Effects of Social Media on Young People - Essay Sample

Introduction

In the recent past, the use of social media has been increasing, especially among young people across the world. The social networking web sites allow individuals to create profiles of their own choice with their personal information. This allows the users of the particular social media site to connect. The users of the social networking sites are provided with different features which include; video and photo sharing, blogging and micro-blogging, sharing of texts, voice notes, mobile connectivity, calling and video chatting. According to studies which have been conducted, young people are said to spend most of their time on social media networking sites (Vaterlaus et al., 151). The young people spend long hours on their social networking site accounts because they mostly want to be connected with their friends and get updates on the things that are going on. Social media sites are also being used as avenues for sharing news events; the advent of social media sites has changed the way news is shared. The use of these sites is addictive among young people; this has made it difficult for them to concentrate in their endeavours as they prefer to surfing the websites.

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Studies have shown that most of the young people who are still studying and who have been addicted to the use of social media websites have been affected adversely. However, some of the young people using these sites have found benefits of using the websites, connecting with other like-minded individuals so that they can work to achieve the goals that they have set. There have been evaluations about the use of the social media among the youth especially in the education system; it is essential to determine the impacts that the use of these sites has on the education of the young people. The use of websites has also impacted other social aspects in the lives of young people. In this paper, we will look at the effects that the use of social media sites has on the lives of the young people, both in educational endeavours and other aspects in their social lives. There have been more adverse impacts on the young people using social media sites as compared to the merits, the youth using the websites seek more information about entertainment news and avoid seeking information which is relevant, and that will help them improve their lives. The overutilization of social media use has also been associated with disputing of the physical socialisation which is deemed helpful in the development of an individual. There are more negative effects for young people who are using social media sites as compared to the advantages that they get from using social networks.

Impact of Social Media Sites on the Education of the Young People

The psychological development of young people is profoundly affected by the continued use of social media. Studies have shown that most young people who are still pursuing their education spend most of their time on online social networking sites. Most of the social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter allow their users to global access of information which is not academic or in most cases, information which the users cannot use to improve their educational development. Learners are seen as the most vulnerable victims of the social media craze; it is quite hard for the learners who in most cases are young people to concentrate academic searching resources online without getting distracted by the thoughts of using these social media websites. The distraction of social media websites leads to time wastage; most young people tend to forget the main reason why they are using the internet. The concentration shift leads to low grades as the students will lack the skills and information that is required for them to get good grades. This reduces the research and learning capabilities of young people. It has also been established that young people rely more on the information which is presented in these social media websites rather than searching for credible information which is available on academic journals. The use of social media sites while studying requires multitasking; this adversely affects the attention that the learners give to their studies. Because of this, the academic performance of the students and concentration decreases.

The increased use of social networking websites among the students also leads to the loss of motivation in the students. Most students who are young people live in the virtual environment which has been created by social media websites. The learners spend much time on social media websites instead of finding time to perceive their real situation and work towards achieving goals which are realistic. The virtual environment that is created by social media websites does not also allow the learners to develop practical skills which are necessary for them to achieve the required development personally. Students who lack the practical skills and those that cannot perceive the real environment where they are based fail to get the motivation that will make them successful. However, social media sites can also offer a challenge to students and young people who are learning to work towards achieving their personal goals and career objectives. The social media sites provide an opportunity for the students and young people to connect with people who are already successful and whom most young people look up to, they can even share ideas on how to achieve success in their endeavours. Even with this, it can be still noted that the adverse impacts of using social networking sites by young people are more when compared to the advantages of using social media websites in an educational setting.

Impact of Social Media Sites on the Health of the Young People

The excessive use of social media sites by young people affects both physical and mental wellbeing. Most young people forget the crucial times such as the time when they are supposed to have their meals and when they are required to do physical exercises. In some cases, the young people use the social media websites to connect with others at night, to remain focused and active at such times, the users use stimulants such as coffee and tea in excessive amounts which adversely affect their wellbeing (Vaterlaus et al., 152). Physically, not having regular eating times and not engaging in regular physical exercises, the growth of young people has been hindered.

The continued and excessive use of these social media sites by young people has many adverse effects on their mental health. The method of places makes people lazy, and they often do not have the urge to make contact with other people in person. The information that is also usually shared on these sites is not suitable for young people. According to psychological studies, most peoples' personal development is promoted or hindered by the content that they are exposed to when they are young (Hamm et al., 771). In most cases, the information which is shared on social media networking websites is not regulated; this means that people can share what they please on social media websites. The mental development of the young people, in this case, is adversely affected by the information that they get from these social media sites.

The unregulated use of social media sites by young people has also been cited as the cause of several fatalities which have been reportedly caused by social networks. Young people have reported cyberbullying from the users of the social networking sites; cyberbullying hurts the mental stability of an individual (Boulianne 524). Young people who have been cyberbullied through social media websites suffer immense psychological torture which has seen some opt for extreme measures such as committing suicide. From the cases which have been reported, the psychological effects of using social media can be noted and the way that they have affected the spiritual development of the youth. However, social media sites have been used as ways of sharing information between individuals, some of the information which is shared through the social media sites is useful for the mental and physical development of the young people. Even with this, it can be still noted that the adverse impacts on the physical and psychological wellbeing of young people outdo the merits of using social media sites for mental and physical development.

Impact of Social Media Sites on the Social Interaction of the Young People

The more the time that young people have been spending on social media sites, the less the time that they have to pay with real human beings. According to studies that have been conducted, most young people nowadays prefer spending time on the online websites surfing and connecting with people in the virtual environment instead of having physical and real human socialisation (Anderson & Jingjing n.p). Although social media websites have allowed individuals to get connected quickly and efficiently, social media websites have also made human interactions rare. Through social media, people can connect with others across the globe in an environment that is virtual. Many young people also prefer to use social media sites to communicate even when they can make human contact. Because of this, young people are now not able to improve their communication skills as they are not able to effectively put them into practice. The reduction in human social interaction as also affected the development of proper social skills in which the young people can grow. Even after completing studies, young people find it difficult to progress in their lives because they cannot be able to communicate effectively. The over-reliance on social media as a means of connecting with people deprives young people with communication skills which are necessary in achieving success in the world. Social media sites can be used as a useful tool for communication among young people utilising the features which are presented by social media tools. However, the social media sites have been cited as the leading causes of individuals not being able to create human contact which is essential for the development of communication skills.

Conclusion

It can be noted that the use of social media sites among young people has been increasing in recent years. Young people rely on social media sites for different things; for instance; young people use social media sites to communicate with one another and also to get updated ion different entertainment and news events. However, the excessive use of these social media sites is detrimental to the development of young people. The advantages which have been associated with the use of social media sites are less when compared to the disadvantages which have been related to the use of social media websites. For instance, social media sites have more adverse impacts on the education of young people as compared to the merits, there are also adverse health impacts which are more as compared to the benefits that the users get and the excessive use of social media sites hinders the development of the essential communication skills which are required to achieve success in different sectors. The purpose of social media websites is now synonymous with young people, and it can be noted that almost all young people are affected by the impacts of their use. There is a need to develop a strategy to curb the adverse effects which are being experienced by young users of these social networking sites.

Works Cited

Anderson, Monica, and Jingjing Jiang. "Teens, social media & technology 2018." Washington, DC: Pew Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved June 3 (2018): 2018.

Boulianne, Shelley. "Social media use and participation: A meta-analysis of current research." Information, communication & society 18.5 (2015): 524-538.

Hamm, Michele P., et a...