Social media – Term Paper

Influence of social media in modern society

Currently, social media is developing fast. It is used by many people all over the world. Social media is especially very popular among the young. However, there are many young people who cannot control themselves and are addicted to social media. Addiction to social media has many serious effects, including poor study habits, living away from reality and bad health.

First, addiction to social media makes the youth have bad grades in studies. Because of social media, many students who were excellent students have become bad students. Every day, these students come to class, but they do not focus on studying. While their professors are teaching, they are using cell phones to surf Facebook, Instagram or chat with friends on Messenger. They always check their cell phones every five minutes to see what is going on social media. If the young use social media in classes, how can they listen to the professors and understand what professors are saying? Moreover, not only at school but also at home these young students who are addicted to social media do not do exercise or read the new lesson before going to school, because they are busy with social media

Secondly, young people who are addicted to social media can live far away from reality. Because of using a cell phone all day, they will not have time for outdoor activities such as playing sports or camping. Instead of going out to meet friends or talk to their parents, these people love chatting with friends on social media. They will just stay at home and update their news on social media. They post status or photos to share with their friends on social media. Gradually, they will only live in a virtual world

And last but not least, using social media too much will have a serious impact on health. Because the young are addicted to social media, they will go to bed late to read news on Facebook or chat with friends. Staying up late is really harmful to the health, especially, the brain. If the young do not sleep enough, their health will be affected seriously by losing weight or always feeling tired. Their brains also will not work effectively and they will be in sleepy condition. Moreover, addiction to social media can cause depression in the young. When the young use social media, they will see other people on social media. If the young see other people who are better than them in appearance or talent, they can feel inferior. These young people can envy the people who are more famous or intelligent than them, and they also feel ashamed of themselves. They always wonder why they cannot be excellent, talented or beautiful like others. Therefore, they feel under pressure, stressed and depressed. These mental problems are very dangerous to the young people because these mental problems cause the young people lose their minds and eventually, choose death.

In conclusion, although using social media has many benefits in our lives, addiction to social media is not good. It will have awful influences on studying, make us live way from reality and have bad effects on health. In order to avoid being addicted to social media, young people should spend more time playing sports, studying and taking part in activities in schools.

Own opinion about the influence of social media on teenagers

In 2015, it is now easier to access the internet than ever before. This easily leads to the misuse of the technology that we are provided with but not everybody misusing it. Studies show that the age group of 12-21 access social media more than any other. Being that I fall into this age group I know that social media such as Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat is used to keep up with the latest trends, our favorite artists and an easy way to stay up to date with what our peers are doing.

But, how has this turned into more? We have became so immune to being able to contact someone with just the tap of a screen, that we can have an entire conversation with someone in the same room as us without saying one word. We’d rather Snapchat a picture to one of our friends than to actually go see them. We have officially been labeled as the “Dumbest generation” by author Mark Bauerlein, due to our heavy use of technology. I am very aware that my generation doesn’t use technology for much more than social media, which in many ways is the same as misusing technology. Although social life is a very powerful temptation, the only way it impacts us is socially unless we allow it to do otherwise. Teenagers are simply impacted by what they allow to influence their life.
There are also a lot of benefits that come from social media and the internet for teenagers. For a lot of people in my age group social media is an outlet for thoughts that they are able to share with their peers. Websites where you can interact with others your age means a lot to teenagers because it is a form of self expression. As we begin to get older it is very important to know who you are and what you want to do with your life, through social media you can easily find this out. So before we get into our serious years we might as well practice how to express ourselves in a respectful way. Also social media is an easy way to connect with people all throughout the area that you live in. In my age group a lot of very close friendships have been formed through social media and have helped to benefit each other in multiple ways. The reason social media makes it so easy to create bonds is your allowed to express your likes and dislikes, which people can easily relate to. As many ways as people believe that social media is bad, it can also provide a lot of good, you just have to use it for the right things.

Five ways I have seen technology have a positive influence on youth:

Keeps connections between friends when they’re not always able to see each other when they want to.
Social media also keeps you up to date with things that are going on around the world rather than just in your area.
It gives youth a place to express themselves in a way that a public place wouldn’t allow us to.
It helps to develop social skills, a lot of friendships can stem from a social website.
It’s a fun way to interact with your peers, other than seeing them in person.
In conclusion, social media can have both a beneficial and negative impact on the youth of my generation. It can help youth prosper in so many different ways. As well as hold them down in various ways. The impact that social media has on us is up for us to decide!