Boyd 1

Travante Boyd
March 25th, 2016
Professor Elizabeth Kent
English Composition 1020

Outline & Annotated Bibliography

I. Working Title : Social Media: a Web of Confusion

a. I decided that this would be a great title for my research paper because my topic is
to basically show how social media is hindering our society on multiple fronts. I
subtitled this paper, a Web of Confusion, because social media is a system of
interconnected elements that connects people throughout the world, capture
their attention, and inspire different ideas throughout society. Much like how a
spider spins its webbing in order to capture prey.
II. Working Introduction : Quotation
a. For my preface, I would to start off my paper with using a meaningful quote that
ties in with my outlook on the subject matter Im discussing. The reason I would
like to use this method is because I want my readers to get the jest of what Im
saying not only from what Id be stating but also from someone else. That way
theyd get a more impressionable appearance and give them something to think
about, and itd give me something to possibly relate back to later in my paper.
III. Working Thesis : I want to inform my audience that social media has been having a
negative impact on our society throughout the years.
a.

My topic of discussion is to inform the reader of some of the negative impacts of

social media on our society. Its a very controversial topic all in itself as well. This
is not my thesis verbatim but it does run along the lines of what it is. I want my
readers to look at my thesis and actually take in what Im saying and have an open
mind on the subject, and I want to open the eyes of those who have never even
thought about some of things I will be elaborating on in my paper.

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IV. Entry #1 : Idea Web
a. For my first entry, Id like to make an idea web, or concept map, to put out all
the different topics revolving around my thesis on paper. The reason behind this
method of choice is because I feel as though this will be a good way to form my
second entry which will be an essay. That way I dont lose my train of thought
and my entire assignment becomes a mess. This method is one of the better
choices because it gives the reader the main ideas or focal points that I will be
discussing in my essay and in other entries.
V. Entry #2 : Essay
a. Im going in with an essay for my second entry because in this tidbit I want to
discuss, in detail, the topic of my research paper. I feel as though out of all my
entries, this one will be the most benefitting towards keeping my work structured
due to the ideas of my concept map basically acting as a backbone for my essay,
as well as, dishing out a little information that my readers may never have heard
before or paid any mind to. This way they might be a little more enthused about
going through the rest of my research.
VI. Entry #3 : Interview
a. I want to conduct an interview so I can obtain other perspectives on my topic.
Two eyes are better than one, and what I mean by this metaphor is that when
looking at a common problem, its best to have another opinion to go off of and to
have an open mind. This is important because I value the opinions of others and I
want show my readers that how others feel on the subject and if they would agree
with my thesis.

VII. Entry #4 : Letter

a. By using my fourth entry as a guide, I would like to compose a letter to an official

in a high political position such as the president, stating the issues I have with
social media and some reparations that can be made in order to satisfy a demand
for change. Theres no way that everyone is bind to it. I know that I am not the
only person who feels as though our society has slowly but surely been changing
over the years, and for the most part if looked at as a whole, a lot of these changes
were not for the better.

VIII. Entry #5 : Personal Narrative

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a. As far as this entry goes, I would like to state how my ideas on the use of social
media has changed and some of the impacts that have hit me from it. Nothing bad
has happened to me per se such as me being incarcerated for violating someones
privacy or anything else incriminating, but I do feel as though social media has
had a negative influence on my life and likely those of others as well. This final
piece can be used to show the readers a little of my train of thought when
choosing this research topic.

IX. Entry #6 : Poster

a.

I want to make an online generated visual representation of some of the negative

impacts social media has had on our society. The reason why I chose to
implement this element for my research paper is to simply give a little visual as to
what I have been discussing throughout the entire paper up until this point.

X. Entry #7 : Timeline

a. For the final portion of my research paper, I want to make a short timeline
documenting some of the events that have been occurring over the span of a
couple years depicting events that can prove my topic or thesis. By making this
timeline, I would like to show the readers how basically, times have changed, in
a sense. Ever since the introduction of social media, social norms and concepts
have been thrown in all forms of different fluctuations over the years and I want
my readers to see that.

Works Cited

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Bostic, Brittany. "Does Social Media Perpetuate Youth Violence?" Michigan Youth Violence
Prevention Center. Regents.umich.edu, 20 Feb. 2014. Web. 3 Mar. 2016.

