Jarrett 1

Adele Jarrett
Ms. Caruso
UWRT 1103
October 6, 2015
The Negative Impacts of Social Media
Social media has become one of the top forms of communication in todays society. The
number of social media users is globally increasing at a fast rate; in January 2015, world wide
social media users exceeded 2 billion which is a 12% increase since January 2014 (Kemp sec. 5).
The number of hours spent each day by the global average social media user is 2 hours and 25
minutes (Kemp sec. 5). These statistics show that social media consumes the everyday lives of
many which greatly impacts society. Although this impact contains both positives and negatives,
the negatives have made a greater impact in todays age.
Social technology is a bit like the Trojan horse seducing us with its beauty and stated
mission, but all the while secretly sabotaging our most human qualities (Cline par. 21). This
statement creates questioning to what those human qualities are and how social media damages
them. Social media has damaged important human qualities such as our social skills, self
esteems, work ethics, patience, and even our creativity. When these human qualities become
damaged, a contented and meaningful life becomes hard to pursue. Society is made up of the
people, therefore, society can only advance when its individuals progress as well.
Social media sites are meant to seem as if they keep society connected because they
allow individuals to stay updated with their Twitter followers and Facebook friends lives by
simply viewing pictures, reading statuses and communicating through instant chatting. However,
these networking sites in fact create a disconnection within society because it allows only a

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surface level of communication and interaction and enables people to escape real life interactions
and situations. For example, break ups are often handled through the screen of a phone or
computer rather than in person talking face to face which results in the loss of social skills.
However, some deem social media enables individuals to facilitate face to face interactions
(Pro & Con Arguments sec. 8). Social media most certainly allows people to facilitate in person
interactions but the question is, how often do people use social media to do this? A new social
media user may start out facilitating face to face interactions via online but eventually they too
will become more comfortable interacting through the web. A loss in social skills not only puts
individuals behind in the real world but it also ruins relationships. At the end of the day, nothing
can replace face-to-face conversation and interactions. Despite the explosion of online
endorsements and social media dialogue between individuals and brands, researchers have found
word-of-mouth exchanges and in-depth conversation are still most influential (Fowlkes par. 11).
Social media causes an all time need for instant gratification which eventually results in
the decrease of individuals worth ethic, patience, and even their creativity. Because social media
enables society to lay in bed and find answers with seconds from the multiple sources that pop
up on an electronic device, the thought of having to go out, find a book, actually read it and then
form self opinions on it seems extremely irritating, inconvenient and difficult. We just feel well
just get more information and we dont need to have ideas ourselves well get ideas from
someone else, we dont need to look at the data well just see what someone else has said and so
on says Edward De Bono (qtd in Zevallos). Of course social media is a great way for some
individuals to express and share their creative ideas with one another but too many people take
advantage of this positive.

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Social media has created lower self esteems due to the way people compare their lives
with the ones they view on Facebook, Instagram and other various types of social media sites.
In 2012 a team of researchers in the UK surveyed users, 53% of whom said social media had
changed their behavior; 51% said it was negative behavior because of decline in confidence they
felt due to unfair comparisons to others (Probst sec. 2). When individuals see the wonderful,
adventurous, fun, and the seemingly perfect lives of their friends and celebrities they follow on
social media, they become consumed in making their lives seem just as great or sometimes even
greater. Eventually, doing this results in the failure to take care of themselves in the real world,
living strictly through the lives they portray on social media. Social media is a way people show
the positives in their lives, the best moments and even the boring moments that somehow appear
as the most fun, happiest moments. Therefore, it impossible to equally compare real life
moments and every day lives with those shown on social media. The reason we struggle with
insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone elses highlight reel
(Furtick).
Various sources indicate that social media causes an increase in bullying, the spread of
false information, lower GPAs and addiction. I began research on cyberbullying after reading
Regina F. Grahams article written on Krystine Batchos, a psychology college professor, views
on the effects of social media. Due to the access of the web, the act of bullying has not only
increased but has also become more severe. Batcho takes an extremely insightful stance on
bullying, stating, it takes place in a more extreme way over social media because the authors
feel no responsibility (qtd. in Graham par. 5). The authors feel no responsibility because
bullying behind the screen of a device often leads to a short or no thought process of the
consequences. Additionally, an inability to perceive the reactions of the one being bullied will

