Social Media Isolation

The truth is if social media was never invented we still may have found other ways to isolate ourselves from the rest of the world. As we spend less time focusing on what’s going on outside in the real world than we do scrolling down our Facebook feeds we separate ourselves. It’s become a part of our everyday routine and, most people check their Facebook before they even have breakfast in the morning. Social media definitely didn’t help, but it is not the sole cause of isolation but, how we use it. If we were to use it how it was intended by making new connections, we wouldn’t feel so separated from the rest of the world.

Social media is nothing, but a distracting, timewasting, nuisance to everyone surrounded by it, right? Wrong. Social media has changed the world as we know it. People can share information quickly, publish their thoughts, and exchange their ideas. Social media is becoming a certainty in this modern age, which is why it should be embraced rather than criticized. Although there is concern over potential for cyberbullying and lack of privacy, the use of social media is inevitable in teenagers’ lives, and necessary to the positive development of adolescents because it allows adolescents to gain confidence when interacting with others, it encourages users to create and maintain friendships, and it can facilitate learning while promoting educational growth.

Furthermore Isolation can cause sense of feeling loneliness even though they are connected “online” or cause even worse scenarios depression which can lead to suicide with the low self esteem. A Research done in the University of Pittsburgh questioned a group of 1,787 adults aged between 19 and 32 about their different use of social media. They found that “people who visit social networks over 58 times a week are three times more likely to feel lonely than those who use the sites under nine times.”(Hosie). Therefore those who visit social media often the less time they have for real-world interactions. Adding on to isolation, their is a huge risk that leads to depression with people feeling low self esteem with the use of social media. It makes a “Standard” of beauty that you have to be, which its unrealistic, but some people believe it to be true. This low self esteem can lead to more serious issues like suicide. According to The National Institute of Mental Health reports that an “estimated 3.1 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 in the United States have had at least one major depressive episode”(Apodaca). Apodaca goes further on stating how the possible use of social media at the young age pressure people to be “perfect”. experts say “ that teen depression and suicide rates began spiking at the same time that social media started taking off”

Social Media Use is the use of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. In 2017 around 81% of Americans use social media. In 2008 only 24% of Americans used social media, that is a 57% increase in less than 10 years. In this paper I’m going to talk about, teen use of social media, the long term effects of social media use, and the advantages and disadvantages of social media.

Older generations don’t realize how much technology has affected this generation of teenagers, along with the social media that comes along with the technology. As stated in “How Social Media Changed Teens’ Lives Forever”; “Negative posts or comments also can do great damage to a teen’s self-esteem.” (Ashley Black, Thomas Atseff and Colleen Kaveney) While many parents think social media is just a way to connect with others, many teenagers take it for granted. For example, “quitting social media because it made her miserable and obsessed with appearing perfect online”, is what a teenager felt about social media and what it has done to her. Though many think that social media is a great way to connect, teenagers take it to another level.

Social media can be very addicting, and in some instances can cause isolation. Isolation is a big issue when it comes to social media use because in order for a person to become isolated addiction has to occur; when addiction occurs it causes a person to lose connection with the real world and the people in it. Many people use social media as a distraction when unoccupied, but can also be the cause of behavior change in children when exposed to social media and other dangerous websites. An example, is cyberbullying, which can cause an adolescent or a person of any age to commit suicide, and can also cause a person to create emotional and physical problems.

Social media has been known to help students develop important knowledge and social skills. “At first glance this may seem like a waste of time; however it also helps students to develop important knowledge and social skills, and be active citizens who create and share content.” (Chen 3). The more time teens spend on social media the more they become aware of their own social side and how to interact with others, especially their peers. “Some types of social media has beneficial effects, like helping adolescents establish some sense of identity and build networking skills” (Riley Davis). Too much time being spent on social media can also exploit teens to some harsh realities that they’ve probably never experienced in their lives before.

One of the myths carried by social media is that it makes users more socially connected, however, it worsens feelings of social isolation. Social media often tries to take the place of face-to-face relationships, ruining healthy ones (Norton 1). Technology has become an essential part of the way people communicate with one another and has increasingly taken the place of face-to-face communication. This allows people to substitute electronic relationships with physical ones, promoting social isolation. Replacing real-world relationships with social media use is detrimental to a user’s well being.

The use of social networking sites is rising at great rates. According to a report conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project in 2012, ninety-five percent of individuals aged 12-17 use the internet; and eighty-one percent of those use social network sites (Pew Interest). Although it is known that social media can have a useful impact on lives, often times people forget that with a positive comes a negative. The continual use of social network sites will impact teen lives more negatively than positively because they can cause huge distractions from valuable and critical pursuits like education; they can also cause mental health issues and a reduction in communication skills.

Social media has dramatically changed the world and the way we communicate with each other. We are now in the era of Google, Facebook, and Twitter. Anyone in the planet is just a click far from us and every information is handy in our smartphones. Social media has evolved as the tool that created a gigantic difference in the way individuals interact, promote their opinions, share thoughts, and even impact others. Especially teenagers and youths spend more time in social media than anyone else. According to the report by Pew Research Center published in 2015, 92% of teens go online daily including 24% who go online almost

Social media may sometimes boost up self-esteem but also creates isolation. When children or even adults become isolated, the feeling of loneliness and unhappiness overcome them. When on social media, communication with the outside world decreases, which worsens one's social skills. Many social media apps can negatively affect one's ability to be communicative. When it comes to being social, technology negatively impacts it, because social media lessens one-on-one communication.

One in 12 high school students has attempted suicide in the past year due to social media (Rosen 2). The problem with social media is that, it's causing changes in eating and sleeping habits (Rosen 4). Depression is also taking a major role in this negativity (Rosen 3). Social media is said to be the leading cause of depression and anxiety (Ring 1). Teens are being diagnosed with disorders due to social media (Rosen 3). 10,000 adolescents showed that almost 1 in 3 teens have an anxiety disorder (Ring 1). Social media is destroying teens

Social media is one of the most popular means of communication today. The general public uses social media to talk to loved ones, find long lost friends, and participate in online discussions. As technological capabilities have advanced over the years, so has the public’s reliance on social media. Debates have surfaced about whether the public is misusing social media. Many people are questioning whether social media is replacing human interaction and isolating people from one another. In my life, social media has helped me find and stay connected to the people that I care about the most. Social media does not isolate people from one another and benefits society by making it possible to have discussions over the internet.

The debate whether technology is causing social isolation has increased over the past years. Many people believe that with the advancement of technology and the use in daily lives, an increase in isolation has occurred. Others believe that technology has actually connected humans to each other more than ever before. On the other hand, many people think that it’s the way technology is used that determines whether or not an individual become isolated from society.

Social media is one of the most common ways for people to communicate anywhere and at any time in modern society. Some people think that it is beneficial to have in society. Although, many people are starting to see negative effects arise from the use of social media as well. These negative effects are increasing and becoming more problematic every day. The disadvantages of social media far outweigh the advantages. Social media effects everyone in society, especially teenagers by negatively impacting their lives, face-to-face interactions, and mental health.