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Michelle Mason
Adam Padgett
ENGL 1102
March 31, 2014

Social Media and Its Adverse Effects Towards Adolescents

When teens and young adults think of social media, it is viewed as a fun way to be social,
communicate, and stay in touch with friends and family. It has become a way of life, something
most young people refuse to live without. However, it has been proven to be detrimental to the
mental health of many users, yet they still continue to use it on a daily basis. Social media is
causing mental and social disorders in teenagers and young adults. It is in this sense that social
networking sites are like a drug; we know it is bad for us, but we must continue to feed our
addiction.
One of the most popular social media networking sites used today is Facebook, which has
been proven to contribute to depression. Depression is a serious mental condition that causes a
plethora of adverse outcomes; it makes people less social, have low self-worth, and experience
feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy. Two of the ways Facebook can cause depression is
through posting status updates and scrolling through the news feed. "How exactly does posting
status updates encourages this mental illness in people?" you might ask. People who post
negative status updates about their depressive symptoms that receive feedback and attention from
their
Adam Padgett 5/3/14 12:08 PM
Deleted: i
Adam Padgett 5/3/14 12:09 PM
Comment [1]: Good clear thesis, but could
you be more clear about what you mean
Adam Padgett 5/3/14 12:14 PM
Comment [2]: Compelling phrasing here.
Adam Padgett 5/3/14 12:15 PM
Comment [3]: By whom? Youll need to
cite such sweeping statements.
Adam Padgett 5/3/14 12:15 PM
Deleted:
Adam Padgett 5/3/14 12:16 PM
Comment [4]: Try not to address the
audience if possible. It can sound pedantic in
an academic paper.
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friends are going to be encouraged to post more pessimistic, cynical and despairing updates. S.
Shyam Sundar (a professor of communications and co-director of the Media Effects Research
Laboratory at Penn State University) states, The types of actions users take and the kinds of
information they are adding to their Facebook walls and profiles are a reflection of their
identities. He continues to discuss how these social networking websites are deeply personal.
As for simply scrolling through your news feed, this can cause depression, as well as self-pity
and feelings of low self-worth because it forces you to look at the good news people post of their
graduations, promotions, marriages, and pictures of people more attractive than you.
Facebook is a social networking site that causes you to constantly compare yourself,
and be made aware, reminded, and notified of the successes and triumphs of friends and family. I
have observed so many of my female friends complain about their weight after scrolling through
Instagram and viewing images of "perfect" girls with big boobs, a firm butt, and a tiny little
waist. They are comparing themselves to women like the Victoria's Secret models, which is
absolutely ridiculous. This causes them to set unrealistic standards for themselves when they are
beautiful as they are and already at a healthy weight. This is not to say that setting goals for
yourself is a bad thing, but I feel that it is important to make sure that you set realistic goals
before attempting to improve upon yourself. Everyone's body is different and not every girl can
have the body of a Victoria's Secret model no matter what efforts they make. This is what I try to
tell my friends who are too hard on themselves about things like body image after being
discouraged from scrolling through the Facebook news feed or Instagram. It is cases like this
where it is easy to see why social media can be dangerous. When this stream of news is
constantly being thrown in your face every time you log on, how could it not hinder your
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mental health? Social media networking has become an unavoidable part of everyones lives all
over the world. Therefore, we must use it with caution and be aware of the negative effects it can
have. If we acknowledge the fact that there are unpleasant aspects of using social media and
learn how to avoid depression and other possible mental illnesses, then we can continue to go
about posting status updates and images etc. while maintaining our mental health.
Unfortunately, it doesn't stop there. The use of social networking websites and
applications can cause an even greater array of other personality disorders such as narcissism,
paranoia, and antisocial and compulsive behavior. It also causes jealousy, envy, surveillance
behaviors, and the inability to tolerate being alone.
It is evident that social media can have serious consequences and instigate passionate,
negative feelings in frequent users. The more a person becomes addicted to and regularly uses
social media, the more intense and likely these mental issues become. I personally feel that social
media is causing so many of these mental issues in users because it is being abused due to the
fact that people (teenagers in particular) use it so obsessively. They become addicted to it and
begin to shut out the real world because they fear that they might be missing out on something
important; they can't stand to be 'disconnected'. This leads people to develop problems like not
being able to be alone.
By constantly being on social networking sites and connecting with people virtually,
people are never truly alone. Therefore, when they are, they begin to fear being alone and
develop anxiety. This may not seem like that bad of a consequence, however, setting aside time
to be by yourself is highly crucial to obtaining good

