Social Media or Anti-social Media? In 2013 a study found that teenagers were experiencing a decline in intimate friendships as they chose Facebook over face-to-face communications. The image above displays a young girl on her computer; she seems to be focusing intensely on her computer screen. She is wearing a black jacket with black eye shadow and she looks exhausted, which is associated usually with emo teens or depression. The title on the image contradicts purpose and meaning of what social-media means to most people. Social media was administered to help keep friends and families in contact from all over the world, but according surveys taken, social media is actually stopping people from communicating face-to-face. Why has social media made people more antisocial rather than making them social? Why has social media replaced outdoor activities and face to face conversations almost completely? How are parents or adults stepping up to help make their children or friends more sociable? Why is social media an escape outlet for people’s emotions? How does it contribute to making people anti-social? What are reasons why social media can make a positive impact on our daily lives?
The girl’s black eye shadow and black hoodie portray a state of loneliness and depression, proposing that social media is causing our youth to be depressed or anti-social. Aside from the fact that the girl is on a social media site she stares at the screen with a blank expression. Conforming to the National Institute of Mental Health, in 2012, “an estimated 2.2 million adolescents, or 9.1% of the U.S. teen population (ages 12 to 17), had at least one major depressive episode in the past year.” Facebook posts often give the misconception that other people’s lives are more entertaining and amusing than others. Adolescents who are already depressed may get on social media sites thinking it would but in reality it only makes the situation worse. Instagram is one of the most popular social media sites that allow people to post pictures of what goes on in their daily lives. Instagram posts have an inclination to be very misleading. Some peoples’ lives convey the message that they have no problems and their lives are perfect. Teens do not think about how many lies can be hidden in a picture, prompting the teen compare their lives to others thus causing them to get depressed.
The girls’ unexpressive face depicts a blank state of unconsciousness, exhibiting how much social media can make you forget about the outside world. Social media has been linked to an increase of indirect communication. Facebook, KIK, and Instagram, for example give teens and adults the opportunity to connect with friends and family without really communicating with them. When teens do have a conversation with someone most of them tend to gaze at the screen in front of them and not at the person they are communicating with. As stated by Dr. Catherine Steiner-Adair, a clinical psychologist and author of The Big Disconnect, “In a way, texting and online communicating—it's not like it creates a nonverbal learning disability, but it puts everybody in a nonverbal disabled context, where body language, facial expression, and even the smallest kinds of vocal reactions are rendered invisible." Spending more time on social media is causing teens to have bad communication skill, which is an important skill to have in the real world.
The dark colored background is shaping the personality of the picture to seem sad and dark, offering social media is looked upon as something negative rather something positive to help you connect. Social media not only affects teen’s social lives, it also affects their studies. With social media being just a click away it’s easy for teens to get distracted by it when studying. As stated in Mustafa Colak’s book “To what extent do social network sites affect students’ academic lives?”, “the rate of usage mobile phones during lecture hours has been increasing dramatically.” As a result of being on social media during class students do not show their best potential during class. When students message their friends on social media they tend to use improper grammar. Using abbreviated words or phrases can lead to the usage of these expressions in class. Scholars’ ability to retain information is slowly degressing as the years go by. Instead of studying or receiving help from teachers, students favor researching the information they need.
It is important to grasp the affects social media has on adolescents so the problem can be rectified. This picture shows a bigger message than most would think about. Social media is a distraction for many people from the outside world. Although it can be used as a helpful tool for school, it can prevent proper learning if it’s not used correctly. The rate of depression is rising partly because of social media. If teachers and parents come together a way can be found to make social media usage useful inside and outside of class.