Influence Social Media Influence

Since being introduced in the 1990s, social networking sites have taken over people’s lives. From Facebook to Twitter and Snapchat to Instagram, these social networking sites are included in our day to day life. People use these sites to keep in touch with each other and the world. As a prominent fixture of our lives, social networking has a great influence over our opinions, decisions, and perspectives. Out of all its users, teenagers are the most susceptible to social networking’s influence; it can lead them to living an ethically right life that fosters learning and goodwill, or an ethically wrong life that encourages addictions and bad behavior. These social networking sites, also known as SNSs, have become ingrained in our culture. SNSs

For example, teenagers can be influenced to give back to their community more often, after seeing one of their favorite celebrities or role models doing the same. Furthermore, these role models that are obtained through social networking sites can influence youth to make ethical decisions every day. It can be from something as small as saying “please and thank you” daily or to something as big as being honest in a difficult situation. When used for the right purposes, SNSs can become a platform for tremendous change. In a study about the benefit of social networking sites, the researcher (Verma, 2015) mentions, “SNSs provide a platform for intentional social action in personal, professional, social and political issues besides successfully connecting business to their customers” (p2). The ethically correct side of SNSs are used as a venue for positive change in the world that starts with the youth. For instance, there are users on Youtube that promote random acts of kindness, healthy living, and ethical decision making. In addition, daily use of these social networking sites is providing teenagers with helpful work skills that will be beneficial to their future. In one study, researchers note, “Across the world, Gen Y has grown up with rapid advances in technology; they are comfortable with change. This familiarity means that young people

While the SNSs can be used for positive changes in the world, often times they are used for promoting unethical behavior, such as dishonesty, stealing, and drug use. Many celebrities and people online display a lavish, reckless lifestyle. They boast about all the money they possess on Twitter, post a picture of themselves smoking on Instagram, and record Snapchats of countless hours of partying. While these acts alone are not considered unethical, they encourage teenagers to life the same lifestyle. The problems begin when these viewers go to extremes in order to obtain the same possessions. For instance, some teenagers can fall into selling drugs or robbing stores to have the same money and luxurious belongings. Teenagers are quick to find an ‘easy way of living’ that is unethical and supports the lifestyle they desire. In a study about the influence of smoking and alcohol on adolescents, researchers (Fujimoto, Huang, Soto, and Valente, 2014) note, “This supports previous findings that SNS use alone does not pose risks, rather it is the content exchanged through SNSs that trigger behavioral influences” (p7). Teenagers must be responsible about the type of accounts they follow on social networking sites. Constantly seeing famous people behaving recklessly can subconsciously pressure teenagers into acting the same way. Another