Alexsandra Rodriguez Professor Alexandra Dragin Rhetoric 102 November 15, 2016 Prompt #1 The Negative Effects Social Media has on Teenagers Social media is defined as “forms of electronic communication (as Web sites for social networking and micro blogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content.” (Merriam-Webster, 2004). Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube have the attention of millions of users. With just a click of a button, users are able to create their own profile that relates to themselves and are able to share their personal information by adding friends on these social media sites. Today’s generations of teenagers have become technologically dependant. A study done by Pew Research Center found that, 92% of teens reported going online daily, 56% of teens reported going online several times a day, and only 12% reported once a day. (Lenhart, Amandra, 2015). With the vast amount of social media that is so easily accessible and greatly depended on, it has made bullying so much easier on teenagers today. This bullying is referred to as “cyber bullying”. Cyber bullying is when a person uses technology to target another person by harassing or intimidating them in an aggressive nature. The bullies often use social media site to spread their message about or to their victims. Although these social sites can have positive interaction for teenagers, the negative effects of
Social media itself is a huge danger to society. It causes many suicides within the world because of the cyberbullying and spreading of rumors. “Recent studies have shown that one out of four teens have been the victims of cyberbullying and one out of six have admitted to having cyberbullied someone” (Trautner 1). The internet and social media is supposed to be used to communicate with friends and for searching information, “Kids use technology different than their parents do. Sometimes it is hard for adults to understand that this can even be a possibility” (Trautner 1). It is not supposed to be used to bully someone, especially not to the point where the victim would think about suicide. “One of the statistics that has been highlighted within this news coverage is the threefold increase in the suicide rate for girls ages 10 to 14. The rates for girls in this age group increased from 0.5 to 1.5 per 100,000 during this time period. The increases for boys in this age group were not as high, climbing from 1.9 per 100,000 during 1999 to 2.6 per 100,000 in 2014” (Olsen
Every year, "over 25 percent of adolescents and teens [are] bullied repeatedly through their cell phones or the Internet." (cyber bullying stats) and "Cyber-bullying [is] becoming more and more rampant in school and after school among teens and children." (Bullying stats). Social media can be a great thing that can open doors to new opportunities and discoveries, however, when used incorrectly, the digital footprint left behind may greatly affect future opportunities. To prevent a negative digital footprint, children and teens must be educated about internet uses.
As of 2016, suicide has replaced homicide as the second-leading cause of death among U.S. teenagers because of social media bullying. Social media has taken a significant toll on our society, one that affects millions of students around the globe. Every day, online platforms are gaining in popularity. So much that study now shows that the average person spends more time each day on their phone and computer than they do sleeping! While social media offers some benefits in regards to education and relationships, the risks of cyberbullying, social anxiety and identity theft far outweigh these advantages.
Social media is the ultimate platform for bullies. Using social media, perpetrators can bully their victims to the point of anxiety, fear, low self-esteem, suicidal ideations and in some cases to the committal of the suicidal act. Cyberbullying is defined as the deliberate repetition of hostility toward a group or persons with the intent to induce psychological, emotional, or physical harm through the use of digital communication (Niels, Menno, et. Al, 2013). A study conducted in 2014, stated that nearly 75% of school age youth have been the victim of cyberbullying (Giumetti, Kowalski, et al., 2014).
Social media is an enormous part of our society and has opened a large window for bullying to occur. People of all ages, races, and religions are on social media and often take part in arguments where others are called vulgar names and are harassed. People are constantly being bullied on social media to the point that some view this behavior as being acceptable. In the movie Cyberbully, a girl is tormented on social media. Her classmates all thought it was acceptable and hilarious to see this girl get bullied and often joined in on the bullying. Bullying was brought to the attention of the school and police where they both said that they could not do anything about it because it happened on social media. Little did the girl know, it was her best friend who started bullying her on social media (Cyberbully). The internet allows people to say things behind a screen and even hide their identity. It is terrifying to see how cruel people are on social media and how others allow it and think it is funny. “When children, and many adults for that matter, aren’t talking to someone face-to-face, they are less likely to feel the implications of what they are really saying” (“Social Media
Online users are bullied on social media sites. In “The Dangers of Cyberbullying“, author Christopher B. Davison describes cyberbullying as an agressive, intentional act distributed by an individual or group, using contact in an electronic medium continously and relentlessly against someone else who can’t stand up for their rights (Davison 595). Technology affects bullying in a lot of different forms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr or any other form of online communication. Kovalski and Limber discovered that instant messaging (66.6%) is used most frequently for cyberbullying (598). With the increasing use of the internet cyberbullying is likely to be a growing problem. Lenhart found that 68% of students use the Internet during schoolhours for bullying actions(596). Additionally adolescents use the internet 17 hours on average, with some spending up to
