COMM 352
Social Media
& its affects on teenagers Zoe Gibson
Tommie English
Melton Jefferson
Rebecca Garcia
Contents Contents Contents ontentsContentsContentsCo nts Contents ContentsConten ontentsContentsContentsCo Contents ContentsContents 3 ontents ContentsContentsCo 11 5 13 tsContentsContents 15 9 ContentsContents 1 Contents Contents Scope
Solution 2
Ramifications
Solution 1
History & Nature
Solution 3
Appendix
History & Nature Social Media: An Evolution of Communication It was not long ago that if teenagers wanted to reach out and communicate with their friends, they would pick up the phone and call them. Not on their cell phones, but on an actual landline. They would steal the home phone off to their rooms and talk to their friends for hours. If they were lucky, they might even have a phone of their own in their room. With the explosion of technology and the ever increasing accessibility of the internet, these days are long in the past.
“Texting and social media sites have taken over communication, especially for teenagers who have never know a world where the internet doesn’t exist.” According to infoplease.com, Friendser, which is considered the first major social media site, launched in 2002. This means that anyone in High School or Jr. High today would have been 4 years old or younger when social media first hit the scene. Over the next few years more and more social media sites where launched to varying degrees of success. LinkedIn came out in 2003, with MySpace and Facebook following quickly in 2004. 2005 brought us YouTube, and Facebook became available to high school students. In 2006 Myspace became king of social media, but it is also the year that Twitter comes into existence. In just a few short years the shape of communication begins to change drastically as people find new ways to connect.
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The crown for the post popular social media network among teens also changes quickly. Research from Statista.com tracked the popularity of the most popular social media cites among teenagers from 2012 – 2015, and the result showed extreme changes in popularity in just those few short years. While Facebook started at number one, three years later it trailed behind Instagram and Twitter.
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Scope
Most popular social networks for teens Pew Research Center 2012 2015 71% Facebook 81%
Far and wide
7%
33%
3%
52%
1%
Youtube
0%
1%
tumblr
14%
1%
google+
33%
0%
snapchat
41%
0%
vine
24%
0%
other
Teenagers are becoming increasingly active on these sites as their access to the internet increases. Statistica reported the following statistics upon teens in 2015: • 92% of teens have access to the internet on a daily basis • 56% connect several times a day • 24% have near constant access • 89% of 13 & 14-year-olds and 93% of 15-17-year-olds have mobile access to the internet by a phone, tablet, or other device
11%
The issues with social media are growing exponentially as time spent on social media also grows. Social media can be a great tool as well as a terrible issue that has some extreme and deadly consequences. As time goes on, we need to further explore this issue and really understand the consequences so that we can work together to create plausible solutions for future generations. media.
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ramifications when games become deadly While social media has the benefits of keeping people connected and giving new ways for teenagers to interact, there are dangers to watch out for as well. The American Psychological Association reported the following findings:
There is also the concern about whether or not teens have the knowledge and maturity to understand the long term consequences of the information that they post onto these sites. According to Joanne Nagurny, the Director of School Counseling at Park View High School in Sterling, VA, some do, but she estimates that about 40% of students don’t. She said that many students do not understand that what they post is not private, and once it’s on the internet there is no getting it back. She gave an example of a student who was accepted into a college, but then, after they came across some unsavory social media posts that he made, they rescinded his acceptance. This is not an isolated incident.
• Teens who use Facebook more often show more narcissistic tendencies while young adults who have a strong Facebook presence show more signs of other psychological disorders, including antisocial behaviors, mania and aggressive tendencies. • Daily overuse of media and technology has a negative effect on the health of all children, preteens and teenagers by making them more prone to anxiety, depression, and other psychological disorders, as well as by making them more susceptible to future health problems. Social media decreases sleep quality, lowers self-esteem, and increases anxiety and depression levels. (Blaszczak, 2015) Researchers have also found links between the use of social media and schizophrenia. Cyberbullying is another common problem on social media with 95% of teenagers witnessing it and 33% admitting that they themselves have fallen victim to cyberbullying. (Probst, 2015) • Facebook can be distracting and can negatively impact learning. Studies found that middle school, high school and college students who checked Facebook at least once during a 15-minute study period achieved lower grades. (apa.org)
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In a December of 2014 US News article Talk to Teens About Being Responsible of Social Media, it reports that, “More than one-third of college admissions officers have visited an applicant’s social media page to learn more about them.” Unfortunately, Nagurny stated that “Until it happens to them the majority of them do not understand that it does not go away.”
