Problem

Why Is Social Media So Important Today?

Many children and teenagers of this generation cannot remember or have never experienced a life without the internet. Growing up, social media sites such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook were created. By trying to stay updated on the latest trends, kids created accounts on these sites and many others.

Today, social media has taken affect on the behaviors of teenagers and how they interact with people. Over time, social media has taken control of the lives of kids and teens. With social media being so time-consuming and first priority to some, people say social media may actually make people antisocial because they would rather type on a screen than talk to someone in person.

Why Is Social Media Such A Problem?             

With plenty of trends floating through social media, a variety of kids and teens are now basing their actions (on social media and in general) off of what social media desires of them. Some trends may be appealing now to friends and followers, but they may not be as appealing in the future to important individuals like
employers and colleges. On social media, people tend to do things that they wouldn't normally do if they were face to face with a friend, colleague, employer, or even a stranger because they often forget to think before they act.

What Are We Doing About It?

Our research group plans to investigate and find possible solutions to the content on social media sites that can potentially hurt an individual and/or someone else. Our target audience we are focusing on are kids and teenagers to find out how they interact with people on social media. We will also research how they see other people interacting and how they feel about certain things they see people tweeting, posting, commenting, etc.

Who Is Benefiting From This?

Our solutions for the problem could benefit kids and teens around the world, and hopefully provide a better environment on social media for future generations.

Solution

When it comes to social media, everything that happens online is determined by the individual. The only way to solve this problem is to reach out to teenagers and create awareness about the responsibility that comes with having one or more social media accounts. There is a variety of ways to spread awareness and communicate with kids and teenagers, such as presentations and guest speakers in schools, blogs and websites, and posts and tweets on social media itself.

Suren Ramasubbu wrote an article on the Influence of Social Media on Teenagers saying, "Risks of extensive social networking among youth are loss of privacy, sharing too much information, and disconnect from reality." What an individual posts on social media leaves a mark on his or her life. One inappropriate post can lead to limited job opportunities in the future because employers do not want someone who is portrayed as immature on the internet. Teens need to realize that there are things that they can do on social media right now that can help them in the future. The most important action that teenagers can do on social media is to watch what they post and help others do the same. Another similar solution is for parents or guardians monitor the child or teenager's activity on social media.

Another major issue that stands out in social media is cyber bullying. Although this is no new concern for society, attacking people through social media has become a trend due to improvements in technology and creations of new social media sites throughout recent years. A way to solve this issue is to use social media itself. Already being seen on websites such as Instagram,  advertisements not only promote various brands, but also topics such as anti-bullying. Another solution is texting. With many teenagers having access to a cell phone, texting is quick and easy. With establishments such as Cyberbully Hotline, PBIS, and Steps-to-Respect programs, there are programs that promote a comfortable, trusting environment, positive behaviors in schools and anonymous bullying reporting to solve cyber bullying problems. To anonymously report bullying, teenagers are able to text the Cyberbully Hotline and create a conversation with the receiver.

There is no real way to completely eliminate the problems occurring on social media, but we can significantly prevent and minimize the issues. That is the step to a safer environment on social media sites for generations to come.

For more on Suren Ramasubuu and the Influence of Social Media on Teenagers, go to http://www.huffingtonpost.com/suren-ramasubbu/influence-of-social-media-on-teenagers_b_7427740.html
For more on Cyberbully Hotline, go to  http://www.cyberbullyhotline.com/10-01-12-edtech-digest.html

Our Survey

Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MB9YSKX


In order to get a better understanding about the effects of social media on teens, we have created a survey to collect feedback from the public about this topic. If you could please take the time to take our survey, it would be much appreciated.

Literary Connection

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent is a novel by Veronica Roth that follows the rigorous journey of a girl named Beatrice Prior, also known as Tris. The city she lives in consists of five factions-Abnegation, Erudite, Candor, Amity, and Dauntless. Each group has their own unique set of qualities. Abnegation is selfless, Erudite is smart, Candor is honest, Amity is kind, and Dauntless is brave. The main reason for these factions is to keep peace and harmony in the city. Therefore, everyone must do what they are told in whichever faction they choose.

When Tris chooses the faction Dauntless, she is thrown into a confusing whirlwind of both small and big problems. An average Dauntless wears all-black clothes, has tattoos and piercings, fight well, and is brave and courageous. While Tris struggles to fit into the Dauntless lifestyle, she also learns that she is Divergent. This means that she is not able to be controlled by the government because she does not perfectly fit into a faction. She is not only brave, but also selfless and smart. The city does not want Divergents because they ruin the system of factions, destroying the peace and harmony along with it.

This novel is placed in the future and major advancements in technology have already been made. Just like social media, there are people who use this technology for good, and there are others who use it for bad. Erudite leader Jeanine Mathews eventually uses technology in order to control the minds of the Dauntless, helping her in an attempt to gain control of Chicago. 

I related Tris's problems to social media because there are trends that people want to fit into and follow. People do not want to be "divergent," having the ability to be whoever they want to be and act however they want to act. This is due to the fact that there are people that exclude those that do not stay updated with what is in and what is not. They can make fun of them and/or ostracize them from activities and conversations. Social media can prevent people from finding their true identity. Also, I connected the technology use in the book to popular people or celebrities who create trends, whether local or global. Some idolaters of these people immediately support and incorporate the trends into their own lives without questioning whether it would hurt their reputation or not. If you think about, people let themselves be controlled by social media and its trends.

Some people allow themselves to be a person they do not want to be because they want to be accepted into the society that has been built on social media. Trends can be a part of someone's identity. People just need to learn how to not let it take over there lives and identities.

Literary Connection

Wonder by RJ Palacio
Wonder is a novel written by RJ Palacio about a ten year old boy in Manhattan named August Pullman, also referred to as Auggie, who has a rare medical facial deformity. Throughout his entire life Auggie has been home schooled, but one day his parents decide to enroll him in a private school for the start of his middle school years. When Auggie first goes to his new school, he is self-concious and afraid, but later on comes to enjoy school and becomes friends with a couple of the other students, Jack Will and Summer Dawson. Jack and Summer are some of the only people who are nice to Auggie while the rest of the student body including Julian Albans either avoids or bullies him. On Halloween, Auggie overhears Jack telling Julian that he would kill himself if he looked like him. Afterwards, Auggie confides in Summer and avoids Jack. When Jack realizes that Auggie overheard him, he apologizes to Auggie and outwardly stands up for him when he is bullied. As the story progresses, several other students come to the Auggie's aid and befriends him, as well.

This novel helps readers understand the seriousness and importance of how bullying can affect an individual especially children and teens. Everyday teens are faced with bullying all around the world because they are seen as different from the "average" person. Is there truly a clear picture or description of an "average person? Are appearances really that important to to society?

In my opinion this novel does an outstanding job teaching the importance of acceptance and the concept of not "judging a book by its cover."

Literary Connection

"Social  media opened dangerous doors wit its existence. When used improperly, it fuels distrust. I don't want my life to be an open book anymore. It's my life. You have your own. I want to force you to interact with me to know my story." This quote by Allison Ryder connects to our topic about social media and teenagers.

Teens use social media to interact with people. Like Allison Ryder said social media makes your life an open book. Being an open book on social media is not always a good thing. If you post something you can be bullied by other people. People can also lie on social media and you will believe it because you won't really know if the person is lying. This can cause distrust as Allison Ryder also said. People also make fake accounts on social media, which also leads to more distrust. In reality you never know who you're messing with on social media. The teens who have social media should always be careful when they post something. Once you post something it's out there forever.