Negative Effects of Social Media free essay sample

Alyssa Buckley English 1A Negative Effects of Social Media on Its Users Our lives seem to be more and more consumed by technology as great advances in this area have continue to be made, especially when it comes to social media. Many researchers have begun to notice that depending on how much time individuals spend on these social media sites, they can negatively affect their daily lifestyle in very significant ways. For example, social networking has become a huge distraction for students and it can affect their grades depending on how often they check their various accounts while doing class work. Researchers have also come to find out that social media can contribute to the development of psychological symptoms and mood disorders, such as anxiety, depression, narcissism, and addiction. It has also changed the way people manage their relationships and interact with each other. In today’s digital age constant use of social media can have various negative behavioral, psychological, and social effects on its users. What many academics have initially expressed as a major concern is how the use of social media has been affecting student’s behavior in class. Several studies have shown that social media sites, such as Facebook, have become a distraction for students, negatively impacting their studies. The results of these research studies prove that grades for students at different academic levels have been declining since social media came in to existence. Because social media gives users access to everything they need to know about others so quickly, students now expect to learn class lessons at a quicker rate since they now have answers at their fingertips. Social media is a major distraction to students while trying to complete assignments, which ultimately affects their ability to manage their time effectively. The need to feel â€Å"always connected† has come to a point where it takes over lives and can negatively impact important aspects of it, such as earning goods grades in school. Study habits are not the only thing being affected by social media. It also affects classroom learning in the same manner. Students today are either bringing in their tablets, PDAs, laptops, or smart phones to class under the pretext they will be using them to take notes. However it has become evident that they spend a good portion of their time in class checking popular social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter. Social media has made it extremely easy for students to do other things when their attention spans waiver. In his article titled â€Å"Social Media’s Impact on Kids A Mixed Bag†, Dr. Rick Nauert states, â€Å"Facebook can be distracting and can negatively impact learning. Studies found that middle school, high school and college students who checked Facebook at least once during a 15-minute study period got lower grades. As a result, frustration has risen in students due to not understanding what was discussed in class. They quickly ask their instructors for help before looking over class readings or attempting practice questions. In turn teachers are now feeling like they need to be more entertaining with their class lessons in order to keep their students’ attention. This is a sort of domino effect that does not b enefit anyone involved. Students who do not engage in social media usage during class do not escape its negative effects either; watching students on social media sites during class can be a distraction in itself. Because these sites are always available to its users, they engage in excessive use and struggle to keep the amount of time they spend on these sites in check. For a student, being unable to manage your time effectively and keep up good grades can be stressful to the point where it causes anxiety. A study was conducted at Stony Brook University where researchers discovered that anxiety and depression were associated with social networking experiences. Researcher Brian Feinstein and his team concluded that the use of social media can contribute to psychological problems in social interactions, such as self-consciousness and social anxiety. As people use social networking sites more and more, psychological symptoms, such as social anxiety and depression, can begin to develop overtime. Feinstein’s research found that â€Å"depressed individuals also tend to engage in specific interpersonal behaviors, such as excessive reassurance seeking, that account for their greater likelihood of being rejected. †Ã‚   Other social anxiety symptoms that can be triggered from excessive amounts of social networking include becoming less assertive, avoiding conflict, and expressing less emotion. Results from Feinstein’s research also found that users directly felt a â€Å"depressed effect following interactions with romantic partners† and an â€Å"anxious effect following interactions with romantic partners† depending on how much time they spent on social media outside of their relationship. Not only can the amount of time we spend on social networking affect us now, but it can also cause and make an individual more vulnerable to possible psychological problems in the future (Nauert). Feeling down, lonely, and experiencing the loss of â€Å"non-digital† friends were found to be connected with internet use. In 1998, a Carnegie Mellon study proved that more time spent online would increase these negative feelings. This negative digital impact may also not be temporary, as it has the possibility to last for years in the future. Heavy social media use can help develop stress, depression, and suicidal thoughts. A new concept called â€Å"Facebook depression† is currently being discussed in academic circles. Scholars have come to the conclusion that the intensity of the online world triggers depression. The American Academy of Pediatrics has reportedly begun suggesting to doctors that they start including questions on how much their patients use social media during annual checkups to make sure they are using it in healthy amounts (Dokupil). This could help prevent the many possibilities of future psychological or emotional damage that can result in overuse of social media. Addiction to social media sites is becoming more and more common in today’s generation. People who are addicted to social media can show similar brain scan results to drug addicts. Psychologically healthy people are breaking down mentally in new ways from the overuse of social media this addiction to social media is becoming a more serious issue every day. In countries such as China, Taiwan, and Korea, where tens of thousands of people are considered â€Å"addicted,† doctors have already begun to find ways to treat those who use the internet and social media in excess. One instance was recorded in which a young man fatally beat his mother for suggesting him to log off. He then continued to use her credit card to buy more hours to stay online longer. In another incident, one young couple neglected their infant while nourishing a â€Å"virtual baby† online; their infant died. A study conducted by Elias Aboujaoude, a psychiatrist at Stanford University School of Medicine, found that more than one in eight adults showed at least one sign of unhealthy attachment to the internet (Dokupil). Social media has a strange ability to provide a sense of satisfaction in people’s live, but when it comes to actual face to face interaction it can also cause people to act in unhealthy and obsessive ways. Larry Rosen, research psychologist and educator, did