Hey everyone, this is my first argumentative essay, so, please comment; help me out
Effect of the Social Media on Today's Youth
Today's' youth live their lives on social networks. They share pictures, moments, secrets, love and hate, all with a single tap on the "post" button. Unconsciously shaping their lives to correspond to those of their friends, idols or whatever is trending at the given time. Their society revolves around Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and so on. This has both a positive and negative effect. A long standing debate is whether the social media does more evil or good.
Socializing, human contact has always been essential to the survival of the human race. It enables us to fond bonds for our safety and also reproduce. Social networks have made this much easier. In the past, one might have had to travel miles for a little tea and heart to heart. Now, friends and family are just a click away. Chat rooms are one of the social media's great contributions to modern communication. They offer a quick and effective way for people to open discussion. It is possible to retain long distance relationships and make friends from different counties. The world is connected as it never was before because of the social media, forming one big family striving for the future of earth.
The social network promotes creativity and a sense of self in teenagers through services such as blogs, real time interactive games and Facebook According to a new body of research, teens who are more active on social networking sites are actually more well adjusted than their less-connected peers. In one study, researchers found that teen interaction on social networks mimic how they actually interact in their off-line relationships. According to psychology professor Kaveri Subrahmanyam of California State in Los Angeles, adolescents characterize their online friendships into similar hierarchies of closeness as their real-life friendships. Professor Subrahmanyan views the digital world as "Simply a new and more multidimensional place for teenagers to do what tens have always done - form their own identities away from their parents."
An argument against social networking is the exposure it creates to the world. Everything, no matter good or bad spreads across the world in a manner of seconds. Adolescents are can be easily misled or taken advantage of. A worthwhile risk, considering the benefits it brings. It is found that these days, with the help of the social network, adolescents are generally more aware of their surroundings; politics, environmental change, scientific breakthroughs, international catastrophes and so on. They have a wider scope of the world from a young age, increasing chances of success in the future.
In all, the social network does quite a fair amount of good. It favors communications, social interaction, creativity, the attainment of knowledge and much more. Though social networks can be used to cause a certain amount of harm, it does an equal amount of good. The outcome, as in many other matters depend on the user. Thus, it is up to us to believe that adolescents, the next generation of our world has the sense to wield the social network sensibly and with thought to the consequences it has on themselves and others.
I would agree for the most part. Here is a suggestion, take a look at how much time people are on these social networks on there smart phones by being in a public place. Or see if there is any data online about this. This is where I think our social interaction is laking. By being on our phones using these sites I think creates a lack of face to face dialog. The social media connection on a world scale is great.For young kids and teenagers developing a knowledge base of the world is a definite added benefit.
