The Pros and Cons of Social Networking & Adolescents | Developmental Psychology Assessment

• Report rights infringement
• published: 01 Dec 2014
• views: 13939

TRANSCRIPT We live in a world where technology is fast pacing and access to Facebook, twitter, YouTube and many other social platforms is all around us. With 95% of teens using the Internet and 81% of them using social media (Madden, Lenhart, Duggan, Cortessi & Gasser, 2013), it is important to understand the possibilities that arise when using such websites. My name is Sophie and I’m going to talk about social media, the good and the bad. So lets start with time; Whilst juggling school, sleep and many other activities, on average it has been found that we teenagers manage to fit in 5 hours a day on social networks (Lepi, 2013). In this time you could have flown to Cyprus or boiled 50 eggs! So it looks like we are spending a fair amount of time online, lets take a look at some of the cons. One of the biggest social networking problems is cyber bullying. Cyber bullying is just like normal bullying except it requires the use of electronic communication (Stopbullying.gov, 2014). Electronic communication can be anything from a laptop to a tablet, devices that are all around us. It has been found that half (49.5%) of students have reported being cyber bullied (Mishna, Cook, Gadalla, Daciuk & Solomon, 2010). This is scary as it can result in both emotional as well as psychological consequences; ranging from schooling problems to deviant behavior. (Hinduja & Patchin 2007) Unfortunately, social media is still being used as a platform for sexual abuse. We often hear of terms such as sexting on the news, where explicit messages or photos are sent online (Safenetwork.org.uk, 2014). In the past years there has been a 28% increase in calls to Child Line (NSPCC, 2014). It’s important to remember that as a young person, sexting is illegal and can end in some serious consequences. Teenagers who are sexually abused are 3 times as likely to become depressed, or suicidal (Brown, Cohen, Johnson & Smailes, 1999). Another issue with social networking is fake profiles. With 83.09 fake accounts on Facebook alone, that’s more accounts than people that live in the UK, This is mind-blowing (Kelly, 2012). The main problem with this is that you may have no idea who you are talking to. Another risk is advertising. Social platforms such as Facebook use algorithms, these look at private information such as your date of birth, where you live, and even personal traits (Giles, 2014). By doing this, advertisers can choose advertisements which are most suited to you. This can be dangerous as your information is no longer confidential. Now lets explore some of the positives. Socializing, isn’t this what social networks are made for? . With 52% of teens stating that social media has helped their relationships with other people (Rideout, 2012), social networks can not only facilitate the creation of new friendships but also allow you to develop and maintain existing friendships (Blais, Craig, Pepler & Connolly, 2008), a key skill in social life. Social networks can be used as an educational tool (O’Keeffe& Clarke-Pearson, 2011). Whether you want to discuss homework or research an unfamiliar topic, social networks allow you to do this. It can also provide a platform for schools to create online resources such as blogs to answer any questions, and interact with students such as your-self on an educational level. Many teenagers share content on websites such as YouTube or on a personal blog (Lenhart, Purcell, Smith & Zickuhr, 2010). This content can range from creating art to story sharing. Furthermore, we teenagers can also comment this content that others are uploading (Lenhart, Purcell, Smith & Zickuhr, 2010). This is a form of self-expression and allows you to be creative and connect with others online with the same interests (Raisingchildren.net.au, n.d.). By sharing content it allows us to increase our collective self-esteem and communicate with individuals from all around the world. (Gangadharbatla, 2008) Closely linked to collective self-esteem, research has shown that social media can increase our individual self-esteem. (Gangadharbatla, 2008) This is common with teenagers who would normally find face-to-face situations daunting and uncomfortable (Steinfield, Ellison & Lampe, 2008). This is great as it means that social network can increase social capital for many teenagers who may feel unable to make friends. So lets sum up. Today we have looked at the negatives, cyber bullying, sexual abuse, fake accounts and advertising. And on the other hand, socializing, improving education, sharing content and finally increasing self esteem So today I have spoken about a few of the pros and cons involved with social networking. By looking at both positive and negative aspects you can be aware of any dangers whilst also enjoying the benefit. Furthermore, you can now share this knowledge with others. My name is Sophie and I hope you found this useful.