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perpetuate this behavior (Why Do People Cyberbully? sec. 3). Bullying is often associated with
rumors which led me to research the spread of false information on social media. While many
argue that the spread of false information has always existed, an online article negates this by
stating that the web has made it much easier for it to spread often much faster than the reports
that debunk it (Bilton par. 3). Yet many still argue on this issue by stating that social media
provides various educational purposes which is therefore good and useful information. This
statement most certainly holds validity, however, these educational purposes social media
provides are often abused and used for cheating. Additionally, the entertaining social media sites
such as Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter are used more often during school work than the sites
that provide educational purposes. Because of such distractions students who use social media
had an average GPA of 3.06 while non-users had an average GPA of 3.82 (Pro & Con
Arguments sec. 3). Many of these distractions become addictions. In order to provide evidence of
social media addictions, 18 percent of social media users cant go a few hours without checking
Facebook, and 28 percent of iPhone users check their Twitter feed before getting up in the
morning (Bennett par. 4). But social media addictions are not the only addictions fueled by
social networking sites. Social media provides ways to glamorize the use of drugs and alcohol
which has caused an increase. The CASAColumbia survey found that 40% of all teens surveyed
have seen pictures on Facebook, Myspace or other social networking sites of kids getting drunk,
passed out, or using drugs (2011 National Teen Survey par. 4). Teens who have seen these
pictures on the web verses those who have not are 3 times more likely to use alcohol and 4 times
more likely to use marijuana (2011 National Teen Survey par. 5).
There is always a way to prove positivity in every negative impact created by social
media. There is also always a way to prove negativity in every positive impact. However, the

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difference is that the negative impacts are greater. Research on the effects of social media
furthers knowledge of its both pros and cons while also furthering the ability to dispute the
arguments between the two. The positive impacts can create small strides moving forward
although the negative impacts create large barriers moving backwards. Thus, the overall impact
social media has created on society is negative.

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WorksCited
"AQuotebyStevenFurtick."Goodreads.N.p.,n.d.Web.05Oct.2015.
Bennett,Shea."SocialMediaAddiction:Statistics&Trends[INFOGRAPHIC]."SocialTimes.
N.p.,30Dec.2014.Web.05Oct.2015.
Bilton,Ricardo."ThankstoSocialMedia,FakeNewsDrawsRealAudiencesDigiday."
Digiday.N.p.,24Oct.2014.Web.06Oct.2015.
Cline,JenniferL."LosingFace:HowFacebookDisconnectsUs."CounselingToday.N.p.,26
Aug.2014.Web.05Oct.2015.
"DeleteCyberbullyingWhyDoPeopleCyberbully?"DeleteCyberbullyingWhyDoPeople
Cyberbully?N.p.,n.d.Web.06Oct.2015.
Fowlkes,Jasmine."Viewpoint:WhySocialMediaIsDestroyingOurSocialSkills."USA
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Graham,ReginaF."Psychologist:SocialMediaCausingA'DistancingPhenomena'ToTake
Place."CBSDC.N.p.,16Apr.2014.Web.05Oct.2015.
Kemp,Simon."Digital,Social&MobileWorldwidein2015."WeAreSocialRSS.N.p.,21Jan.
2015.Web.05Oct.2015.
"2011NationalTeenSurveyFinds:TeensRegularlyUsingSocialNetworkingSitesLikelierto
Smoke,Drink,UseDrugs."CASAColumbia.N.p.,24Aug.2011.Web.05Oct.2015.
"Pro&ConArguments:"AreSocialNetworkingSitesGoodforOurSociety?""ProConorg
Headlines.N.p.,n.d.Web.06Oct.2015.
Probst,Caitlin."10WaysSocialMediaAffectsMentalHealth."DegreedAtom.N.p.,29Apr.
2015.Web.05Oct.2015.

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Zevallos,Zuleyka."PhilosopherArguesSocialMediaCauses'Laziness'"TheOtherSociologist
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