Is It Worth It??!!

By researching the effects that social media plays on our society, I have learned that there are many more negative effects than positive ones. This could just be my opinion but then again, many aren't educated on the dangers that social media has on their lives. I pray that people start educating themselves and learn to limit themselves on these social sites before it is too late. I found this wonderful video that I just wanted to add to finish off my blog. I really enjoyed learning more about social media for my English assignment. I hope that the information I have shared is helpful to many and that it can expand their knowledge on this subject as it has mine. The one question that I would like to ask my readers after reading all these affects social media has on our daily lives is..... IS IT WORTH IT???!!!

Video by: Paul Nadeau

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aM0egir_I0c



Beware!

Scammers are everywhere these days and now they are even hitting social media. When signing up for these sites, people do not realize the hidden dangers by just putting in their name and address. Many people believe links that they see on their feeds, posted by their friends and family but nowadays, how does one know what to believe? The problem with social media becoming affected by scammers is that people on these social sites are easy targets and usually believe anything they see, especially if the information is posted by whom they think is a credible source.  The Lansing State Journal states that "because of social media's popularity, scam artists have access to a much larger population of people that could potentially be tricked by one of their scams". (1). 

There are many scams currently going around social media sites from fake friend requests to links that want you to click on them. This in turn leads to being taken to sites that may contain vulgar content and may put a virus on ones computer. There are many links and apps that ask for certain information such as access to your contacts, photos, etc. How many times has one wondered why that information is needed yet clicks on the button to accept the terms?  Many scammers and hackers use any type of personal information to load viruses and worms on computers as well as steal ones credit and/or identity. According to David Massey  "A con artist can take advantage of how easily people share background and personal information online by using this information to make a highly targeted pitch." (Clifford 1). Protect yourself and do not so hastily put all your information out there without some thought as to who may get their hands on it.

How Social Media is Effecting Mom's Self Esteem

Being a woman and a mother I can write on this subject with clarity and speak for other mothers out there. Social media can provide an outlet for moms to connect to one another for support. However, there are many times when these outlets become harmful to our self esteem. Moms tend to feel threatened if someone says something that they don't agree with and many times there are people out there who think that they know the right way to handle everything and see other people's ways as wrong. These people have no problem voicing their opinion and not caring how it affects the person they are saying these words to. Mothers are constantly being criticized on how they are raising their children. Some moms choose to nurse their babies, some bottle feed. Some choose to use cloth diapers, some use disposables. Some co-sleep with their babies and some are head strong on putting babies to sleep in their own beds. Some home school and others send their kids to public or private schools.  None of these decisions make one mother better than another, it is purely a decision made by THAT mother for HER child. Yet, there are those who will tell others how wrong they are for not doing it the way that they choose! As moms, we should all support each other and our decisions on how to raise our young, not scrutinize and make each other feel like our way is the wrong way. Social media becomes a problem because a simple question seeking advice can get blown into a huge dispute because everyone in the conversation feels that they know best. Advice is one thing but making a mom feel inadequate about how she chooses to raise her children is a problem.



The other issue is that there are many sites such as Pinterest or certain blogs that are making women in general feel like they cannot accomplish what others can. Pinterest alone is scattered with millions of craft projects to do with your children, recipes, decorating and DIY projects. It is great that there is a place to look for ideas but it can also be quite overwhelming and make women feel like they are inadequate if they cannot do the many projects or cook recipes like those found on these sites. Blogs that are written by moms showing off their beautifully decorated, fancy homes with their well dressed children and everything just looks so perfect can leave other moms with a feeling of despair if they aren't able to provide such things for their families. I think that all moms seek approval and support not criticism. I do not believe that any mom deserves to feel inadequate and that she is wrong on how she chooses to raise her children or run her household.



