the MIRROR
FALL 2023 | 17
| OPINION |
THE MIRROR | MICHAEL ARREDONDO
Unfollowing social media: The best decision of your life ABIGAIL KIM A feral beast lurks on the screen of something we use every day: our phones. This monster demands ceaseless attention, bombarding us with the ping of Instagram notifications and the vibrations of new messages. We know it has a deadly bite, and yet we perpetually stare into its eyes and swipe our fingers through its fur. Haunting us at school, home, the local grocery store and even the quiet moments before we sleep, this beast wears many different masks. But we know all of its faces as social media. Demanding constant attention and thriving on distraction, social media incessantly breathes down our necks, spreading misinformation, insecurity and killing faceto-face interaction. It feeds on many, but
teenagers are a particular delicacy for this ravenous monster. If we don’t tame social media use, it may just swallow us whole. Instagram, YouTube and TikTok have become the stars of our generation. Their names are on the lips of every teenager, and their outlandish trends are taking over just about every imaginable thing in the juvenile lifestyle. According to The Mirror’s survey, 20 percent of students polled have an average daily screen time between one and three hours. Astoundingly, zero percent of students who responded to the poll have a screen time below one hour. Depression and anxiety are burning topics among young individuals, and social media dumps fuel into the fire of these severe mental health issues. According to a 2019 study conducted by the Mayo Clinic, American teenagers who spent over three hours on social
DRAINED AND DEPRESSED According to the National Institute of Health, increased social media use among teens results in sleep deprivation and heightened anxiety.
media daily were at increased risks of severe mental health and well-being issues, including dejection and emotional instability. The art of face-to-face interaction has been lost to the pre-Instagram era. Eyes are now drawn to screens like magnets. Social media provides a tempting incentive to not look at the people around us, a tried and true method of ruining relationships. According to Psychology Today, innumerable benefits can be reaped from direct communication, including enhanced personal connections, mastering articulation and establishing stronger trust. Along with fentanyl, nicotine and cocaine, social media deserves a slot on the list of the world’s deadliest drugs. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok trigger surges of dopamine that drive individuals to perpetually post, comment, like and scroll. A study conducted by Cross River Therapy in 2023 reveals that approximately 70 percent of teenagers and young adults in the U.S. have a social media addiction. Feeling that constant tug to open your phone and scroll through your feed can sorely affect your social capabilities. With intense electronic dependency, losing touch with yourself and others is highly
Gun violence ricochets across America JOEL NAM In Finland, with its 5.6 million people, hunting is extremely popular. As a result there are 1.5 million firearms — nearly one for every four residents. Similarly, Switzerland, home to 8.7 million, boasts 2 million privately owned guns. Yet, while hunting thrives, mass shootings don’t. Switzerland hasn’t had one in over 20 years, and Finland can count theirs on one hand. Meanwhile, numbers of mass shootings in the U.S. have shot up in the last three years. According to a study by Everytown, a nonpartisan gun violence prevention organization in America, there have been at least 600 mass shootings per year since 2020. As of mid-October 2023, the nation is on track to reach 700 mass shootings. The topic has been hotly debated throughout the modern age, and countless gun laws have been passed around the country. Nonetheless, America consistently fails to keep the numbers down. While avid supporters champion
the individual right to be able to defend themselves, infamous incidents like the Sandy Hook Elementary and Columbine High shootings compel citizens to speak up out of concern for the safety of their loved ones. What ultimately results from the clamor about gun control and prevention is an America that is no safer than before. As a nation, we need to analyze what can be done to lower the injuries, death and trauma that have terrorized the country for decades. One popular discussion involves stricter gun control. By restricting overall access to firearms, guns would fall into the wrong hands less often - at least in theory. In practice, the effectiveness of such policies is questionable. According to a 2017 study by the Statista Research Department, there are 120 civilian-owned firearms per 100 residents in the U.S., more than double the rate of the next highest country, Yemen. According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, there are 433 million firearms in American civilian possession, an amount that won’t
simply disappear no matter how many laws we pass. Instead, clamping shut loopholes in background checks should be at the head of gun safety discussions. While effective, this system is only as good as the records it can access. The background check databases have been inadequately supplied in the past due to inefficiency or resistance brought on by privacy laws. According to one Bureau of Justice Statistics report, there were only 2.1 million active-warrant records in the NCIC database of 7.8 million such records in the state warrant databases. States with a history of providing incomplete records to the appropriate databases have to comply with what should be standard procedures promoting safety and security. Sparking a prolonged, emotional debate about safety versus constitutional freedom every time we address gun control doesn’t do the country any good. Unless meaningful change happens fast, more shootings will continue to devastate lives and communities.
probable. Let’s face it: social media is wrecking livelihoods. On top of shattering self-esteem and happiness, social media addiction is also the ultimate weapon against academic success. According to the National Library of Medicine, adolescent addiction can result in memory and attention deficits, decreasing academic performance while increasing the risk of drawbacks in school. Is there anything good about social media? Sure. Social media provides methods to communicate with family and friends, join positive causes and raise awareness surrounding pressing issues. An abundance of so-cute-it-hurts animal videos can be found lurking online, plus entertaining edits that make you laugh to the point of suffocation. However, after considering the cons of social media, addiction and depression are not worth the cat videos and Instagram likes. Take a break from scrolling, turn off the notifications and spend time with your loved ones. Consider limiting the number of times you post each day. Peace, satisfaction and confidence will magically be restored in your life, and you’ll never regret living your best life offline.
A SAD REALITY The American civilian
population possesses around 433 million firearms, putting innocent people at risk of being involved in a mass shooting.
PHOTOILLUSTRATION FOR THE THE MIRROR | DANIEL LOPEZ
