Talarico 3

Kyle Talarico
Adam Padgett
ENGL 1102
March 28, 2014
Social Media: Finding the True Effects
There is o do!"t that social media #lays a large role i the moder $orld, %rom &ee#ig i
to!ch $ith old %rieds to sharig #ict!res $ith c!rret oes, almost e'eryoe !ses social media %or
somethig( )o! ca*t t!r o the tele'isio i this day ad age $itho!t seeig somethig o the e$s
relatig to ho$ social media is a%%ectig o!r yo!ger geeratios metal health( +o!tless e$s
so!rces claim that tees are losig the a"ility to iteract mid%!lly i the momet( ,!e to its #o#!larity
it is easy to see $hy some #eo#le $o!ld #aic as the e$s starts sho$ig ho$ "ad it is %or yo!r &ids to
!se social media( -t is 'ery to!gh to %id the lie "et$ee $hat is tr!th ad $hat has "ee s&e$ed "y
the e$s media( - see& to %id $hat is to "e lost ad $hat is to "e gaied %rom social media $itho!t the
"ias o% may e$s et$or&s( .he - tal& a"o!t social media - am tal&ig a"o!t T$itter, /ace"oo&,
-stagram, or ay other #rograms $here yo! comm!icate $ith yo!r %rieds digitally i some %orm(
The "ig 0!estio is 1-s the e$s media*s acc!satios a"o!t social media correct or are they 2!st ma&ig
$ild claims34 The really scary thig a"o!t this 0!estio is that i% the as$er to it is egati'e it might
ot e'e matter( Li&e so may other !rget to#ics that demad to "e ta&e care o%, e'e i% social media
is harmig o!r geeratio, $hat are $e goig to do a"o!t it3 5ocial media has em"edded itsel% so dee#
ito o!r li'es that $e do*t &o$ $hat li%e $o!ld "e li&e $itho!t it it is a l!6!ry #eo#le are ot $illig
to gi'e !#( The e$s media is ad'ertisig e%%ects o% social media that are ot really #reset i college
st!dets(
The articles - am !sig as my re%erece to e$s media is 18 Pro"lems $ith Tees ad 5ocial
Media4 ad 15ocial Net$or&s ad ,e#ressio4( - $ill "e goig thro!gh $hat - cosider to "e the mai
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#oits i their arg!mets ad do my "est $ith the research - ha'e gathered to dis#ro'e them( - $o!ld
cosider the "iggest #oits to "e that college st!dets caot $or& $ith others, social media creates
e6cess drama, #eo#le "ecome de#ressed %rom !sig social media( - ha'e gathered se'eral st!dies that
%oc!s o social media ad its e%%ects o those that are i college( The st!dies !se maily i%ormatio
gathered %rom college st!dets 'ia the $e"( - $ill also cotri"!te my #ersoal e6#erieces alog $ith
the %acts that - #reset(
7 to the %irst #oit, ca college st!dets $or& $ith others3 8ased o my e6#erieces - $o!ld
ha'e to say yes( 8y the time $e ha'e gotte to college $e ha'e had to $or& $ith se'eral di%%eret
#eo#le i o!r li'es already, %rom 2o"s to gro!# #ro2ects i school( -t is im#ossi"le to get to college
$itho!t some &id o% &o$ledge a"o!t $or&ig i a gro!#( 5chools $ill %orce yo! to lear this s&ill
"eca!se yo! caot go thro!gh li%e $itho!t ha'ig to $or& $ith other #eo#le at some #oit( - the
article 1Gro$ig !# $ith social media ad olie comm!ities4 it is stated that 17lie comm!ities
share tho!ghts or colla"orate o #ro2ects that de#ed o electroic comm!icatio oly ad re#reset a
$ide rage o% iterests that co!ld "e social, ho""y9orieted, #olitical, s#irit!al, or #ro%essioal4( There
is a reaso it is called social media, it is a large comm!ity $ere #eo#le ca iteract $ith each other
ad share commo iterest ad e'e $or& together to com#lete a tas&(
.e already &o$ that #eo#le $ill say egati'e thigs o /ace"oo& or T$itter all o% the time
%rom #ast e6#erieces so the a!thor is right a"o!t that "!t $hat a%%ect does it ha'e o the recei'er3
There are #lety o% st!dies li&ig social media ad ho$ it a%%ects sel%9esteem( - the st!dy 1A mi6ed
method a##roach to e6amiig /ace"oo& !se ad its relatioshi# to sel%9esteem4 a iterestig
o"ser'atio is made
:5tei%ield et al( 2008; %o!d that the associatio "et$ee /ace"oo& !se ad social ca#ital is
greater %or those $ith lo$er sel%9esteem tha those $ith higher sel%9esteem( 5#eci%ically, the
a!thors ote, 1a social et$or& site that ma&es it easier %or lo$er sel%9esteem st!dets to egage
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$ith others o!tside o% their close #ersoal et$or&s ca there%ore "e e6#ected to ha'e a larger
e%%ect %or them tha %or higher sel%9esteem st!dets4 :5tei%ield et al(, 2008, #( 443;( This is
"eca!se idi'id!als $ith lo$ sel%9esteem are a"le to comm!icate $ith idi'id!als o