Adam Padgett 5/3/14 12:19 PM
Comment [5]: Okay, so how do you
suggest we do this?
Adam Padgett 5/3/14 12:20 PM
Comment [6]: Without citation, all of these
ideas seem like conjecture.
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mental health. Solitude allows you to reboot your brain and unwind, helps to improve
concentration and increase creativity, gives you an opportunity to find yourself and discover who
you are as an individual, and can enhance the quality of your relationships with others. By
spending time alone, you allow yourself to learn about and get to know yourself better and really
think about who you are. I believe that alienation is the key to being a creative individual. When
you are connected to social websites and applications all the time, you are constantly being
influenced by all the images you see and things you read. Therefore, spending time by yourself
gives you the opportunity to think deeply for yourself as an individual with no other
interferences and influences.
In my own experiences with social networking sites, I personally struggle with jealousy. I
have become extremely envious of other people and find myself wanting all the things they have
that I don't. I get extremely caught up in looking at all the fascinating and interesting pictures
other people post and desperately wish I could be living their lives instead of mine. When I am
browsing through social media, I completely lose my ability to appreciate and feel good about
myself and my own accomplishments. It is virtually impossible to focus on positive aspects of
myself and my own life when I look through my news feed and it is filled with status updates
like "Just got booked for another photo shoot for CoverGirl today! My life is sooo great!" or "I
have the best boyfriend in the world, we are too perfect for each other. LOL," or "FOUND $100
ON THE STREET TODAY!!!! IM SOO LUCKY OMG :D:D:D!!!" I am still working on
overcoming jealousy; though I have definitely made progress, I still struggle with it from time to
time. The best advice I can give to others struggling with jealousy due to social media is to learn
how to take control over your attention. When I find myself
Adam Padgett 5/3/14 12:22 PM
Comment [7]: Great! Now you getting into
specifics. But youll need citation for all the
information that you will need support for. For
example solitude allows you to [] increase
creativity. Also, what does it mean to find
yourself? this might not mean the same to you
as it might mean to someone else. Try to stick
with concrete language and avoid these
platitudinous statements.
Adam Padgett 5/3/14 12:23 PM
Comment [8]: I like your honesty here.
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experiencing feelings of despair and jealousy, I redirect my focus from the social media streams
immediately and distract myself with something more productive and less destructive.
There is no quick fix to these kinds of issues that arise from frequent use of social media.
It is going to be a struggle, and a journey that will help people learn more about and accept
themselves for who they are as people. In my opinion, social media does not have to be a bad
thing; if we can learn to control it and not let it control us, it can be a truly beautiful and
incredible technological device. Eric Schmidt once said, "The Internet is the first thing that
humanity has built that humanity doesn't understand, the largest experiment in anarchy that we
have ever had." He is absolutely correct. It is an experiment and people should and will find their
own ways to work social media in a way that will not be harmful or detrimental to their health. A
non-breathing, unfeeling, cold, hard electronic device does not deserve to take away anyone's
happiness; take charge of your own happiness and make your life as positive as it can be.
These are serious mental and social issues that people, particularly young adolescents and
teenagers, face on a day-to-day basis. These problems that may result from using social
networking websites and applications must be acknowledged so that users of social networking
websites can learn about the different types of consequences that may occur, as well as how to
discourage them from happening in the future. If you know anyone, a family member, a friend,
or even a stranger, who is suffering from mental or social disorders due to social media, get them
help as soon as possible. Even simply listening and talking to them can make a monumental
impact on how they perceive things. I hope that people will take something away from this essay
so that users of social media can use as a safe and fun way to communicate and socialize with
friends and family from this day forth.
Adam Padgett 5/3/14 12:28 PM
Comment [9]: This is a really interesting
idea.
Michelle,
I really like the ideas that you bring to the table here, particularly when you discuss the
importance of solitude (although you might want to define more specifically what you mean by
solitude. In revision, I would like for you to more directly incorporate your research. Im sure
that some of these sources helped you construct your argument, but I am unable to tell exactly
which ones youve used because you have no in-text citations. You mention a few other people
and use quotes, but you arent using your citations. Also, try to avoid overly nebulous language,
be as clear and as concrete as possible. Ive made notes on a few instances in the margins. I like
when you discuss anarchy in the internet. This is an interesting idea that I would like to hear
more about. Otherwise, good work here.


Works Cited

Carter, Sherrie B. "Psychology Today." 6 Reasons You Should Spend More Time Alone.
N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2012. <http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/high-octane-
women/201201/6-reasons-you-should-spend-more-time-alone>.

Mientka, Matthew. "Facebook And Social Media Activity Reflects Self-Esteem."Medical
Daily. N.p., 15 Sept. 2013. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.medicaldaily.com/facebook-and-social-media-activity-reflects-self- esteem-study-
finds-256832>.

Moreno, Megan A, Lauren A. Jelenchick, Katie G. Egan, Elizabeth Cox, Henry Young,
Kerry E. Gannon, and Tara Becker. "Feeling Bad on Facebook: Depression
Disclosures by College Students on a Social Networking Site." Depression and
Anxiety. 28.6 (2011): 447-455. Print.

Nitzburg, George C, and Barry A. Farber. "Putting Up Emotional (facebook) Walls?
Attachment Status and Emerging Adults Experiences of Social Networking
Sites."Journal of Clinical Psychology. 69.11 (2013): 1183-1190. Print.

Rosen, L.D, K Whaling, S Rab, L.M Carrier, and N.A Cheever. "Is Facebook Creating
''iDisorders''? the Link between Clinical Symptoms of Psychiatric Disorders and
Technology Use, Attitudes and Anxiety." Computers in Human Behavior. 29.3 (2013):
1243-1254. Print.