SHALOM MICH ESSAY FOR PROOFREADING WRITING
Social media has become an indispensable complement to our lives. People today, from children to adults, have found some peace of mind and refuge in social media, a means of escape and entertainment from normal daily life. The problem began when something that started out being harmless became an addictive network that has led the youth to depend on it. They create concepts and fashions that they are forced to follow and capitalize on as much as possible in social media. The excessive use of social media has resulted in the development of mental illness such as depression and anxiety in adolescents and young adults, its most predominant users on these social platforms. According to Kraut et al., increased time spent online is related to increased feelings of depression and loneliness.
The internet is something wonderful, something that impacts the world; without it, we could not be the people we are today. Being able to access any information in a matter of seconds, and being able to communicate with someone anywhere in the world is a blessing that came to make people’s lives easier. Social media was created to unite people; it was created to connect people who were separated, facilitating communication and information sharing. A study at the University of York found that social media enabled people to engage in a global community. Over the years, talking to a single friend was not enough, those that were more active in social media became more popular, and soon after, conversation ceased to be the most popular attraction of social media. It began with sharing photos of our trips, our friends, and what we liked. It later moved to videos and little by little, encouraged to share every detail of our lives with people outside our circle of acquaintances.
The rate of depression in the United States is one of the highest among mental illnesses on record, and unfortunately, teenagers are taking advantage of these statistics (Lin et al., 2016). It’s very easy to be addicted to this world. Most of the time, it makes one curious about what is going on around them and the latest events happening on the other side of the world. People have demonstrated an intense need to know what others are doing at all times, so much so that it reaches the point of obsession to be aware of social networks every minute of the day. Compared to traditional forms of addiction, given that the internet and social media are not a consumable substance, they are therefore referred to as behavioural addiction. When its use is excessive, it can result in negative results and addiction, especially in teenagers and young adults (D’ Arienzo et al., 2019).
Additionally, adolescence is a vulnerable stage in which adolescents are in danger of developing depression, thus putting their mental health at risk (Kelly et al., 2018). A high number of teenagers have found themselves in need to be accepted in social media as people with high social value, capable of creating a follower public for whom they feel supported, to obtain benefits from the content they create (Zavala et al., 2008). When a teenager posts something, it’s done to get interaction from people who are in contact with the publication, in the hope of attracting more audience and popularity (Tanta et al., 2014). But things don’t always turn out the way they hoped. They can receive both negative and positive responses. And it’s these negative comments that affect their confidence and security, bringing them problems with their self-esteem and leaving them vulnerable to mental illness such as anxiety and depression. The way they look, their physique, their clothes, their facial features, are all factors that can be easily attacked, simple comment of disapproval about any of them can lead a person to feel uncomfortable with the way they look, leading them to become obsessed with a search for the perfect image (Hurley, 2019).
“The UK Millennium Cohort Study on 10,904 14-year-olds, using multivariate regression and path models to examine associations between social media use and depressive symptoms, found that the magnitude of the association between social media use and depressive symptoms was larger for girls than for boys. Compared with 1-3 h of daily use: 3 to < 5 h 26% increase in scores vs 21%; ≥ 5 h 50% vs 35% for girls and boys respectively” (Kelly et al., 2018 para. 3). The causes of these symptoms of depression were related to low self-esteem, anxiety, poor body image, and lack of sleep due to excessive use of social media. While it would be ideal to find a way to get these kids away from this big social problem, it’s hard when they have a way to stay connected 24 hours a day through their smartphones (Cain, 2018).
Cain (2018) article shows that a young person can have their smartphone with them all day and night, its compact size allows them to take it anywhere, and the internet connection can be obtained in almost all public spaces. Teenagers find it very difficult to separate from their phones; they use it as storage for all their things, homework, information, entertainment, communication, among others. This has created compulsive and obsessive behaviors when it comes to separating from the screen, they take their phones with them to absolutely all places, from social events and even school (Przybylski et al., 2013) increasing cases of insomnia due to wanting to be looking at the phone and using social media, developing the fear of missing out syndrome in which is obsessed with knowing what happens every minute, afraid that some news or some new fashion comes out and they do not see it at the exact time it came out, bringing with it symptoms of anxiety that can lead to depression (Cain, 2018). “It is not yet clear whether smartphone and social media use leads to mental health issues directly or whether individuals vulnerable to the issues are more susceptible to use these technologies as a coping mechanism that in turn, exacerbates the problems” (Cain, 2018, para. 9), although it is not yet known how this relationship of mental illness in young people and the use of social media and smartphones begins, it is impossible to deny that it exists and that it does not affect us when every day more users of social media report that they have felt feelings of anguish, stress, and anxiety and that this increases along with their use of social media.
