Negative_Effect_of_Social_Network_Sites

Negative Effect of Social Network Sites Say good bye to face to face interactions and hello to the technical world of social networking. Over one-hundred million people use social networking sites in the United States alone (Fisher); that includes everyone who has a page or account with Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, Skype or any of the other emerging sites. People have discovered a new way to communicate with others and it goes way beyond just a simple e-mail. As many positive advances that have come from social networking, there are far more negative impacts. With the lack of personal interaction online, people can hide behind a computer, this presents a whole new plethora of dangers. In the past interaction was done face to face, has this way of communicating gone extinct like the dinosaurs' Social networking has taken the social aspect out of everyday, have we given up our sense of security for the thrill of online interacting' The rapid growth of online socialization has the next generation growing up in a dangerous and impersonal world . One of the greatest impacts of social networking is on the social and interpersonal skills of users. Interpersonal communication is the processing of sending and receiving information between two or more people. Social Skills are the foundation for getting along with others. A lack of Social Skills can lead to behavioral difficulties in school, delinquency, inattentiveness, peer rejection, emotional difficulties, bullying, difficulty in making friends, aggressiveness, problems in interpersonal relationships, poor self-concept, academic failures, concentration difficulties, isolation from peers, and depression (Kiesbye). Humans are hard wired with the desire to communicate and be social. Think back to Cave drawings, Smoke Signals, now jump into today’s video chats and social networking. The need to socialize will never go away but are we now taking it to a dangerous level, losing sight of “real” socializing and switching it out for virtual relationships. Older generations of users learned how to communicate and interact long before networking was even a thought, but much of the younger generations do not interact socially except at school and work, where social interaction is well monitored and minimal. Social networking has created a serious downturn in the ability of young adults to communicate and interact with each other. Children no longer play together as much as they used to. Adults no longer seek physical companionship; instead, they choose to network and have little or no physical contact. Many young adults have very little confidence in their own abilities to enter into social situations. So many spend their social time glued to a computer screen in their free time, a recent study done by sciencedaily.com states "teenagers (60 percent) spend on average 20 hours per week in front of television and computer screens, a third spend closer to 40 hours per week, and about 7 percent are exposed to more than 50 hours of 'screen-time' per week”(University), they have been rendered socially inept in just about every other respect. A surprising number of teenagers are unable to interact with people in real life social situations. With so much at stake why are we allowing them to fall to the wayside' Babies enter the world wired for social interaction. Children reach such social milestones as recognizing the feelings of others, taking turns, demonstrating sympathy and coping effectively with frustration in their first 3 to 4 years. Children develop at different rates and acquire social skills under different conditions. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) indicates that the development of social skills ranks as one of the most important achievements for your preschool child. Last year 60 percent of the top 25 Itunes apps where geared toward toddlers (Scout), this shows just how young children are being introduced to technology. This is in disregard to The AAP’s recommendations that children under two should have absolutely no screen time and children under 6 should have very limited time (Mansbacher 28); these recommendations are due to the crucial skills that are developed during this time. Social Networking is now on the move with the addition of smart phones and tablets. Over forty percent of cell phone users access social networks on their mobile devices (Owens 171). This allows for nonstop access to social media. So now all of the negative impact of social networks that parents used to have some control over when bring used on a home computer are now brought to their child’s hand 24 hour a day 7 days a week. This has caused the amount of time spent in social networks almost double over the past year with 8-18 year-olds now spend an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes using Social Media on a typical day, that adds up to more than 53 hours a week (Greenblatt). People are no longer checking the local newspaper to see what is going on in the world; they are now waking up and checking social networking sites. You no longer have to wait to see what your friends and family are up to, you can now find out who, what, when and where the moment it is happening. Computers do have physical effects on those who use them, and these effects can be serious and long lasting, even permanent. Moreover, they contribute to a wide range of disorders – to muscle, joint and tendon damage, to headaches and eyestrain, to seizures and skin problems. Toxic emissions and electromagnetic fields produced by computers and video display terminals are also serious potential health problems. The less a person moves the more weight that person is likely to gain, and few calories are being burned while sitting in front of a computer. Computer monitors have been proven to cause eye strain, leading to poor eyesight. Little movement has been proven to lead to muscle weakness, less muscle development and, in some cases, bone loss. Back, neck, and joint pain have been associated with too much computer use. Social networker users often spend hours networking, leading to weight gain and health issues. Along with health risks there are sufficient risks to ones safety as well. Social networks have brought on a new wave of cyber bullying, cyber stalking and new ways for predators to gain access to our children (SOURCES) Addiction affects a staggering amount of people, over fifty million, as shown in a recent study by Coleen Moore, coordinator of resource development at the Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery; it also states young adults spend 14-18 hours online (Illinois). With that amount of time being spent online, there are new types of addictions emerging; more and more people are becoming addicted to the Internet. Though not yet an officially recognized mental disorder, there is a discussion for including Internet addiction disorder (IAD) in the next addition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), anticipated release in 2013 (Illinois). This internet addiction is also increasing online gambling and online shopping addictions, both costing users several hundreds and thousands of dollars. Studies have shown that those that become addicted to something often acquire additional addictive tendencies (Fisher). This trend shows that with the surge of Internet addictions at such a young age could lead to larger number or drug, sex and alcohol users later in life Another side-effect social networking is a phenomenon often referred to as Facebook Depression. The symptoms are much like those of classic depression, i.e. mood swings, different friends, and changing habits, but it is brought about by excessive time online (Moreno 451). This effect is understandable. During the tween and teen years, kids seem to dive into the social networking world, revolving their social life around how many friends they have or how many