/ace"oo& they may ot "e as readily a"le to do so i #erso( -t li&ely ma&es as&ig 0!estios
ad ma&ig #las easier sice a res#ose is ot e6#ected so readily :5tei%ield et al(, 2008;(
:Ta<ghii;
This is a rather im#ortat #oit, i% /ace"oo& attracts those $ith lo$ sel%9 esteem more tha those $ith
high sel%9esteem the there is a greater cose0!ece %rom egati'e #osts or commets( /or those
loo&ig to get icreased sel%9esteem le'els %rom social media, a mea commet or e'e the lac& o%
attetio ca "e 'ery detrimetal to that #ersos sel%9esteem iss!es( =o$e'er, - mysel% ha'e e'er see
a serio!s egati'e commet o a #ict!re, o"ody seems to $at to #ost aythig egati'e a"o!t
#ict!res, it is al$ays 2!st com#limets( The oly #osts that - ha'e see attract a lot o% egati'e
attetio are oes relatig to religio or other cotro'ersial to#ics( This %act still stads that the
egati'ity is still there e'e i% it does*t e%%ect yo!, "!t sadly there is o $ay to moitor is!lts "et$ee
the "illio /ace"oo& !sers there are or the >?0 millio t$itter !sers( The res#osi"ility relies o !s the
!sers to "rig the "est o% o!rsel'es $hee'er $e log o(
Aother li& that e$s media is creatig $ith social media is that o% de#ressio( /irst $e m!st
de%ie de#ressio, as a s!%%erer o% de#ressio - %eel there is oe 0!ote that "est de%ies it@ 1That*s the
thig a"o!t de#ressio@ A h!ma "eig ca s!r'i'e almost aythig, as log as she sees the ed i
sight( 8!t de#ressio is so isidio!s, ad it com#o!ds daily, that it*s im#ossi"le to e'er see the ed(
The %og is li&e a cage $itho!t a &ey(4 :Eli<a"eth .!rt<el;( .ith de#ressio "eig s!ch a horri"le thig
to e6#eriece, or to %id yo!r &ids e6#eriecig, it is im#ortat to &o$ $here the tr!th lies( - a st!dy
"ased o %idig the e%%ects that social media has o de#ressio it is %o!d that de#ressio is ot a
res!lt o% social media "!t that social media hel#s to am#li%y de#ressio*s e%%ects( They also %o!d a
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#ec!liar e%%ect that is stated here
,e#ressio a##ears to "e trasmitta"le thro!gh techological iteractio 'ia 1emotioal
cotagio4 :=acoc&, Gee, +iaccio, A Mae9=$ah Li, 2008;( =acoc& et al( :2008; %o!d that
de#ressig media, #artic!larly mo'ies ad m!sic, id!ced egati'e a%%ect( Ta&ig this
#heomeo oe ste# %!rther, i a cotrolled la"oratory st!dy, =acoc& et al( :2008; %o!d that
ot oly did the 'ie$ers ad listeers "ecome de#ressed, "!t $he they had a s!"se0!et
istat message co'ersatio, their #arters !sed %e$er $ords, more sad terms, ad e6chaged
messages at slo$er rates idicatig that they, too, teded to e6#eriece egati'e a%%ect, al"eit
secodhad( .ith a large !m"er o% egati'e tho!ghts e'ideced i "logs :Goh A =!ag,
200B; ad thro!gh social et$or&ig :,a'ila et al(, 2012, =ollera, 2010, Moreo et al(,
2011 ad 7&amoto et al(, 2011; emotioal cotagio theory co!ld #redict sigs o% de#ressio
s#readig thro!gh social et$or&ig sites ad olie comm!icatio(:Cose;
This is a 'ery iterestig o"ser'atio, co!ld de#ressio "e s#readig thro!gh %rieds, are there more
de#ressed #eo#le tha i the #ast3 Most im#ortatly is social media the ca!se here3 The as$er, o
$here i the article $as it e'er stated that social media $as the ca!se o% the de#ressio( - ha'e a
alterati'e hy#othesis to this, - "elie'e that sice it is easier to e6#ress to!gh to#ics olie $e are
ha'ig more ad more #eo#le admit their de#ressio so it seems higher tha it $as i the #ast( - order
%or the emotioal cotagio theory to "e a real #ro"lem there $o!ld ha'e to e'idece that the e%%ect
lasted %or a log #eriod o% time ad did*t 2!st go a$ay a%ter tal&ig to the %ried(
- cocl!sio, e$s media i ot com#letely $rog i the realm o% social media( - do "elie'e
that they are 0!ic& to "lame social media %or thigs that it does*t ca!se, s!ch as de#ressio( The
commo coses!s o% the st!dies o social media $as that social media am#li%ied traits that $ere
already #reset i its !sers( May #eo#le see a icrease i de#ressio or sel%9esteem iss!es ad see
social media as the ca!se o% it all $he the #ro"lem $as really there all alog( - am ot sayig that
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am#li%yig #ro"lems $ithi !s is o&ay, it*s ot, ho$e'er the mai #oit o% this #a#er is to %id i% the
e$s $as lyig a"o!t the e%%ects o% social media ad "ased o that they ha'e "ee( ,ealig $ith the
egati'e im#act it still has tho!gh is aother story(
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