Despite all these negative factors that social media has brought, it cannot be denied that it has also brought positive features. Through social media, students can share knowledge. Social platforms provide a communication system that allows them to access, study, transform (if needed) and share information (Akam, 2017). In the same way, wikis can be located. Wikis are websites that are developed collaboratively by a community of users. They allow any user to add, change, correct, and post information for others to see, free of charge (Faizi et al., 2013). Students no longer need to go to a physical location to get informational resources for school projects. There are a great number of online libraries where they can easily access to many informational blogs that are dedicated to helping students by providing guidance and information. These media also help connect students and teachers outside of school facilities, allowing guidance and mentoring through student development (Collin et al., 2011).
Likewise, social media does bring not only positive features for school use but also helps personal growth in adolescents. The first and foremost benefit of social media is connectivity. People from anywhere can connect with anyone. One advantage of social media is that you can attach with anyone to learn and share your thoughts (Akram, 2017). The second is seen in the improvement of socialization. Young people who cannot interact with their peers have the opportunity to develop friendships with people in whom they find similarities in matters of taste and preference. This is based on topics such as music, television series, and extracurricular activities (Collin et al., 2011). And finally, the last benefit to be addressed is help and support. If a person has a problem and needs help, whether it is assistance or economic, social media can create a great impact by attracting the attention of a large number of people who are willing to help (Akram 2017).
Social media can be good, it can inform us, it can connect us, it can help us. Unfortunately, its use has become harmful to young minds. It has become an obsessive place where children and teens struggle to stand out and find acceptance from the public they are presented to. Unfortunately, when they don’t get the desired results, such as approval from people, or receive negative comments, they tend to create insecurities in physical and social aspects of themselves. To summarize, social media ends up causing problems with their self-esteem and leading them to develop mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety and lonelines
References
Akram W. & Kumar R. (2017) A Study on Positive and Negative Effects of Social Media on Society. International Journal of Computer Sciences and Engineering. 5(10), 347-354.
Berryman, C., Ferguson, C.J. & Negy, C. (2018). Social Media Use and Mental Health among Young Adults. Psychiatr Q 89, 307–314. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-017-95356
Cain, J. (2018). It’s Time to Confront Student Mental Health Issues Associated with Smartphones and Social Media. American journal of pharmaceutical education, 82(7), 6862. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe6862
Collin, P., Rahilly, K., Richardson, I. & Third, A. (2011) The Benefits of Social Networking Services: A literature review. Cooperative Research Centre for Young People, Technology and Wellbeing. 3-29.
D’Arienzo, M.C., Boursier, V. & Griffiths, M.D. Addiction to Social Media and Attachment Styles: A Systematic Literature Review. Int J Ment Health Addiction 17, 1094–1118 (2019).
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Hurley, K. (2019). Social Media and Teens: How Does Social Media Affect Teenagers’ Mental Health. PSYCON. https://www.psycom.net/social-media-teen-mental-health
Kelly, Y., Zilanawala, A., Booker, C., Sacker, A. (2018). Social Media Use and Adolescent Mental Health: Findings From the UK Millennium Cohort Study. E Clinical Medicine, 6, 59-50. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589537018300609
Lin, L. Y., Sidani, J. E., Shensa, A., Radovic, A., Miller, E., Colditz, J. B., Hoffman, B. L., Giles, L. M., & Primack, B. A. (2016). Association Between Social Media Use And Depression Aong U.S. Young Adults. Depression And anxiety, 33(4), 323–331. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22466
Przybylski A., Murayama K., De Haan c & Gladwell V. (2013) Motivational, emotional, and behavioral correlates of fear of missing out. E Clinical Medicine, 24(4), 1841-1848. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0747563213000800
Tanta I., Mihovilović M. & Sablié Z. (2014) Uses and Gratification Theory – Why Adolescents Use Facebook? Medijska istraživanja, 20 (2), 85-111. https://hrcak.srce.hr/133809?lang=en
Ventola C. L. (2014). Social media and health care professionals: benefits, risks, and best practices. P & T : A Peer-Reviewed Journal For Formulary Management, 39(7), 491–520.
Zavala M., Valadez M & Vargas M. ( 2008) Emotional intelligence and social skills in adolescents with high social acceptance. Education & Psychology, 6, 319-338. http://investigacion-psicopedagogica.org/revista/articulos/15/english/Art_15_271
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