Social Media Is Bad Essay

1230 Words3 Pages

"I am thankful that geniuses and artists and good people, no matter how long it takes, will eventually be recognized. I am doubly thankful that also goes for idiots." -- Elayne Boosler

Social media has flourished in the age of the Internet. It offers a way to keep in touch with new and old friends, network, follow bands and companies, and offers a mini biography of each user’s life. When used responsibly and with caution, social networks can be a great tool. When used immaturely or carelessly, social networks can be a dangerous medium capable of great damage. Young people are often incapable of identifying when this tool is being used in a damaging manner. Social media is corrupting today’s youth by promoting bullying, short …show more content…

This disturbing trend is becoming more prevalent as social media becomes a part of everyday life. Often, social media is blamed, as the victim has been attacked repeatedly on sites like Facebook and Myspace. Some claim that this attack on social networking is unfair and the sites are easy culprits. O’Keeffe and Clarke-Pearson, doctors in the American
Academy of Pediatrics, disagree saying “cyberbullying is quite common, can occur to any young person online, and can cause profound psychosocial outcomes including depression, anxiety, severe isolation, and, tragically, suicide” (2011). Because of the ability for a bully to attack at any time now, as opposed to just at school or the playground, the pressure on the victim has greatly increased.

Plenty of factors are responsible for the short attention spans of society in recent times.
Mass media feeds the world news in small loud doses, consumers are constantly barraged with quick advertisements on television, and companies rarely look past the next quarter. Social networking certainly has a hand in this. Users are encouraged to post status updates and, in return, read …show more content…

Without a powerful tool like Facebook, the ability to reconnect and stay connected with past friends would be extremely difficult.

Social media has many pros and cons and is quickly becoming a hot topic of debate for various issues. When handled with care and maturity, I believe that social networking is an ingenious invention that is extremely useful, but the most frequent users of social networking are the youth of the world. These sites are fraught with danger for young people who have not yet built the important social skills for life. Youths need to emphasize developing critical skills first, before focusing on building a vast network of contacts via social networking. A tool of great power, social networking is unfortunately corrupting today’s youth, rather than promoting a society based on personal growth, accomplishment, and meaningful relationships.

Works Cited

Ellison, Nicole B., Charles Steinfield, and Cliff Lampe. "The Benefits of Facebook "Friends:" Social
Capital and College Students' Use of Online Social Network Sites." Journal of

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