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Theeffectsofsocialmedia
Theeffectsofsocialmedia
JewellWashington
Composition1
April20,2016
MoreRobotthanHuman
Technologyisgrowingeverysingleday.Someonesomewhereisimprovingitorcoming
upwithsomethingnew.Ihavewatchedmylilsistergrowuptotheteenagersheis.Iwasthere
whenshegotherfirstphone.Shewassoexcitedandhappy.Asshegotoldershebegantonot
communicatewithmeasmuchlikeweusetodo.Iknowwhenyouareateenageryoumake
friends,butitseemedastimewentbyshewasmoreonherphonethananythingelse.Nowtoday
mylittlesisterstaysuphoursonherphoneandsheevenhastohaveitonforhertosleep.Itis
gottentothepointwheresheisn'tgettingenoughsleepthatsheisfallingasleepinclass.The
CenterfortheDigitalFutureattheUSCAnnenbergSchoolstudyfoundthatthepercentageof
peoplereportinglessfacetofacetimewithfamilyintheirhomesrosefrom8%in2000to34%
in2011.Myquestiontothisisdigitalcommunicationdamaginghowtheyouthrelatetoeach
otherandthemselves?
Formuchofouryouth,digitalcommunication,suchasexcessiveuseof
socialmediaandtexting,canbeharmfultotheirpersonalandsocialdevelopment.Thisdamage
canstemfromrestrictiononpersonalidentity,alackofselfreflection,andamissingdesireto
establishauthentic,facetofacerelationships.
Thefirstreasonistherestrictiononpersonalidentityformation.TheevidenceIfoundto
supportoneofmyreasonsisfromHarvardresearchersGardnerandDavis.Theirresearch
showsthatalargenumberofteensonlywantedtobeacelebrity.Frommyunderstandingthe
researchistryingtosayisthatteensinthisgenerationwanttobesomeonethattheyarenot.
Teenswanttobethecelebritythattheyseeonsocialmediainsteadoffindingoutwhotheyare.
ThesecondreasonisaquotefromSherryTurklestatingSolitudeiswhereyoufind
yourself.Ifyouareunsureofwhatsolitudemeansitisthestateorsituationofbeingalone.
WhatTurkleistryingtosayinmyopinioniswhenyouarealoneanditisjustyourselfthatis
whereyoustarttounderstandwhoyouareasanindividual.Wheninsolitudeitgivesyouclarity
andaclearofmindforyoutogiveyourselfatimetothinkandfindwhoyouare.
Thethirdreasonisamissingdesiretoestablishafacetofacerelationship.Thereareso
manywebsitesandsocialmediathatallowspeopletocommunicatesuchasFacebook,
Instagram,Twitter,andSnapchat.AresearchbyCornellUniversitysBrunoGoncalvesused
Twitterdatatoshowthatdespitethecurrentabilitytoconnectwithvastamountsofpeoplevia
theInternet,apersoncanstillonlytrulymaintainafriendshipwithamaximumof100to200
realfriendsintheirsocialnetwork(TechnologyisDestroying).Basically,Mrs.Nillesissayingis
thateventhoughwehavetonsoffriendswereallydontknowthem.Wecanonlyhaveacertain
amountofpeopleinourlivesthatwereallyknowandtrust.
Letmetellyouafunnystorythatwillmakeyougiggle.Well,itallstartedwhenmy
sisterandIweredrivingtogogetourhairdone.Onourwaythereourphoneswereontheverge
ofdying.Itwasreallyweirdtothebothofushowbothofourphoneswereabouttodie.Okayso
bythetimeweweredonegettingourhairdone,bothourphoneswereon5%.Wedecidedthat
wewantedsomethingtoeatthatiswhenmysistersgirlfriendcalled.Sinceweweregoing
towardsthatwayanyway,wedecidedtopickherupandjoinusforlunch.Theplacewedecided
toeatwasBJsrestaurant.Itwasmyfirsttimethereandtheplacewasamazingincludingthe
food.Afterwehadorderedourfoodwewerewaiting,sotopassthetimewedecidedtogeton
ourphonesbutguesswhat.Theywerebothdead.Thatwasjustatragedytobothofus.Sosince
wecouldn'tgetonourphonesmeandmysisterdecidedtohaveaconversationtopassthetime
tillourfoodhadtocome.Itwasveryinterestingandfuntotalkandlaughwithher.Thefunny
partisasmeandmysisterweretalkingwelookoverandseehergirlfriendonphonenoteven
payingattention.ThatiswhenIfinallyrealizedthatwhatIwaswritingmypaperaboutwas
happeningrightinfrontofmyeyes.That'swhenIexplainedittomysisterandtheonlything
shecoulddoislaugh.Humaninteractionisanimportantthingbecausewhatwouldyoudoif
youdidnthavefacebook,twitterorinstagram,whatthen?
Therearesomepeoplethatmaydisagreewithmythesisondigitalcommunication
damagingtheyouth.Facebookandothersocialmediamakesiteasiertocommunicatewith
people.Ithelpstomeetnewpeopleandreconnectwitholdones(QuanHaase&Yuang2010).
WhileitistruethatFacebookandsocialmediamakesiteasiertocommunicatewithpeopleand
ithelpstomeetnewpeopleandreconnectwitholdones,itdoesnotnecessarilyfollowthatitisa
goodthing.Admittedly,tosayfrompersonalexperienceyes,socialmediaordigital
communicationitdoeshelptoreconnectwitholdfriendsandmeetnewones.QuanHaase&
Yuangarerightabouthowsocialmediadoeshelpusalotmorethanwethink.AmyjoMartinis
a46AmericanauthorandtheCEOofDigitalRoyalty.Mrs.Martinherselfsays,Socialmedia
ischangingthewaywecommunicateandthewayweareperceived,bothpositivelyand
negatively.Everytimeyoupostaphoto,orupdateyourstatus,youarecontributingtoyourown
digitalfootprintandpersonalbrand.Inotherwords,Mrs.Martinbelievesthateventhough
socialmediaischangingthewaywecommunicateitisourchoiceinhowweperceiveitanduse
it.Weareourownselvesandwemakeourowndecisions.Itisourchoiceinhowweuseit
eitherinagoodwayorbadwaybecausewearetheonlypersontocontributetoourfootprint.
Theyouthofthisgenerationdependsonsocialmediaandelectronicstocommunicate
withoneanother.Thequestioniswhatifwelosttheinternetordidn'tevenhaveitatallhow
wouldwecommunicatethenwithsmokesignals?.Itisourchoicetodecidewhetherornottolet
thedigitalworldcontrolusandturnusmoreintorobotsthanhumans.Makeyourchoicewisely.
JewellWashington
JewellWashington
RHET11
April26,2016
WorksCited
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.USCAnnenbergSchool
CenterfortheDigitalFuture,Jan.2012.Web.20Apr.2016.
Turkle,Sherry,Connected,butalone?
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Gardner,Howard,andKatieDavis."DigitalandPreDigitalMediaandthePackaged
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TheAppGeneration:HowToday'sYouthNavigateIdentity,Intimacy,andImaginationina
DigitalWorld
.NewHavenandLondon:YaleUP,2013.7072.Print.
Young,QuanHaase."IndextoBulletinofScience,Technology&Society."
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Technology&Society
26.6(2006):52427.
AnOverviewofFacebook
.Sage,2010.Web.25Apr.
2016.