In this article pertaining to social media, YES Research Assistant B. Bostic explains how
social media is corrupting the minds of our societys youth and perpetuating violence
amongst them. Throughout the article Bostic mentions how social media has literally
changed the way of how violence is viewed in our society. At one point in time, the
amount of violence was not as severe as it is now. In todays society, violence is viewed
as means of entertainment, especially amongst our youths and that is not good. She
recognizes that our society is slowly being desensitized to the idea of violence. Social
media is nothing more than a hub to promote violence.

Hossen, Ame. The Effect of Social Media on Students. Monrovia Weekly, 1 Mar. 2016. Print. 3
Mar. 2016.

In this source, Hossen is speaking how social media is affecting students both negatively
and positively. She states that in many settings, students find themselves trying find a
means of escape and some do so through the use of social media. While in class there are
a million different distractions that are just waiting to entrap another victim and that trap
is mobile technology such as cell phones, pagers, etc. Hossen states that social media is a
detrimental factor to students trying to get their education. These kids are school to learn
and get their education. Not to go and post stuff on snapchat or twitter. I feel as though
this source could be beneficial to my work, but as far as standing alone on its own to be
evaluated then that is questionable.

Keyonnah & Bow Wow. Catfish. Nev Schulman, Max Joseph. Mtv. 23. Mar. 2016. Television

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Catfish is hands down one of the best shows out there. I thoroughly enjoy that show and
it is the perfect source that I can use for my research paper. Catfish is all about social
media usage. Catfish is a show thats based off of online dating and it has multiple
different aspects of society in it that has changed over time due to the use of social media.
Back in the day, when looking for love or that special someone in other words, you would
have to out and meet them, but now theres no need for that because of online dating and
that is not good because one does not know what they are truly getting themselves into
because people will post anything on internet and will portray themselves as something
they are not. This show is based on that concept and is a valid source that I can use to
speak self-identity and things of that nature.

Mesch, Gustavo, and Ilan Talmud. Wired Youth : The Social World Of Adolescence In The
Information Age. Hove, East Sussex: Routledge, 2010. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost).
Web. 3 Mar. 2016.

In this book, Mesch and Ilan have compiled research involving technology and online
communication, through social media and the like, and the effects of its usage on society,
mostly pertaining to adolescence. Throughout the book, the authors mention how young
adults basically live to surf the web and be on social media. Its like their lifes blood to
be out there and seen by the world through social networking sites. The internet is
changing the social norms of our society. The way people communicate with one another,
the way they perceive one another, and the way they act in social context are all being
readjusted due to whats being put out there in social media. This source speaks bars in
mu opinion.

ProCon.org. "Are Social Networking Sites Good for Our Society?" ProCon.org. 13 Apr. 2011.
Web. 2 Mar. 2016

This source is basically one big blog post of Pros and Cons on the idea of social
networking. In this source, there is a diverse group of people giving their opinions on if
they how they feel about social networks and if each individual believes that social
networking sites are good for our society as a whole or not. This source is a vital one for
making my letter due to the fact that I am getting the opinions of those who have
probably put in research into this idea beforehand. It has both its strengths and
weaknesses but I feel it will be an invaluable source.

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"Social Media and Society: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly." Seochat. Devshed, LLC. Web.
24 Mar. 2016

This is another good source for me to use for my research paper because within this
source, the author of this article is basically discussing his viewpoint on the whole idea of
social media. In their point of view, social media has a positive impact on society and I
feel as though I can use his ideas on how things are positive in order to make a counterargument stating the negative aspects or impacts. I can use positive ideology to form my
negative if that makes any sense, but all in all this seems to bode well with my research
topic and I plan to use it as effectively as I can.

Worsham, Sabrina Lea. "Media's Influence on Social Norms and Identity Development of
Youth." Applied Social Psychology. Creative Commons, 28 Nov. 2011. Web. 3 Mar.
2016.

In this article, Worsham goes into detail as to how social media is causing the young
people of society to have a different sense of self-identity. Things on posted on social
media define what is to be classified as normal in our society. From the things we
wear, the things we do for entertainment, all the way down to the things we eat on a daily.
Self-identity in young adolescence is so important and I feel that this is a fundamental
subject to talk about because it ties in so well with my topic and can prove to be very
resourceful towards constructing my essay.