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ramifications cont. Colleges are not the only ones looking at these sites. Nagurny also mentioned lost employment and internship opportunities based of what potential employers found on their social media pages. In the area surrounding her high school especially many of the companies are government contractors that require a certain level of clearance for all their employees, before they can be hired. If during these background checks something negative is discovered on the applicant’s social media it can definitely affect the likelihood that they will be hired. Nagurny stated that the constant access to cell phones can also have a negative effect on the student’s education. Instead of listening in class they are checking texts and posts. This affects them at night as well. They stay up late posting and then don’t get enough sleep to function properly the next day. She also worries that the constant access students have to their parents is affecting some student’s ability to solve problems on their own. Nagurny related an instance where a student was sent to the hallway for disrupting class. The student then texts their parents from the hallway to tell them about it. The parents are then immediately on the phone with the school asking what happened. In the past, students would have had more time to cool off before talking to their parents and the situation could have been dealt with at a time when emotions weren’t running high. Another problem is that teens reveal too much personal information online which can be extremely dangerous. Mass sharing of personal information (such as “sexting”) is spread rapidly. 17% of those who “sext”, then distribute the messages they have received. (Ramasubbu, 2015) Additional implications are the link between social media use and tobacco use. Teens who use social media on a daily basis are five time more likely to use tobacco, three times more likely to drink alcohol and twice as
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likely to use marijuana. In addition to this, 40% of teens using social media have admitted to seeing pictures of people under the influence. (Probst, 2015) Not all sides of social media are bad. Nagurny pointed out that these platforms help keep the students connected to each other. Students that wouldn’t normally be popular are still included online as teenagers generally accept most friend requests. They also allow students to watch out for each other. She has had instances where a student posted suicidal thoughts online, and so other students brought these posts to the attention of the school. This allowed the troubled student to get the help that they needed. While being able to connect to fellow student may be beneficial, it is also important to educate teenagers on the importance of not oversharing information online. KidsHealth.org reported the following findings: o 9 out of 10 teens post photos of themselves online and use their real names on profiles o 8 out of 10 reveal birthdates and interest o 7 out of 10 post school names and town where they live o 17% of teens say they’ve been contacted online by someone they didn’t know in a way that made them feel scared or uncomfortable o 30% of teens say they’ve received online advertising that was inappropriate for their age o 39% of teens admitted to lying about their age to gain access to websites The online world is not as anonymous and safe as some youth think it is. It important to be ever vigilant to not give out too much information, and to never post anything that could have a negative impact on your future.
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Solution #1 Educate teens on the potential consequences to their online activity.
1. Begin with education in the home • Parents should talk to their kids about what are and are not appropriate uses for social media. • Parents must explain the dangers of revealing too much personal information into an environment that is not private and youth must understand that once something gets posted onto these sites it is out there forever. • In order to keep their children informed, parents themselves must also keep up on the potential uses and dangers of the latest social media platforms.
2. Continue Education in the schools • As social media is a part of everyday life for teens they should be taught to use it responsibly. • Students should learn the positive uses of social media and how they can use it to connect and network. • The possible consequences of poor social media decisions should also be address and impressed upon the youth.
3. Additional Educational Resources • Teens should be given access to websites that are designed specifically for teenagers to learn in a manner that speaks to them and that they can visit on their own such as http://www.nsteens.org/.