Today, teenagers rely more on the internet, and other technologies to keep in touch with their friends, and social lives. They are on all sorts of social media platforms such as facebook, twitter, instagram, snapchat and so much more. They also use different forms of technology such as cellphones, and online chatrooms to communicate with friends and social circles. Many adolescents use this growing technology as a bridge between their everyday reality, and virtual reality, and sometimes, use this technology to intimidate and harass other students which is a form of cyberbullying. Jemica Carter and Wilson Feleta, authors of “Cyberbullying a 21st century health care phenomenon,” define cyberbullying as,“covert, psychological bullying [conveyed] through electronic mediums’” (Cyberbullying) Elizabeth Anderson publisher of the article, Teenagers spend 27 hours a week online: how internet use has ballooned in the last decade, demonstrates how there has been a dramatic increase in the use of technology in the last
Sameer Hinduja and Justin W. Patchin, the authors of “Bullying Beyond the School Yards”, define cyber bullying as “willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones and other electronic devices” (Hinduja 5). Cyber Bullying began when the use of electronic devices began, but it became more common when social networking sites were invented. Over the years, social networking has become a place where what people write is something they would never say in person. Because people have become so naïve of the power of their own words, feelings are hurt. Online, teens have an opening to indirectly say what they want and a lot of the time they are victimizing people and putting them down by either commenting or blogging about a person’s secrets or beginning hurtful rumors. This form of adolescent aggression can be given the term “social sabotage” and is most common among girls (Hinduja 93). Cyber bullying in some cases can be more hurtful than bullying itself because
Social media websites do not provide a safe and friendly environment for all age ranges. Consequently, “81% of teens use some kind of social media” making it a popular, yet cowardly source for bullying. Since smart phones and computers surround each one of us, teens hide behind them. It is easier to send a rude message or comment on a website than actually saying it to someone’s face. The people social media sites are molding us to be is
Facebook and other social media platforms have brought communication across the world to a whole new level. The rise of social media has created a place for children to communicate with others in both a positive and negative manner. Although it has made a positive impact on American youth, it has also contributed and exacerbated bullying in our schools. This new form of bullying, often referred to as cyberbullying, has created an around-the-clock atmosphere where bullying can occur even when school is not in session. Many professionals have sought to address the negative aspects of social media and have worked to develop a solution to bring cyberbullying to an end.
Social media is quickly evolving in front of our eyes and it is almost impossible to reject and hide from this new form of media. Not only is it an important part of socialization within peer groups but now it is used to market and motivate people to become a part of a larger community. It is undeniably changing the way one communicates and how one finds and shares information. Most websites offer communication through the use of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and many various blog formats. With new apps on smartphones and photography and video made digital, media can be created, edited and shared quickly and once it is in this new digital cloud it is not yours anymore. Through these new advances in technology one can share things
How does social media usage by teenagers and young adults affect academic performance, attitude towards school, and concept of identity?
Studies have shown that the average person now spends more time each day on their phone and computer than they do sleeping according to Nick McGillivray (“What are the Effects of Social Media on Youth?). Social has become part of our social society, especially for the many youths. There are positives to being on social media and also equal amounts of danger that come with using social networking sites, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. These social networking sites also have effects on today’s youth by altering the way they behave, the way they learn, in not only a classroom setting but also in the real world setting, and the way that they socialize with their peers and others.
One major impact of social media on society is cyber bullying. Because of social media, bullying is made easier for people to attack one another. “Nearly 43% of kids have been bullied online. 1 in 4 has had it happen more than once” (“11 Facts About Cyberbullying”). Cyberbullying has a major impact on society because kids are being bullied in more increasingly numbers than ever before, and it is occurring more frequently than ever. Back then, one in six kids were bullied in person compared to one in two kids who are getting bullied over social media today. Forms of social media have majorly enlarged the amount of bullying that is happening to people, especially young people. Part of the reason cyber bullying amounts are increasing is because “81% of youth think bullying online is easier to get away with, than bullying in person” (“11 Facts About Cyberbullying”). Nowadays people are taking bullying to social
Cyber bullying is known as “bullying through information or communication technologies” (Webster, n.d. 2011), tools such as, e-mails mobile phone text messages, phone calls, internet chat rooms, instant messaging and most importantly, social networking websites such as Myspace, and Facebook. Researchers have made an effort on the outstanding reasons why social networking greatly causes cyber bullying to teenagers (Hardcastle, M. 2012). To begin with, there are a lot of reasons why social networking causes cyber bullying. According to Rebecca Sweeney (Online Conference on Networks and Communities, 2011), social networking has been used as a stage for bullies to say things they might not usually say to someone in person. This is because they do not have the feeling of fear anymore since there is anonymity and no physical proximity on the victims. Bullies could just easily influence or attack their victims. These attacks contain getting threatening messages; having their private emails or text messages forwarded without permission; having a harassing picture posted without permission; or having rumors about them spread online. Another, bullies can come in online contact with their victims anytime, anywhere, day or night and not just in a school yard; making online bullying more reachable. Also, bullies have this feeling of certainty whenever they are online due to the lack of unease already, allowing them to do what they want and it has a very wide public