Assignment task: Cause and Effect of Social Media
"What's your name on Facebook? Account on Twitter? TikTok username? SnapChat profile? Can I follow you on Instragram?" These are all common questions in most conversations in today's day and time. It has become uncommon for someone to be off of the grid and at any times looked upon as "strange" or "unsocial" but the truth is that those without social media are the ones that are more "connected". Social media has grown by outrageous numbers in the past decade, so much that many people have multiple accounts so they can connect with everyone. While social media has some benefits, the downsides shadow any positives that have come into play. While clicking on social media icons can be a pleasurable experience, most of the time, it leaves a greater, long-lasting effect completely opposite of pleasure.
When social media began, the original thought process was to connect people in various ways from various places with ease. While this is still the focus with most social media companies, this has come at a cost. With the availability being easily accessible, mainly with cell phones, this has caused issues with addiction, anxiety and depression, self-esteem issues, and many more problems from children to adults. As stated by Vladimira Ivanova in her article "Social media addiction symptoms, causes, and effects", "(p)roblematic social media use is characterized by the inability to minimize or stop excessive social media consumption despite its adverse outcomes and serious consequences." Vladimira goes on to discuss social media addiction is classified as "uncontrollable and excessive engagement in social media networking sites and platforms. An individual suffering from social media addiction devotes a significant amount of time and energy to check on social networking sites and engaging with other users on the platforms". Social media addiction is now a problem across the globe.
Opening one's social media account begins with the feeling of excitement. What new comments have been made on my posts? Who has liked my most recent picture? Do I have any new friend requests? What are my "friends" up to? Once the social media account is open, many times a feeling of disappointment immediately begins. No new comments. No "likes" on pictures. No new friend requests. My "friends" are all busy with their own lives, that look perfect. This process has created many new cases of depression and anxiety across the world. The article "10 Positive and Negative Effects of Social Media on Society" by Yachika speaks not only on depression and anxiety but even "problems of depression, anxiety, severe tension, and fear are emerging. Sometimes, the conditions get worse, leading to suicide as well".
We all want to have the feeling of being "liked" so much that many will post fake stories and fake pictures on social media accounts. With this action, this creates a problem with having unrealistic expectations. Social media has caused many people to forget what it feels like to be humble, have high self-esteem, and be proud of who they are. The moment a picture is posted, or a comment is made, the expectation of immediate gratification is created. Many expect everyone to think they are "perfect", look the "best", and having everything "together". The reality of having a "bad" day and not always being "perfect" is not "accepted" in the social media world. The way people judge others is now how many "friends" they have or how many "followers" they have on their social media accounts. This phenomenon has created a disconnect from reality. "People are becoming more addicted to their phones as a result of being disconnected from social reality. People frequently ignore and neglect those around them; they are unaware of what is going on in society because they are constantly immersed in their virtual world, engaging with entertainment and people in their virtual world. People who lack social and communication skills use social media to escape and ignore people in the real world. For instance, we all know a person who has no friends in the real world but has a following of hundreds of thousands on their social media account" as stated by Yachika.
Another effect that social media has created is an issue with poor work and school performances. Having goals is becoming an idea of the past and is no longer important today. As stated by Amanda Rife, in her article "10 Negative Effects of Social Media That Can Harm Your Life", "It's so easy to get wrapped up in what's going on in social media that people will neglect their real-life goals. Instead of aiming for the dream job by obtaining useful skills, people tend to strive for internet stardom. Achieving goals takes hard work and a good deal of motivation. Social media allows an easy outlet to distract us when we don't feel like putting in the hard work, and we can end up going down a path where we simply don't get things done because it becomes too easy to find a distraction". Setting goals has been proven to keep individuals motivated and focused but the whole though process of creating or having dreams is becoming a distant memory due to social media.
Though social media's intent was to connect the world, it has been proven that the negative effects social media has had on society outweigh any positives that company's thought would occur. Between addiction, self-esteem issues, suicide, disconnection from reality, poor performance at school and work, and loss of goal setting, the effects of social media are many and growing rapidly at a very concerning rate. There are many articles that have been published, along with credited research, that proves that social media is a serious problem. As children and adults alike grow in the social media world, long-lasting negative effects will affect many generations to come.
ORGANIZATION
- Does the essay contain a separate introductory paragraph?
- Does the essay open effectively?
- Does the writer introduce his/her topic to the reader? Explain.
- Does the essay contain a thesis statement?
- If the essay does not contain a thesis statement, propose one.
- Does the essay contain clearly stated topic sentences in each body paragraph?
- If not, propose some in the space provided.
- Are paragraphs organized in a way that makes logical sense?
- In each paragraph, do sentences contain ideas that follow one another in a logical manner?
- Are there places where an idea or topic seems to shift unexpectedly?
- Are there places in the text where you are confused as a reader?
- Does each paragraph contain a topic sentence?
- Does writer use transitional words in order to help clarify connections? (ie. similarly, likewise, however, but, on the contrary)
- Does the writer use transitions between sentences/paragraphs to link his/her ideas?
- Are there places where the writer could add transitions to make the writing more organized?
- Does essay contain a separate concluding paragraph? Explain.
- Does the essay close effectively? Does writer leave the reader with some sense of finality? Explain.
VARIETY/SOPHISTICATION
- Do sentences contain a mix of simple and more complex structures?
- Are there places where the sentences seem overly simplistic?
- Does writer use words that sound sophisticated?
- Are there places where the writer might use more sophisticated language to convey his/her message?
- Does the tone sound professional?
- Are there places where the writer could use more professional words?
SPECIFICITY
- Does writer support his/her statements with specific details, opinions, facts, etc.?
- Are there places where the writer has not provided sufficient details to support his/her opinions?
- Does writer develop each statement/idea with multiple examples?
- Is writing extremely detailed?
- Are there places where the writing seems a bit vague or general?
- Does writing avoid vague words/phrases such as "a lot," "a great deal of time," "big," "small," "most," etc.?
CONCISION
- Is writing concise and void of excessive wordiness and/or repetition?
- Are there places where the writer seems to repeat the same idea?
- Does writing only include the words, sentences, or paragraphs needed to convey the message?
- Are there sentences that contain more words than are necessary?
ACCURACY/CORRECTNESS
- Does writer use correct punctuation, grammar, and spelling?
- Does writer use accurate words, information, and data?
What types of revision would you recommend in order for the essay to be more successful?