Brian Becraft

Adam Padgett
English 1102-067
April 10, 2014
Social Media: A potentially negative revolution
Social Media, when we think of this term we immediately think of sites such as:
Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and many others. There is no denying the fact that social media
has expanded exponentially in the last decade. With the expansion of technology, came the
expansion of new ways to communicate. These new methods of communication have made it
incredibly efficient and easy to communicate with people around the world and at a moments
notice. Social media has revolutionized the way that information is spread. Social media has
changed how we define a friend. It has changed the meaning of like and followers. Social
media has had a drastic impact on our society, whether we realize it or not. Although many of
these impacts are positive, many are also negative. I think that there are a lot of negative things
associated with social media and these negative issues may or may not outweigh the positive
things.
Social media has been increasing in use since the last decade. As of 2011, two thirds
(65%) of adult internet users engage in activities on social networking sites, compared to less
than one third (29%) 3 years ago, and less than one tenth (8%) 6 years ago. (Wang, pg. 1) These
numbers are even higher when comparing teenage use. The greatest advantage of social media is
that it can be used to spread information instantly, to almost anyone, anywhere in the world. This
trait is also the worst and most dangerous aspect of social media. Social media is user by teens
to talk to friends and see whats going on. While most teenagers see social media as a
convenience, many do not realize the hard that they can cause with just the click of a button.
Cyber bullying has become an extremely growing issue in recent years and has led to serious
consequences for those impacted by it. Teenagers are some of the worst offenders when it comes
to cyber bullying. A recent study showed that: Almost half of all participants identified as
having been bullied online. This rate is higher than that reported in other studies on cyber
bullyingAdditionally, one in three respondents admitted to bullying others online, also greater
than the rates reported by previous studies. (Mishna) This is an incredibly scary consequence of
social media. Cyber bullying is merely one potential risk that social media has accelerated. I
think that users of social media often lose sight of the reality of social media. The reality is that
there is a person behind each online profile and that person can be harmed by their actions
online. Cyberbulling is actually very common and users of social media need to be aware of the
dangers that they can experience when they are online.
One of the more recent uses of social media has been in the business field. Businesses
around the world have turned to technology which allows for meetings to be conducted via video
conferencing. Video conferencing is an alternative to face-to-face meetings (FTF) which allows
for people within a business to communicate and discuss ideas. Businesses around the world are
becoming more global and video conferencing is a solution to connecting people who live
around the world at a moments notice. The only problem is that video conferencing creates
issues that are only solvable with FTF communication. A recent study concluded that: As such,
many FTF [face-to-face] meetings probably cannot readily be replaced by VC [video
conferencing]... (Denstadli) People can easily interpret language in many different ways. There
is simply no way to replicate FTF communication. People interpret words differently, and words
can have a completely different meaning based on how they are said. Although social media can
deliver a message in an instant, what good is that if the person who receives it misinterprets it?
With the invention of the smartphone, the world changed. The smartphone, as we
envision it today, was first introduced in 2007. (Arthur, 2012) With the invention of the
smartphone, came the ability to always be plugged in. Now we are able to check social media
sites, text message, email, chat, and share information at any moment. A recent report showed
that: 66% of children owned their own cell phones and 76% owned their own iPod/music
players. Fifty-eight percent of 12-year-olds now own a cellphone. (Pea) This shows that even
young kids are now plugged in. The constant use of social media takes away our ability to focus
in face to face settings which are important in the developmental process While media are
acknowledged central players in childhood socialization ( Ito et al., 2010; Livingstone, 2009),
face-to-face communication with peers and adults continues to be recognized as a key
determinant of social and emotional development. (Pea) We often lose out of opportunities for
social connections because we are constantly plugged in. A recent study on the use of social
media, multitasking and how it relates with social and emotional outcomes found that: Certain
types of media usevideo (five of five analyses), online communication (four of five analyses),
and media multitasking (four of five analyses)were associated with a range of negative
socioemotional outcomes. (Pea) This finding was important for my research. Social media can
have an impact social and emotional feelings. Further, the study found that: Media multitasking
was associated with a series of negative socioemotional outcomes in 8- to 12-year-old girls:
feeling less social success, not feeling normal, having more friends whom parents perceive as
bad influences, and sleeping less. Being plugged in may not be a good thing, which is what this
study is saying. Social media has created a convenience, the ability to be able to communicate at
any given time, but I believe that it isnt always a positive.
I use social media every day. I check my Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and text people
on a daily basis. I use these platforms and methods of communication because all of my friends
use them. Social media provides a very interesting and in some ways addictive way to stay in
touch. I can talk to old friends from high school or see what my favorite athlete is doing in
his/her life. It is almost addictive to know what people are doing. I often wonder why I find so
much gratification in knowing what is going on. Why do I enjoy pictures of peoples dog, or
knowing that they are dreading studying for this exam? A study in 2010 of college students
shed some light on my feelings. The study concluded: In summary, the data suggest that
gratifications sought from Facebook reflect a need for social inclusion: to be part of a space
where social interactions among ones peers take place. (Quan-Haase, pg. 357) This conclusion
leads me to believe that social media makes us feel like we are a part of something. Social media
keeps us in the loop; it keeps us up to date on gossip, events, and news. It is never a good feeling
to feel left out. This study suggests that in order to avoid this feeling, we have developed a
dependence on the need to know. This dependence is comparable to the addictions of a drug. A
drug provides a high, or a feeling of gratification. Social media provides a feeling of
gratification. Social media satisfies our need to know what our friends are doing. If social media
has similar effects as drugs then it can have some of the same consequences. A study on internet
addictions found that the different kinds of addictions share the following four components:
1) excessive use, often associated with a loss of sense of time or a neglect of basic drives, 2)
withdrawal, including feelings of anger, tension, and/or depression when the computer is
inaccessible (Weinstein, pg. 282) These feelings of withdrawal are eerily similar to feelings
of withdrawal attributed with drugs. The fact is that social media can create addictions similar to
those of hard drugs and these addictions can develop without the user ever being aware that there
is a problem.
Social media allows us to connect, share, and stay informed. I use social media in my
everyday life and often wonder how I would live without. As a college student, it is hard for me
to look at social media in a negative light. I enjoy social media as much as anyone but through
research, I tried to form an unbiased opinion on social media. What I found is that there are some
very scary consequences of social media. Some of these dangers include: addictions,
cyberbullying, and even degradation of our social skills. I found that one of the most dangerous
things about social media is that often the users have no idea of the dangers. People see social
media as this great invention, but they do not realize the harm that they could be causing to
themselves, or even to others. I tried to show you, the reader, findings and research on social
media and the dangers that are associated with the use of social media. What I have concluded is
that the negative effects and dangers of social media actually outweigh the benefits. With that
being said, I will probably still use social media. The purpose of this paper was not to convince
you not to use social media but merely to show why I think that the dangers of social media
outweigh the positives that social media has to offer.









Works Cited

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