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Solution #2 Parental Involvement
1. We must have regular and constant conversations with young people • Create a relationship where they feel comfortable communicating with you. • “Low-key routine discussion about online experiences, just as with offline ones, makes it easier for them to talk with you when things come up.” (Winston, 2015) • Utilize resources to help open these lines of communication by visit sites like www.stopbullying.gov/prevention/talking-about-it/
2. Continuous Monitoring • Create account so that you can easily access what they are posting. “Not every parent is involved in social media. If your teen is using social media… that is a good reason why you should be too.” • Have rules that their social media will be policed closely. “You’re the best judge of your kid. If you think you have a kid who engages in risky behavior and can’t be trusted, you’ll have to police her online activities more closely,” says Caroline Knorr, parenting editor for Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization that helps families navigate the world of media and technology.
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Solution #3 Limit the amount of time youth spend on social media.
1. teens feel the constant need to be on social media. • 24% of teens or on social media almost constantly. (Al-Khatib, 2015) • Social media can be as addictive as drugs or porn. • Limiting time will allow teens to spend time doing other activities so they do not have the feeling that they are needed 24/7.
2. Increase mental health. • If you put a limit on what time they need to be off their phones, for example 9:00 pm, this will allow them to get more sleep therefore improving their mental health. • Less time on social media comparing themselves to others or witnessing bullying. • Less exposure to worldly things such as alcohol, drugs, and inappropriate messages or pictures.
3. There are still positives to social media, so they should still spend some time on social media. • Teens are able to build strong friendships and become part of online communities through social media and other Internet use. (Villines, 2015) • Education systems are starting to use social media as a source for information and a way to educate.
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appendix Team Bio’s/ tasks/ Selection of the issue
16
Strategic Research
20
reflections
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Zoe Gibson: Editor
Bio
Zoe is a full time student living in Rexburg Idaho. She is majoring in communication with an emphasis in advertising. She will receive her bachelor’s degree in December of this year (2016). When she’s not doing homework she likes hiking, photography, swimming, listening to all kinds of music and watching Netflix.
Task As the editor Zoe was assigned the task of book design and layout, phrasing and structuring, remind teammates of deadlines, submission and editing materials. She also wrote solution 2.
SElection of issue “My team selected this issue because we see that there is a significant negative impact between teenagers and social media and we wanted to take a closer look at why this is and what can be done. We were especially drawn to the staggering statistics and studies that have been done on the effects of social media.”
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Rebecca Garcia: Writer
Tommie English: writer
Bio
Rebecca Garcia lives in Sterling, VA, with her husband and two children. She is a senior at BYU-Idaho and hopes to be graduating in the next year with a major in University Studies, and minors in English and Communications. She currently works in the finance industry, so her next step after graduation will be to get her CFP certification.
Task Rebecca was assigned the history aspect of our issue. It was interesting researching when social media first became popular and how it has changed so fast, with different platform rising and falling in popularity. She also wrote the scope as well as significant portions of the ramifications. She also contributed to photo selection.
SElection of issue
“Our team chose to focus on the effects of social media on youth. This is an interesting study for me as I graduated high school just a few years before all the social media sites started to become popular (thank goodness). It interests me to try to understand how the lives of kids today are different from the way I grew up. I didn’t get a Facebook account until I was in my 20’s. There are kids today who get them as soon as they turn 14, or sometimes sooner. It is a way of life for them, and it’s interesting to see the effects.”
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Bio Tommie is a Theatre Studies major and Communication minor at BYUIdaho. This is her last semester after which she will hopefully be working for a cruise line on the entertainment technology staff. She is originally from the Seattle Washington area.
Task
For this project Tommie was in charge of researching and writing about the ramifications of social media on teens. She also created a solution for the issue and made sure the team was on track.
SElection of issue
“My team decided on the effects of social media on today’s youth because it is something that can affect us all. The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow and the things we see on social media every day from them can be quite shocking. Technology is essential in today’s environment but how much of it is actually beneficial?
