Negative Effects On Social Media

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Bill Gates once said, “Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is the most important.” Much like Mr. Gates mentioned, I believe technology must remain as a tool. It is no surprise the growth of technology. Nowadays, everyone is a user of a social media page and it has become a normal thing to be a part of the web community. However, those individuals do not realize their use of technology can negatively affect their emotional/mental, physical, and social wellness. Social media creates an unbalanced lifestyle. Social media holds a power over the emotional state of a person. According to an article titled “Negative Effects Of Social Media On Your Health” by author Falcon…show more content…
People of all ages can be affected mentally. Usually teenagers are a bigger target of mental illness. One negative effect of social media is cyber bullying. The definition of cyberbullying according to Jung’s article titled “The Negative Effect of Social Media on Society and Individuals” it deals with social media that exposes people to a new form of harassment. This article also shows a study by a 2010 CBS News Report stating “cyber bullying has spread widely among youth, with 42% reporting that they have been victims” (Jung 1). Cyberbullying is the biggest mental effect on teenagers. Whether it is in an environment of school or at work, everyone has access to social media where there can be dangers. Cyber bullying is where people use the web to talk down on someone. It is easier for people to cyberbully behind a screen than in person. In fact, cyberbullying is more prominent among the students that go to the same school. Since they cannot cause problems on school grounds, they take it to social media to share their opinions (Falcon 1). There is less privacy when a person has social media because once it is on the web anyone can see their post. People take this opportunity to their advantage by sharing and spreading the rumors that were created by the cyber bullies. Another issue that targets mental wellness is the way people standardize women and men. Social media is the biggest platform that exposes people…show more content…
When a person has a low self esteem about their appearance, they make changes to their diets. People will eat less so that they can look like famous models. Fans believe if they look more like the models of Victoria Secret their life will look more glamorous. However, people do not realize some of the pictures that are posted are photoshopped to make themselves look thinner and prettier. Also, many celebrities use plastic surgery to improve their appearance. According to an article in Times Magazine titled “How Social Media is a Toxic Mirror” by Simmons it explains how people will force themselves to eat less to fit into thinner clothing and this creates a disease called “anorexia” (1). People make harsh sacrifices to feel accepted by their physical appearance. Social media is used often throughout the day by many people. Falcon makes another good point of how social media can be addictive. Addiction can affect their health if they are too focused on the technology device. They will not want to put down their phone, tablet, ipod, etc. to exercise. Due to the lack of physical activity there can be an increase of obesity. There has been a study titled “Media and technology use predicts ill-being among children, preteens and teenagers independent of the negative health impacts of exercise and eating habits” that says “those with more screen time have been shown to have
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