Today Social media
Social media
Websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking
Description:
Social media is computer-based technology that facilitates the sharing of ideas, thoughts, and information through the building of virtual networks and communities. By design, social media is internet-based and gives users quick electronic communication of content. Content includes personal information, documents, videos, and photos. Users engage with social media via computer, tablet or smartphone via web-based software or web application, often utilizing it for messaging.Social media refers to the means of interactions among people in which they create, share, exchange information through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and Vimeo accounts.
Influence:
The capacity to have an effect on the character, development or behaviour of someone or something,or the effect itself.
People influence people nothing influence people more than a recommendation from a trusted friend
Influence may be positive or negative.
What are the positive influence of engaging in social media?
The positives of social media:
Encourages creativity and innovative thinking:
Social media sites are all about content in a variety of forms. From written content to photos and graphics, there are many ways for users to participate, engage, and show off their creativity. If you have a teen who likes to take photos, these sites and apps can help them to hone their skills and show off what they’re doing.
Social Media Can Be an Educational Resource:
Social media can be an excellent resource for educating teenagers. Talking to teens one-on-one might provide more opportunities to control the narrative, but social media and the internet in general still offer a useful way to educate young people. They can learn new things through articles shared on social media networks, or perhaps by watching videos on YouTube and elsewhere.
Opportunities Are Presented for Critical Thinking and Assessment:
It’s no secret that the internet is home to a lot of disinformation and misinformation. The downside to everyone being able to share their view or opinion is that false information can easily be circulated. However, this can be a good thing for teenagers if they’re taught to assess information and people’s opinions in the right way. With the right critical thinking skills, they can fact check, research and form their own opinions. Everyone has fallen for a lie at some point because they’ve been quick to react, but teenagers can develop the skills they need to stop and think about something before sharing it unquestionably.
Social Media Develops Social and Communication Skills:
The social aspect of social media is one of the biggest positives it offers. It gives teenagers the chance to interact with their peers and perhaps to make new friends in a safe way too. Social media can help teenagers who might struggle to communicate offline to develop their social skills in a space where they can have more time to think about their actions and find people who share their interests. Social media often presents opportunities for debate and conversation, allowing teenagers to learn how to discuss a variety of topics.
Inspiration and Support:
As a communicative method, using social media can be a great way for teens to support and inspire each other. Many teens use social media, in addition to texting, as their main forms of communication with their friends. They use it to stay in touch, but don’t simply spend all of their time sharing memes. Teenagers also use their social media accounts to support each other and talk about bigger issues in their personal lives. Social media can help to strengthen friendships and keep friends close.
The Negative influence of Social Media on Teenagers
The negative influence of social media on youth are as following;
Facebook depression:
Facebook depression is an emotional disturbance associated with social media usage. When a teenager is made to feel inferior to their social media counterparts, they often fall into a depression commonly referred to as ‘Facebook depression.’ The need to stand out, fit in or be accepted by their Facebook or Twitter friends is what drives users towards this form of emotional disturbance.
Cyberbullying:
A cyber bully is the use of social media to communicate false, embarrassing or hostile information to specific users. Among the major effects of social media, cyberbullying is an evil that has become such atypical toady. Victims of prolonged cyber-bullying often end up with psychosocial problems like depression, isolation, loneliness, stress, anxiety, low self-esteem and some even become suicidal.
Decreased activity:
Teenagers who do heavy use of social media do not spend enough time on activities that definitely increase mental abilities, skills, and physical movement. Those who exercise daily, their body releases endorphins that signal our brain to stay positive and reduce depression.
Internet addiction:
Uncontrolled social media usage among teens can lead to internet addiction. The more time kids spend on social media, the more they get exposed to new stories and ideas that they would want to explore. This habit eventually turns into an addiction that if not handled early can affect their school performance, mental health, and even personal development.