pictures they are tagged in. When naturally self-conscious teenagers are handed a site where they can compare themselves with their peers, a loss of confidence makes sense. They can accumulate hundreds of friends without forming a single, beneficial, real relationship. At such a crucial point in a person’s development, are such empty connections, faulty comparisons, and the resulting depression. This is a key time in a young person’s life where they are learning how to build lasting relationships and come into their own and acquiring self-esteem, self-confidence and self-worth (Bonetti). Building these personal skills based on social network status is becoming an unfortunate norm. Children begin learning social skills at a very young age. There is no substitute for the experience children gain from interacting with peers. According to Child psychiatrist Sok Mui Lima, children who have had many opportunities to play with peers from an early age will have an advantage when they enter formal group settings such as daycare or public school. Children especially benefit when they can develop long- lasting relationships (Lima 372). In the fall of 2011 there are 43 schools across the country handing out IPADs to elementary school children (“pick up the tabs” 38). There are many negative issues surrounding the use of computers as educational tools during early years. These range from ineffective learning, impact on health, creativity, brain development and social and emotional growth. This early use of technology could lead to an even more technology engrossed generation. A recent study that included 219 US students showed those who use social networks and study simultaneously found their multitasking led to twenty percent lower grades than those of their more focused peers (Choney). These issues, and more, are beginning to emerge and we can see why many people are reconsidering the validity of computers in early education. Technology and social network has brought out great things in our world, communicating with those you might not otherwise; reuniting families and friends, the ability to networking beyond your circle (Metz 76). Some might argue that electronics allow teenagers to keep in touch with others. Many teenagers feel a lot more comfortable communicating with their friends through text, email, or online websites as opposed to personally. People that support social networking say that the use of technology is a good way for shy people to talk to their friends, and express themselves through technology. Although it keeps teenagers connected, it doesn't allow them to learn proper socializing skills to use with friends, family, or in their future life relationships. Technology is the future, that will never change, but we need to take back our personal life’s. Portable electronic devices disable teenagers to from building healthy family relations. Over the years, as technology develops, teens find it a lot more appealing to spend time with their devices rather than with their families. In their free time, instead of playing board games or watching a movie together ,teens embrace their time with electronics. This means they spend less time talking to their parents about their lives, and vise versa. Jason Brand, a family advisor, states: “While going to the movies, watching TV, being on the computer, or going ‘out’ with friends are certainly not bad in and of themselves, the reality is we do it so often that we neglect the very spouse, children, and relationships that are most important to us. What is worse, we willing and subconsciously allow this entertainment- which is ofter not family-friendly- to negatively impact and influence the feelings in our homes and the moral foundation of our family”(Brand). As Mr. Brand stated, most families spend their free time apart, doing their own activities (usually involving technology), which leads to less family bonding, are a result, becoming less family oriented and disengaged. A sad reality is that the Internet and social networks are causing our children to grow up at a much more advanced speed then in the past. As part of security leader AVG Technologies Digital Diaries series, AVG found that the average 11-year-old’s online activities are very similar to that of their adult counterparts in terms of the length of time spend on mobile devices and overall time using social networks and online games and are experiencing “digital adulthood.”(Brand) While they’re becoming expereinced in using these networks, these tweens are also engaging in online behaviors and activities that may result in situations they’re not emotionally and developmentally ready to handle.In a press release about the study, AVG CEO JR Smith said, “Technologically speaking, today’s kids can walk the walk, but they can’t talk the talk. They might run circles around their parents when it comes to using computers, but they don’t know what to do when they get bullied or harassed or swindled. Often they can’t even see it happening to them. This kind of thing can scar a person for life.” (Brand). Digital adulthood is a result of unsupervised browsing and social networking that has the potential of surfacing content that exceeds the user maturity levels. When children and teens fail to learn lasting relationship building skills their future relationships, such as marriages, lasting friendships, and business networking can become hard to maintain. Just like they learned as children, when a confrontation arises they will turn to social networks and cyber friends to rely upon and this could lead to regretful remarks. One in five of American divorces now involve social network sites. This new technology is opening a whole new world with easy access to past lovers and regretful infidelity (Carlat). It is making it too easy to check out of a marriage and still get that emotional support from somewhere it shouldn’t be coming from Not learning proper communication and social skills could also hinder one’s ability to find employment. Employers find that many young people do not have the necessary verbal and social skills to obtain a job. Often, those lacking the verbal skills to land a job spend much time networking and texting on cell phones. Not only has social networking impacted the amount of time people spend in physical contact with each other, but it has also caused deterioration in the ability of young people to effectively communicate with potential employers for entry level positions. There has also been a new trend of potential employers using your social network pages to look into your attitude, past history, and other aspects that may affect your business relationships. (citations) As social networking sites become more popular by the day, the rise of negative social effects within our society also greaten. We have and will see further instances of cyber bullying; more cases of identity theft and additional privacy breaches. We will also see our strong relationships diluted to a more superficial and convenient type of relationship. We will also continue to see a further decrease in productivity within workplace and also more instances of company’s reputations and names being brought into disrepute. Social networking sites have had a huge negative impact on our mental and social health and will continue to do so into the future. Therefore it is undeniably true that Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and others do in fact cause more harm than good. Like all things, social networking can be beneficial in moderation. Unfortunately, moderation and networking do not coincide in today’s society. Social networking allows for unnecessary risks in privacy, safety, social skills, and health. Networking, at best, offers such ease of communication that social skills deteriorate, and at worst, is dangerous for children and networkers unaware of the predators lurking in the networks. 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