Alex Koblin

Ms. Hall

WRT 1060

20 January 2021

WRT 1060 First Week Writing Sample Prompt

The effects of social media on today’s youth seem to be greater than any sort of media

platform any generation has seen when it comes to “propaganda” taking shape in even the

smallest forms of social media, such as Instagram stories, Snapchat, or Facebook status posts.

Propaganda is a heavy-handed word for posts seen on social media, but it comes the severity of

opinions being presented, propaganda would be the extreme in this case. The research that links

excessive time online to negative consequences for teens seems to have some correlation, but it

has also become such a norm, it has become part of everyday life. There is no doubt that the

effects might be more complex possibly even positive, because people are able to express

themselves in a quicker fashion and are able to get across their views in a much more succinct

way. Another position that these views do not take into account are the effects of social media on

the older generation that did not grow up with social media, and are not exactly late, but have a

different view or understanding or usage of such platforms of social media. Also, there are many

drawbacks when it comes to social media; “Professor Kate Fogarty points out that social

networking sites provide opportunities for online sexual harassment and solicitation of teens as

well as cyberbullying between peers. Other research suggests that social media can be a

distraction from schoolwork, and that spending too much time online may hinder the ability to

communicate well in face-to-face environments. Some research has shown that a large amount of

time spent on social media is associated with negative health effects such as obesity or attention-
deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).” Where social media may have its negative aspects, like

negative usage, being a distraction, and can have negative health effects, it does have its benefits

such as self-expression and a new way to connect with peers and individuals that might not have

been as accessible without social media platforms. “In contrast, Benjamin Herold argues that the

ways teens use and respond to social media is complex—and all that time online may not be so

detrimental. Drawing on survey data from the nonprofit company Common Sense Media, Herold

reports that there is “almost no connection between the frequency of teens' social media use and

their social-emotional well-being. In fact, many teens that took the survey stated that using social

media sites such as Snapchat and Instagram helped them feel “less lonely, less depressed, and

more confident” (Herold 1).” Overall, though social media does have its negative disadvantages,

it seems the positives outweigh the negatives, and data has shown that social media has provided

another social bridge for not only today’s youth, but their elders as well.