Social Media Blog Post
We’ve all been there. Going about our days until our phone slips out of our hands and into a puddle big enough to be called an ocean. The next few days are spent soaking our device in rice and contracting co workers and family letting them know that they will not be able to reach you via cell phone. With technology advancing as rapidly as it is, social media becomes a big part of our daily interactions, and the lack of a smartphone often leaves us socially handicapped.
The report done by the American Academy of Pediatrics outlines the dangers adolescents may face when they are not educated on media. A section of this report is dedicated to cyberbullying, which can be a serious issue in our modern society. Social media makes it easy for any online predator to hide behind a screen and target young adults without any major consequences. This article states that “[cyberbullying] can cause profound psychosocial outcomes including depression, anxiety, severe isolation, and, tragically, suicide”. Mental health is becoming more of a concern, and I believe that social media has a partial blame to that.
Although media can be a frightening place, there are many benefits when it is used properly. Because of the anonymity of social media, teens are encouraged to voice their opinions and creative thoughts. As a twitter user, I can say that a lot of users use this app to talk about political issues, this can be seen with the recent school shooting in Florida, many users are tweeting about their stand on this issue and using the hashtag ‘#GunControlNow’ in hopes of gaining the attention of political leaders. What’s great about this form of media is that users don’t have to necessarily write out posts in order to show their support towards issues as this, they can ‘like’ or ‘retweet’ which provides them with the anonymity they may feel comfortable in, while still showing their support. Bell Let’s Talk day is an event that takes part exclusively on social media, people tweet, Instagram, use SnapChat filters, etc. in order to raise money for mental health organizations.
I can say that being a teen in this technological generation can be pretty scary at times, but there is a sense of community that comes with media. Because of apps such as Skype, FaceTime, and iMessage; I am capable of contacting distant relatives at any given moment. Instagram is another example of a strong community, I can share some of my favorite moments with students in my school and my close friends. Websites such as Twitter and Wordpress have also helped me in my students career as I was able to voice my opinion through blogs in order to build a portfolio for a program that I wanted to pursue post secondary. When teens are open about their use of social media with the people around them, they create a safer space for themselves where they do not have to worry themselves with bullying and predators on a daily basis.