a study in which he and his team surveyed 750 participants, ranging from teens to adults who represented the Southern California census. They recorded their detailed technology habits, feelings regarding those habits, and scores on a series of standard tests of psychiatric disorders. The team found that most their subjects checked their social network all the time or every fifteen minutes. Rosen discovered that those who spent more time on these social media sites revealed more compulsive personality traits. The brains of these addicts look similar to those of drug and alcohol addicts, where abnormal white matter (the nerve cells in the brain built for speed) were built up in the areas of attention, control, and overall functions. Another study conducted by Chinese researchers found abnormalities in gray matter structure (a major component of the central nervous system), resulting in shrinkage of ten to twenty percent in the area of the brain accountable for handling vital functions such as speech, memory, motor control, emotion, and sensory (Dokupil). Social media has also contributed to a rise in narcissism amongst its users. It is common that what a user presents in their social media profiles is not the truth. People who use social media sites such as Facbook or Instagram often create a digital persona that does not reflect reality. It is an image created for the sole intention to project the way a user wants other people to see them. Maintaining this image can be mentally draining. Each â€Å"like†, each favorite song, each bit of personal information that is shared no matter how minute it might be, weighs heavily on the minds of the user. It is because of this that users tend to become obsessed over their digital selves. This trait can easily be linked to narcissism. Some users of socials media share every little detail about themselves because they believe that others are interested in what they are doing or how they think, however this image is a flawed representation of themselves as users tend to only post images or updates that are positive, exciting, and intriguing. â€Å"Just as people select the most attractive photos of themselves to use as profile pictures, they tend to populate their newsfeeds with the most attractive bits of news about themselves† (Firestone). This type of behavior can be consuming as users tend to be over engaged in their online life. In her book, â€Å"Alone Together†, author Sherry Turkle explores what she refers to as â€Å"presentation anxiety†. High school students were interviewed about their social media usage and how they present themselves online. Many of the students said they spent many hours constantly updating their profiles and deciding what to share. Social media has become an outlet for people who have previously shown symptoms of narcissism which in turn amplifies them. It has also affected people who have shown no signs but now find themselves constantly worrying about their online image. In the world of Facebook, Brad says, â€Å"your minute movie preferences matter. And what groups you join. Are they the right ones? † Everything is a token, a marker for who you are: When you have to represent yourself on Facebook to convey to anyone who doesn’t know you what and who you are, it leads to a kind of obsession about minute details about yourself† (Turkle, pg. 168). Ironically, social media has had a detrimental effect on face to face social interactions. Sherry Turkle explains her perspective on how social media has negatively impacted our lives socially in her article â€Å"The Flight From Conversation.    With technology advancing so quickly, we are now able to be with whoever we want, whenever we want, and it is just a click away. By using this technology, Turkle also points out that we can control the distance of multiple relationships, to the point where it is â€Å"not too close, not too far, just right†. With today’s generation, more and more social media users have come to the conclusion that human relationships can become cluttered and demanding, however they can now clean them up with technology. In-person conversations require a person to see things from another’s point of view; it requires patience and the ability to stay focused in order to listen to what the other person has to say. However, as we increase the amount of online connections we hold, we start to expect faster answers and ask simpler questions. We are now â€Å"dumbing down† our communication skills. Turkle believes as a result of this, people will stop caring and forget the valuable differences between online interaction and face-to-face interaction overtime. In addition, Turkle also argues that the social media myth of reducing loneliness by having a constant connection is false. Many users feel the need to express their feelings online because they feel as if no one is listening to them in the â€Å"real world†. With the vast amount of people that are online, they automatically feel that they are being heard when in fact they may not be at all. This temporarily relieves their feeling of loneliness however, when a user logs off, the feeling of loneliness will eventually creep up again. When people are alone, they feel he need to reach for a device where they can connect to social media sites to reach others. This type of connection is more like a symptom of addiction, not a cure for loneliness. Turkle sums up this negative social media effect by explaining, â€Å"If we don’t teach our children to be alone, they will know only how to be lonely†. It is a fact; there is no escaping the digital age. It is changing just a bout every aspect of our lives. It seems like we are constantly connected to technology whether we want to be or not. Data and personal information are shared in a blink of an eye with thousands to millions of people. Most of this information will live online forever which is a bit of a scary thought. When someone sends a message, posts a comment, or shares personal information, I now believe that it is important to analyze it to gain insight on possible underlying problems. Through the course of my research I was a bit shocked by the initial findings of some the studies that have been conducted on social media usage. From affecting student’s grades to exacerbating narcissism to creating addiction like symptoms in some people, social media has very serious side effects that must be researched further in order to identify and treat early. Social media is definitely not all bad however. There are many benefits from the advancements that are being discovered in the digital age. Staying connected with friends, finding information, and new mediums of learning have all been beneficial to society. I believe the problems that are now being discovered from social media usage can be kept in check by educating users about the dangers of social media. It is important that the medical community begin to recognize these recent research findings on the negative effects of social media, and internet usage in general, as a serious medical health problem in today’s society. Works Cited Feinstein, Brian, Vickie Bhatia, Rachel Hershenberg, and Joanne Davila. † Another Venue For Problematic Interpersonal Behavior: The Effects of Depressive and Anxious Symptoms on Social Networking Experiences. † Journal of Science and Clinical Psychology. 11. 4 (2012): 356-382. Print. Firestone, Lisa . Is Social Media to Blame for the Rise in Narcissism?. Huffington Post Canada Canadian News Stories, Breaking News, Opinion. 15 Oct 2012. Web. 10 Apr 2013.