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Mackenzie Clark

Mrs. Crandall

AP Language-2nd

22 November 2019

Social Media Has Corrupted Society

Literature Review

Social media has split society down the middle when it comes to examining whether it

produces more positive or negative effects. There is extensive research highlighting the positive

effects associated with social media, but there are just as many articles claiming that social media

has corrupted teens and led to an increase in depression and suicide rates.

A majority of the articles emphasize the negative issues related with social media usage.

In “Social Media Obsession and Anxiety” (2018), Sarah Fader, the author, suggests that “using

social media obsessively causes more than just anxiety; in fact, testing has found that using too

much internet can cause depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and impulsive

disorder” (Fader 3). Fader explains this discrepancy by including a list of consequences that

result from social media anxiety disorder (“having your phone on you 24 hours a day to check

your social media sites”), and a few different statistics from different researchers ( “about 30% of

those who use social media spend more than 15 hours per week online”) (Fader 2). She also

includes a note about the physical effects: “spending too much time online has been proven to

cause illnesses such as eye strain, neck pain, and lower back problems” (Fader 2). Another strong

article supporting this is: “New Studies Show Just How Bad Social Media Is For Mental Health”.

The author, Alice G. Walton, claims that “social media isn’t so great for mental health” (Walton

1). She stresses the negative effects of extreme social media usage in order to make users aware
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that it can cause serious issues to one’s mental health (juxtaposition between “stresses” and

“mental health issues”); in fact, Walton claims that “we may not need to quit it completely, but

limiting our time on social media considerably...is definitely the way to go” (Walton 3). In

“Social Media Linked to Rise in Mental Health Disorders in Teens, Survey Finds” (March 14,

2019), Shamard Charles, M.D., reminds teenagers that, “spending time with people face to face

is a big protective factor against depression” (Walton 3).

Although social media is not the direct cause of an increase in suicide rates among

adolescents, there is clearly a relationship between the two. When analyzing a blog post from

“Pediatric EHR Solutions”, the author points out, “it is ironic that the purpose of social media is

to bring people together, yet it can be the sole reason for someone to feel completely alone” (2).

Social media was created as a way to communicate and keep up with friends and family. It was

intended to be a fun platform to post pictures and send positive messages. Teenagers have

become addicted to social media and use those for hours a day. They troll on apps, such as

Instagram, and compare their lives to others and end up feeling like their life is not special

enough. Social media fills children’s ears with lies such as “you’re not as pretty as another girl

your age”, “you’re too fat to dance”, or “you’re not smart enough”. It is completely toxic, but

many teenagers feed into it. As a result they develop serious depression and anxiety and do not

even realize it until it is too late. The author of this blog post also pointed out, “in 2015, the

suicide rate among teenage girls rose to the highest it had been in forty years” (2). There is a

direct correlation between the rise of social media, such as Instagram which was founded in

2010, and a rise in suicide rates. An article from the Washington Post points out: “From 2007 to

2017, the number of suicides among people ages 10 to 24 suddenly increased 65 percent”. There
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is no doubt that the sudden rise in social media has become a huge factor in that increase because

those apps are something new.

In opposition, some researchers strongly believe that social media poses many positive

outcomes. In “Contrary to Popular Belief, Social Media Can Have Positive Effects on Our

Mental Health” (2017), Taylor Bennett argues that “social media has gotten a bad rap lately...but

before you start delving into the extensive research that paints social media as a harmful entity,

consider potential positives” (2,3). Bennett suggests that “social media interactions can help

decrease negative emotions and boost well-being” (3). She stresses the importance of viewing

social media as a positive thing when she repeatedly points out, “social networks could be an

important communication channel for certain individuals who would otherwise stay isolated” (4).

Many people want to emphasize that social media can help children stay connected with others

and make new friends. These apps can be used effectively, especially for shy kids who do not

have enough courage to talk to their peers in person. Jason Perkins, a co-author of a recent article

on “Smart Social” brings up a very interesting point: “Students can utilize social media to spread

social awareness and kindness”. These apps can be used for good, but it just has to be put in the

right hands. Ideally, teenagers could use social media to send thoughtful message and inspiring

quotes to one another. They could find ways to be a positive light in the world. Unfortunately,

many teenagers do not think about that option, and instead, they send mean and hateful

comments, which is why the mental health issues have become more common.

A reason that social media has become so dangerous is because teenagers spend way too

much time on these apps. An infographic from the “Digital Information World” highlighted that

16-24 year olds spend around three hours a day on social media. That is around one fourth of the

time teenagers are awake each day. By spending that much time on these apps, they are
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developing lower self- esteem. Teens have become addicted to their phones. Even though many

of them know that social media usage can become very unhealthy, they have not done anything

to change their actions. A survey from “NBC News” brought up a very good example of this

addiction. The “Snapchat streak” has become something that almost every teenager is aware of.

Teens get this “streak” by sending direct snaps back and forth with a friend for several

consecutive days (definition). In fear of losing this “number” or “streak”, kids constantly have to

check Snapchat and reply to one another. This app lures children in to keep using it which is

toxic for the users. In reality, nothing good comes out of it.