 I also feel like there is a lot of pressure on both stay at home moms and moms whom work outside the home. On one hand, you have the stay at home mom whom is with her kids all day long with no breaks. She is the maid, chauffeur, cook, nurse, and more. She takes care of the kids all day while maintaining a house to the best of her ability yet gets ridiculed for "not working". What?! Raising kids is the most important and one of the hardest jobs in the world! Sadly, there are many who look at the stay at home mom as doing nothing all day and more sadly is that many of  these criticisms come from moms that work outside the home. The mom that works outside the home takes out her frustrations and jealousy on the stay at home moms because she has to work or maybe she chooses to work. The moms that work outside the home also get criticized by others for working too much and not spending enough time with her kids. I feel that no matter the situation, women are scrutinized way too much for our decisions and not supported nearly enough. Each family is different and has separate needs so it makes sense that not every family is alike. Social media can be hurtful to mom's feelings as the mom that has to work outside the home sees pictures of her friends at home or at the zoo or on a field trip with her kids, meanwhile she has to work. I also feel that moms that are at home all the time with her children go on social media for an outlet and for some adult interaction and can feel sad that they don't get to have lunch with co-workers, company holiday parties and some time alone without the kids. There is a lot of pressure on all of these sites to be perfect, raise the perfect kids, decorate a perfect house, cook perfect meals, etc and it can all become very depressing and overwhelming!

Why is this considered okay to say to another mom? It's not just on an ecard.  There are women that actually feel this way or have said this to another mom.



Body image is another problem that women struggle with. Seeing other moms posting pictures in bikinis or beautiful clothes with their hair, makeup and nails all done up can leave moms feeling upset especially if they have had a hard time losing their baby weight or weight in general. Women tend to compare themselves and feel saddened if their body doesn't look like another woman's body a month or two after their babies were born. Some moms may not have the time nor money to pamper herself and feels ugly if she doesn't look like a mom that's "put together" so to speak. Women are hard on themselves enough without the added pressure of social media today. Lets stand and support one another and stop the scrutiny!!! This picture below is a great example on how moms can view themselves as inadequate and struggle with their looks. Photos like these are all over the media portraying that there is no reason why other moms shouldn't look like this mom.

 

 

Social Media is Disconnecting Many Relationships

Social media may be a great tool for meeting new people or staying in touch with those that we may not get to see very often.  However, social media is harming relationships in more ways than one. Marriages are suffering and ideas of divorce are greater these days. According to Joseph Nowinski Ph.D. “Increased use of social networking is correlated with poorer marital happiness and a higher likelihood of a troubled relationship, along with thoughts of divorce.” (1). Research has shown that divorce rates have been on the rise and has correlated with greater usage of social media sites. Social media sites can leave a person feeling lonely and depressed. Sometimes one spouse may be addicted to using social networking and that leaves the other spouse feeling alone and like they don’t even matter. Nowinski  states that “social networking and similar sites could indeed not just play a role in compensating for an unhappy relationship but may actually contribute to that unhappiness.” (1). Many people forget what it was like to just sit down out to dinner and talk to each other  without having a cell phone in their hands and social media at their fingertips.

Social media is also disconnecting relationships between friends and family members. There are many factors that can influence such disconnection, one of which is being misunderstood. Many times we type things out and they come across sounding rude though not intentionally. People can construe things into what they think and this becomes frustrating for everyone involved.  Why can’t we just talk over the phone or face to face and get the words straight from the person’s mouth? I believe that having “friends” online is a problem that people may not even realize. How many of these “friends” does one actually know in real life and are not just someone that they have friended online? These are fake friendships that could potentially be harmful in the hands of many and especially, our youth. There are also the problems that social media poses on our real friendships. Many times people move and that disconnection is already tough but then when one adds in the fact that many of these relationships continue only with acknowledgement by “likes” of each other’s pictures or “comments” left on status updates rather than calling each other, there lies a problem. Social media provides a scape goat for “keeping in touch” which is not really keeping in touch! Let's put away the technology and spend more time together looking at each other instead of screens!!

Social Media's Harmful Effects On Our Children Today

Social Media is not only effecting adults but our youth as well. There are many hazards to letting your child/ren have social media accounts. Many children are not ready to have these accounts and be responsible with them. Not only that, but children are preyed upon and without the proper knowledge of using these sites, can lead to dangerous situations. Younger people post pictures and say whatever they want without thinking of the repercussions that may later arise. Older teens post selfies that they may think are cute in the moment but once they start applying for jobs have a problem.  Nowadays most employers do background checks and look at social media sites of their prospective employees.  Seeing pictures of their careless and irresponsible prospective employees is not what bosses want to see. According to Fleur Gabriel, research by Laurence Steinberg (2008) has revealed that “during adolescence, the brain’s ‘socio-emotional’ systems mature fasterthan the ‘cognitive-control’ systems.” “This imbalance means that teens makedecisions and process information in a way that is more likely to emphasizeemotional or social reward over potential risk.” On this understanding, it is more logic for teens to upload pictures for the immediate attention rather than thinking of later harm. There are also people out there that prey on our youth. Sadly, pedophiles can obtain their information and do as they wish.