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strategic research Melton Jefferson: writer
Bio Melton T Jefferson III is from Seattle, WA and majoring is Universal Studies with a minor in Communications. He has one more semester left before receiving his bachelor’s degree. He plans to go back and get a masters in sports administrations with a goal to work in some capacity with a college or professional sports team.
Task
For this project Melton was in charge of the scope and a solution.
SElection of issue “My team chose the effects of Social Media on youth today. As I began to think of about this topic so many different things went through my head. Youth today have so many different things at their fingertips than I did when I was their age. Technology today allows youth to be able to accomplish so much but the question is: do they take advantage of it? Smartphones today allows them to as they “swipe right or swipe left”. Many hours are lost with the staring into their phones with little personal communication with the world around them.”
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Reflections Writer 1: Rebecca Garcia
Writer 2: Melton Jefferson
After researching the quickly changing face of social media and the potential lasting effects it can have on the lives of the youth today, I have to say that I am so glad this was not my life growing up. The saying, “I’m so glad I was young and stupid before camera phones� really hits home for me. Teenagers have to be very careful about their actions as they could be recorded at any moment.
Being a parent of 4 teenagers and 3 of them being teenage girls drives a father crazy. As I began this research I thought who would know more about this than a High School Principal. I have a good relationship Bothell High School Principal Bob Stewart. Social media has made his job as leading a school just that much more of a challenge. Back in the day when there was a fight, once the fight was over you only had to deal with those that were involved in the fight. Today you have to worry about the aftermath of the fight. Things like fights and pictures take no time going viral. Many do not understand that once it is out on the web it is always accessible. As a parent and leaders in our communities it is our reasonability to help them understand things can come back and destroy things that you try to build. As a coach we preach that if a College Coach is asking to be a friend on social media it is not really to be your friend. They want to know about your character. So be the same person on the net that you are in real life. We have to do a better job at knowing what our kids are doing and educating them of the good and bad things of social media.
As part of my research I talked to a counselor at the local High School, and it was a very enlightening experience. She talked about how social media and technology is just a way of life for kids now. They are constantly connected. She stressed that there really can be many positives to this connectedness, but teens really need to understand the dangers as well. It is so easy for them to be caught up in the latest trend, even if the trend might happen to be bullying a fellow classmate. Sometimes people say and do things online that they would never dream of doing in real life, but they just get caught up in the Twitter thread and post before they think. I really hope that these kids learn to put down their phones and enjoy the life around them. Staying connected is great, but staying present in the moment is so much better.
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Reflections Writer 3: Tommie english
editor: ZOe Gibson
These numbers and statistics were rather shocking to as someone who grew up in a social media filled environment. But that being said, I very much witnessed all these things throughout middle school and high school and believe them to be true. I have seen so many fall victims to cyberbullying, depression and other mental illnesses, and usage of illegal substances with the help of social media. Although there are all these bad ramifications, there are also some positive outcomes. Some of my classes at Brigham Young University in Idaho have started using social media as a gateway for connecting with others in classes, sharing information with others, and helping educate each other. Social media helps those who are have social anxiety come out of there shell without the pressures of face to face communication. My younger brother is a very shy person but through social media he can express himself and share with others things he is passionate about. It also helps connecting people in ways that snail mail or telephones cannot. Because of this I do not think parents should take away social media completely but rather limit the time that their teens use it, especially at night so that they can get the amount of sleep they need to live healthy lifestyles.
When you see the significant trends that social media has on teens, it really makes you take a second look at yourself and your social media habits. It is extremely hard not to waste time on a smart phone just scrolling through social media. As members of the church, we have been encouraged to use social media to share goodness. It is difficult to find the balance that enables us to share with a purpose versus time wasting.
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After working on this issue book, I have really taken a hard look at what I want my future family to look like. I can’t know the challenges that my children will face as teenagers but I know that habits I make now can transfer to them and I don’t want time wasting to be one of those habits- especially when it is on something that has proven to be so dangerous and risky. Social media use as a teenager effects so much of the way they view the world and more importantly themselves. It is so much more than a simple app; it has real consequences that have lasting and possibly deadly consequences.
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