Social Media Impacts

One of the major changes in our lives has been the widespread use of social media. Some hail it as a sign of low-cost global communication freedom. Some are concerned about what the positive and negative impacts might be. Here’s one study focused on the impact of social media on teenagers.

•      •      •      •      •      •      •      •

Devices dominate teenagers’ social lives

 

Kim Hart

Common Sense Media

September 19, 2018Save

[Reproduced from “Social media, social life,”

Rideout, V., and Robb, M. B. (2018)]

 

 

Today’s teens:

 

•      Prefer texting over in-person communication,

 

•      Use social media multiple times a day, and

 

•      Admit that digital distractions interfere with

homework, personal relationships and sleep,

 

… according to a new survey of 13- to 17-year-olds.

Why it matters:

Concerns over the negative impact of social media use have increased recently with reports of teen depression, suicide and cyberbullying on the rise. The study by Common Sense Media, a non-profit group focused on tech and media’s impact on kids, shows teens have a complicated relationship with technology.

Key findings:

  • 81% of teens use social media, with 70% saying they use it multiple times a day, up from 34% in 2012. And 89% have their own smartphone, more than doubling since 2012.

 

  • 72% of teens believe that tech companies manipulate users to spend more time on devices.

 

  • The proportion of teens who prefer in-person interaction has plummeted from 49% in 2012 to 32% in 2018. Texting is now the favorite mode of communication.

 

  • 13% of teens say they’ve been cyber-bullied.

 

  • 33% of teens say they wish their parents would spend less time on their devices, up from 21% in 2012.

 

  • In 2012, 68% said their go-to social site was Facebook. That number fell to 15% in 2018, with Snapchat and Instagram the new favorites.

 

The social life conundrum:

54% of teens agree that using social media often distracts them when they are with people, and 44% say they get frustrated when their friends are using their phones while hanging out. Yet 55% say they hardly ever or never put their devices away when hanging out with friends.

 

“I wonder if we are seeing the beginnings of

some weird negative feedback loop where we

can’t help but be on our devices when we’re

with other people, and we get upset with others

for being distracted by by their devices when

they’re with us — so therefore we don’t want to

hang out with people in person anymore because

it’s easier to interact with them on our devices.”

 

— Vicky Rideout, independent researcher

who conducted the surveys in 2012 and 2018

 

The impact:

Interestingly, despite the increased use of social media, teens are more likely to say that social media has a positive effect on them. For instance, 25% say using social media makes them feel less lonely, compared to 3% who say it makes them feel more lonely.

 

Yes, but:

 

  • Still, more than two-thirds of teens agree with the statement, “social media has a negative impact on many people my age.”

 

  • And 40% agree with the statement, “I sometimes wish I could go back to a time when there was no such thing as social media.”

 

Be smart:

For parents and teachers, Rideout says one solution is to model restraint by setting aside particular times — such as during meals, while doing homework, and before bedtime — to silence devices.

•      •      •      •      •      •      •      •

Every new technology has “growing pains” as people adapt to its use, such as social media dining or “hanging out” etiquette. However, if people adapt to thinking in terms of bite-sized messages, what happens to our ability to gain in-depth understanding, in terms of more complex concepts as described in literature, or in-depth understanding of one another?

In the absence of in-depth understanding of one another, how do we resolve differences that naturally occur, and evolve win-win outcomes when dealing with major issues in our lives, such as environmental policies, economic policies, education policies, rewarding careers, different lifestyles, etc.?

One of my life-long friends once told me that he has many acquaintances, but very few real friends. I wonder if the social media has a similar impact:  tons of acquaintances – surface relationships – but very few real friends.  One of the surprises I experienced in developing the Garden Atrium Sustainable Community was a comment that several residents made at the end of one of our annual meetings:

 

“I’ve lived in homes for over ten years and never

really known my neighbors. Here, we’re ‘In com-

munity’ … I know all my neighbors and if I ever

need help, I believe I can go any one of them and

get helped. And I’d do the same for any of them.”

 

While relationships between neighbors will vary, they’re all past the “acquaintance” stage, and feel a greater connection to one another. In a world that’s constantly changing, having helping relationships seems to be very comforting, and a factor in improving our quality-of-life experience.

Perhaps “social media” needs to be seen as a way to expand our breadth of acquaintances – especially as they could be anywhere in the world. And from that base, with in-depth understanding, we can evolve friendships.

Comments are closed.