Cyber bullying is also a big problem for our youth as well as suicides. Cyberbullying can happen any time anywhere and can be by anyone. Some kids just cannot take the constant pressure of trying to fit in and are verbally attacked online. Many of those that are the "attackers" feel like they can get by with this behavior. This may be the case especially when parents are unaware that their children even have a social media account. Gabriel states that, "recently, the phenomenon of 'cyber self-harm' has emerged as a practice that appears to be fuelled by social media and their structures ofvisibility and performance." I believe that more parents need to be aware of what their kids are up to and monitor their technology usage. I feel like this day and age there are too many ways for children to be taken advantage of and that there needs to be more rules and limitations placed on social media sites.







The New Addiction That Is Social Media

Today social media is a NEED to many people. Americans get up in the morning, check social media, check it several times throughout the day and again before bed. Some spend hours, yes hours, each day on social media! There is a constant urge to check Facebook or other social sites as well as post status updates, pictures, etc to let everyone else know what you are doing. Why has social media become such an important part of our day? Part of the problem is that we are constantly surrounded by technology at our fingertips.

 

We all have some form of technology whether it be cell phones, computers, lap tops, and/or Ipads that can connect us to any form of social media we wish with a click of a few buttons. These forms of technology are allowing us to be absorbed into this social media addiction. On phones alone, one can set "notifications" to go off whenever there is a comment or message on one of these social sites. In hearing these notifications, one feels the need to instantly check their phones to see what is going on. Many are too focused on capturing events to post onto social media to get "liked" or "comments", that they aren't really "in the moment". Life is too short to capture memories for someone else. People need to learn to put the phones down and back away from social media but Americans have become addicted to using it! People like feeling connected and rewarded. Social media feeds into this by allowing people to receive "likes" and "comments" on their status updates and pictures which in turn leave them wanting more and more.

Many out there cannot even go to the bathroom or go anywhere without having their phones with them for fear of missing out on something. When did the world get so concerned on missing out on what is going on with people on social media than spending time with those that are with them in the moment? I have seen people out to dinner with friends or spouses and on their phones rather than talking with the ones they are with. Social media is disconnecting our relationships with others instead of what it was originally intended for, which was to CONNECT us! People are always on social media whether it be at work, school, sitting in traffic, etc. There is a huge problem with social media taking over and it will only get worse if we continue to allow it. The problem is that most people do not consider themselves to be addicted.

 



Introduction To Social Media And The Negative Effects It Is Having On Society

    

Welcome to my blog! In this blog, I will be discussing social media and the negative effects it plays on our society. Social media has become increasingly popular and important to so many people around the world. There is no doubt that there are many positive effects, however, how many people think about the negative effects? What are the negative effects and how are they affecting you?


Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Snapchat, Instagram, etc. are sites which enable users to share status updates, photos, videos, play games and more with others around the world using their computers or cell phones. Millions of people around the world are using some form/s of social media daily, if not several times a day. If you ask most individuals to name positive effects of social media, they will mention that it is a great way to stay connected to friends and family that are near and far, that they can reconnect with people that they have lost touch with, that it is a fun way to meet others around the world, and that social media allows them to connect quicker than ever with just a few simple steps.


However, if you ask the opposite question, and ask how social media has negative effects, there may not be many responses that one may be able to think of. Most of us just want to get online and see what others are doing or share something going on in our lives, however, social media has become an unhealthy addiction. So many people are wrapped up in posting status updates or photos onto social media that they are truly missing out at living in the moment. According to Maureen Henderson, contributor of Forbes Woman, “almost a quarterof Americans say that they’ve missed out on important life moments in theirquest to capture and memorialize them for social media.” (1). I believe we have all been guilty of this at some point in time but the question remains, why has it become so popular and important to share so much information on social media sites?