Social Media is causing harm to people using it, cyberbullying, pictures of "perfect" models

  Description: This is a research paper about how social media is causing more harm than good- My stance is that social media is causing cyberbullying and that people are getting depression, low self esteem, low self image, because of the constant pictu'es of people that look better than them- I will attach two files- First will be the requirements from the professor, and second will be a craft that I received 90/150 points- English 103 July 18, 2017 The Power of Social Media and the Dangers of Photoshop Social Media has taken the world by storm. In the United States seven out of ten people use some type of social media platform. The ages of users also vary from children to elders. People are now sharing themselves to a much wider audience, at a faster pace than ever before. Studies have shown that social media usage has a correlation to a low self image, heightened suicide risk, and unhappiness. This is a topic that needs to be looked at very closely because this is not only affecting adults, this is affecting the future of the world, the children. Social Media companies, marketers, and supporters claim that these platforms are meant to entertain the public. This is an added option to a person’s list of entertainment. Nelmapius and Boshoff, who teach in the department of business management at the University of Stellenbosch, conducted a study on the user acceptance of social media. They claim that their study “reveals that perceived enjoyment is a common motivator for continued social network site usage. Social network sites contain a myriad of games and applications for users to enjoy. The achievement of goals, no matter how minor, leads to a sense of achievement.” The more enjoyable and interactive these companies make their sites, the more people will come back to use that platform. This study is also revealing that people enjoy the sense of reward such as a “like”, “favorite”, “retweet”, and various other achievements. The research done by Nelmapius and Boshoff found that “the achievement of goals, no matter how minor, leads to a sense of achievement.” So bullies are now getting the satisfaction of getting “likes” for their actions which in turn only reinforce their bad behavior. The bullies are receiving positive reinforcement for their harassment. Posite reinforcement is when a reinforcing stimulus (a “like”) is presented after a behavior (bullying), this heightens the chance of the behavior (bullying) happen again. Social Media has increased bullying because now these bullies do not have to wait to see you. Bullies now have the capabilities to harass someone 24/7 as long as they have access to the internet. Hinduja and Patchin, who teach in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida Atlantic University, reported results from a survey given to 2000 middle school children that indicated that “victims of cyberbullying were almost 2 times as likely to attempt suicide than those who were not.” Cyberbullying leading to eventual suicide has become a recurring theme in many media platforms as of late. On November 29, 2016, eighteen year old Brandy Vela took her own life. Vela’s ex-boyfriend Andres had been harassing and posting revealing images of her online for months. Andres also created a fake profile of Brandy, in which he included her phone number and claimed she “wanted to have sex.” Brandy Vela’s family said that “the harsh messages and fake social media pages created to bully and impersonate her became too much for her to handle.” Thus leading to her suicide. This is a tragic example of how a platform intended for entertainment, became a place where people could harass and bully a person to death. There are many negatives of social media, however there is still a demographic of people who find social media beneficial. Eileen Masio, the mother of 13-year-old Amelia and 8-year-old son William, claims that social media can “help to build self-confidence.” (CNN) Masio says that when Amelia posts her “selfies” on social media, she tends to receive positive comments like “gorgeous”, “so pretty.” She says that it is the kind words in these comments that help her daughter build confidence. In the same CNN article Shira Lee Katz, Common Sense Media's director of digital media, defends Masio’s take on social media by stating “For every heartbreaking case of cyberbullying, there are many stories of teens using social media for good.” It is saddening that people like Masio and Katz fail to recognize the severity of a child taking their own life and how it outweighs the “confidence” and “good” that comes with social media. Self image is a person’s idea of their own appearance, abilities, and personality. The higher one’s self image is, the more positive they see themselves. Having a lower self image results in seeing themselves in a much more negative light. Though Masio claims that social media comments bring confidence to her daughter, it is wrong to seek validation from people based on appearance. In Nancy Clark’s article “Social Media and Body Image: #Fitspiration at Its Worst” she says that, “seeing image after image of skinny, toned bodies leads to diet pills, quick diet fixes, magic cleanses and myriad forms of food restriction that claim to fix any body flaw.” she follows that by saying, “None of this is healthy.” Research on the impact of social media on women’s body image has revealed that exposure to images of “better looking” celebrities and friends harm their self image. Clark touches on the point that these pictures by in-shape friends are intended to be a motivation to people, but at times they make the person feel insecure about their body image instead. Clark also brings to light that this is not only a concern for women, but that also men are feeling insecure due to social media’s take on body image. A survey of more than 2,000 Canadian male high-school students found that about 30% were dissatisfied with their bodies. The study also showed that those 30% of boys who were dissatisfied with their body, wanted to put on more weight to look muscular. Boys are getting the impression that a muscular body is more attractive and better received, while girls are getting the impression that a thinner body is what they are supposed to have. Because of cyber-bullying people with a low self-image are more prone to experiencing: anxiety, stress, loneliness, and depression. There needs to be clear legislation over the internet. At the moment, the internet is the wild west and users are running with it. There are not that many laws controlling it, nor is there any control over the internet. It is important for people to be reprimanded for their actions and serious warnings need to be given while using or agreeing to be apart of social media accounts. There also needs to be more awareness to help people that are prone to depression or suicidal thoughts. People need to come together to support the loved ones around them that could be having these feelings. It is not talked about enough, and with an issue that touches children, the world’s future, there needs to be more action. BERMAN, NAOMI and ALEXANDRA WHITE. "Refusing the Stereotype." Youth Studies Australia, vol. 32, no. 4, Dec. 2013, pp. 38-47. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.cyclib.nocccd.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=93272033&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Brennan, Christopher. "Ex-boyfriend Arrested for Nude Photos of Teen Who Killed Herself." NY Daily News. NY Daily News, 16 Mar. 2017. Web. 16 July 2017. CLARK, NANCY. "Social Media and Body Image: #Fitspiration at Its Worst." American Fitness, vol. 35, no. 2, Spring2017, p. 66. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.cyclib.nocccd.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=122675133&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Luxton, David D., Jennifer D. June, and Jonathan M. Fairall. "Social Media and Suicide: A Public Health Perspective." American Journal of Public Health. American Public Health Association, May 2012. Web. 16 July 2017. Silva, Clarissa. "Social Media's Impact On Self-Esteem." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 22 Feb. 2017. Web. 16 July 2017. Wallace, Kelly. "Social Media Positive for Teens? Maybe!" CNN. Cable News Network, 07 Oct. 2014. Web. 16 July 2017.