneficial. Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace have made it easy for everyone to stay in contact with each other. Regardless of how far apart a family member or friend is, everyone is just one click away. If someone is not having a good day, they can share their feelings with everyone in a matter of seconds. These social networking sites have become quite popular among adolescents. They allow teens to stay more connected with their friends outside of school. Now teens have become more obsessed with their friends Facebook or Twitter status than engaging in outdoor activities like football or