Influence Of Social Media On The New Generation

Racquel Sikkila

2/15

ELA: Academic 3

How Social Media Has Corrupted The New Generations

Social media has lead people to think that having it is the only way to live. Ever since the internet came to be, more suicides and depressed teens have come out of it. Could what had once started as a life changing invention, possibly become a secret evil to society without us knowing? Who knows what lies ahead in the future of social media, but it might not be entirely good. Not only has social media made people commit suicide, but it is also caused people, mainly young girls, to feel that they need to change the way they look. Discrimination has thrived since the birth of the internet. Matter of fact, social media has engulfed kids and

Believe it or not, social media has not just caused it, but it has also recommended it. Right now there are over 240 websites about how to kill yourself (Am J Public Health), which in my opinion is shocking, because why on Earth would anyone ever want to create or use a website like that. No way should someone ever suggest suicide more so encourage it to the world’s youth. Another way suicide has been involved is because of cyberbullying. The dictionary defines cyberbullying as the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature, but it is much worse than that. Over the past few years cyberbullying has increased from 20.8% to 40.6% (amount of people being electronically bullied ,said by Am J Public Health). A recent study in Japan has discovered that the number of Japanese men committing suicide was linked with the usage of internet in their households, “Hagihara et al.13 conducted a time-series analysis with data from 1987 to 2005 and reported a statistically reliable positive correlation between general population male suicide rates in Japan and the prevalence of households using the Internet.”( Am J Public Health) Rates of depression and anxiety among teenagers have increased by 70 percent in the past 25 years. Social media was created in 1997, just 21 years ago… could there be a connection? This however,

Some ways will make you feel body conscious, others will be suicidal, and another might be looking at it with more positivity. In other words, the way social media has impacted the world is kind of a good and an evil. Sure it creates thriving communities and charities, but what about when kids and teens spend too much time on it. That is when it finally becomes an issue. When it finally starts to leave people feeling insecure, or suicidal, that is when social media has done its part and should be limited. The media, as it grows, has affected so many people in so many different ways, For example, the Make-A-Wish Foundation that helps those kids who struggle have a dream come true. But sadly, that is not enough to make social media a good thing, still so much corruption and lies wander in the media. Social media has left a major mark on the world, maybe not necessarily a good one, but it sure is there. Back in 1997 when it was invented, surely they did not plan for it to become so popular and at the same time evil. Not to blaming the creators that made it so foul, it was the users who took advantage of it. Many suggest that we are careful because social media is leaving us on thin ice, eventually we’ll fall