English

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Sam Reber

Mary Bodelson

English 1120/21-05

11/27/21

Essay 3–Argumentative Research Paper–Third Draft

Quit Checking that Phone

It’s human nature to want to be liked. The approval of others has always been something

to be desired. To be social and put oneself out there was something that could provide these

things. It wasn’t until the middle of the 2000s when words like “social” and “like” took on

entirely new meanings with the advent of social media. People were now able to find long-lost

friends and family through Facebook, post pictures of vacations and their kid’s accomplishments

on Instagram, and send funny, filtered pictures that would disappear into the ether after ten

seconds. Social media was fun! But while social media seemed to make people more social, it

was also slowly destroying people without them even realizing it. While applications like

Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have opened up a whole new way of communicating, using

them too much introduces some very disturbing truths, particularly for youth. Young people

whose brains aren’t fully developed are in danger of social media pitfalls such as depression,

cyberbullying, addiction, online predators, and poor social skills.

The increased use of social media by youth has led to rising cases of depression, social

comparison, and many other mental illnesses, which is one of the very real pitfalls of social

media and need to be considered when allowing young individuals to use it. Middle school and

high school students have been using computers and other electronic devices so much more over

the last fifteen years. Advancements in technology and development of more and more

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applications to keep people “social” are causing youth to constantly compare themselves to what

they are seeing online from their peers, as well as what the advertisers are throwing at them

inside of the apps. Social media has intensified the old “keeping up with the Jones’s” idea for

today’s young people. Because of this, young girls and boys who are frequently using social

media are developing self-esteem issues. In a dissertation by Alfred University student, Alicia

Zielenski, she states, “Constantly having the opportunity for comparison, self-evaluation, and

incorrectly perceiving others’ characteristics could have negative effects on self-esteem”

(Zielenski 21). By continuously being inundated with filtered pictures and the seemingly perfect

lives of their peers, kids compare their lives to that of their peers, even though many times what

they are seeing is a false reality. Many social media users tend to only post the best parts of their

lives with perfectly staged, filtered photos. Zielenski goes on to add, “This pressure that students

experience to appear happy and therefore, post happy things on social media, makes it so most of

what people see on social media are happy things. As a result, individuals feel inferior because

they are not actually happy all the time” (Zielenski 30). Here, the author is claiming that just

because something appears to be so perfect on the outside, it may be the opposite on the inside.

Kids who are always having to put on a happy face could be hurting because they feel so much

pressure to always appear perfect, which clearly proves that social media is have a detrimental

effect of young people’s self-esteem. Another phenomenon with social media that is causing

depression in youth is FoMO syndrome, or The Fear of Missing Out. In her dissertation,

Zielenski states, “FoMO refers to the uneasiness that individuals feel when they are at risk of

missing out on what their peers are doing” (Zielenski 20). This frequently happens when users

will see things posted on social media that they wish they were included in, such as a party or a

sleepover they may not have been invited to. Her claim adds that FoMO is more common among

Commented [M1]: Notice how Wilson establishes the credibility of Zielinski before offering the information from the source.

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young people and is negatively associated with overall life satisfaction. Overuse of social media

by youth is also leading to self-harm. In the Netflix documentary, The Social Dilemma, Social

Psychologist John Haidt claims,

“There has been a gigantic increase in depression and anxiety for American teenagers

which began right around…between 2011 and 2013. The number of teenage girls out of

100,000 in this country who were admitted to a hospital every year because they cut

themselves or otherwise harmed themselves, that number was pretty stable until around

2010, 2011, and then it begins going way up” (qtd. in The Social Dilemma).

Sadly, suicide rates during this time followed the same trend and were up 70% from just one

decade earlier. Because these numbers correlate with the rise in social media popularity, one can

draw the conclusion that the increased use of social media among youths was a contributing

factor. Young people are always looking for approval and, in their minds, approval comes from

“likes” and “followers.” They get a false sense of self-worth from the approval of others.

Another contributor in The Social Dilemma, former Facebook VP of Growth, Chamath

Palihapitiya adds, “We curate our lives around this perceived sense of perfection because we get

rewarded in these short-term signals – hearts, likes, thumbs up – and we conflate that with value,

and we conflate it with truth” (qtd. in The Social Dilemma). The user may feel good about

themselves temporarily, but eventually, they end up feeling even more empty. Although social

media might have its benefits, too much of it can lead to social comparison, depression, and self-

harm among young people, proving it does a lot more harm than good, which truly displays how

detrimental social media is to teens.

Another problem with too much social media use by young people is cyberbullying.

Because social media allows for so much anonymity, kids can create accounts on the various

Commented [M2]: Block Quote: Notice that this quote is 4 or more lines, and because of that, it needs to be indented.

Commented [M3]: This is a strong Wrap up sentence that reminds of the argument that was made in the paragraph, and it clearly ties back to the overall thesis.

Commented [M4]: Notice the strong topic sentence that clearly states the argument being made and ties back to the overall thesis.

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platforms without anyone knowing who they are. In doing so, they target other kids on those

platforms by making hurtful comments on pictures or sending a mean direct message. It’s gotten

so bad that kids are telling other kids over social media that they should kill themselves. In an

article in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, author Antonia Alvarez says, “The potential for

anonymity and the lack of empathy on behalf of the bully are in fact considered to be among the

most injurious aspects of cyberbullying” (Alvarez). Because of social media, bullying is no

longer just stealing a kid’s lunch money or whispering gossip about them in a friend’s ear. The

floodgates opened with social media so that abusers have an infinite number of outlets to hurt

others. Many people keep their social media profiles public so a bully can post something

negative about their victim, then tags that victim in the photo or comment. All the bully’s online

friends, as well as all the victim’s online friends will see that rumor. The author goes on to say,

“An abuser can post lies or derogatory language on social networking sites, track a person’s

location through GPS monitoring, and send direct texts or instant messages to the victim

wherever he or she is” (Alvarez). Even if the victim makes their profiles private, or gets off

social media entirely, the bullying can continue because of the wide reach of the various

platforms. Out of embarrassment, young people may not want to tell anyone they’re being

bullied. The child may think nothing of it at first, or they may worry that nobody would believe

them. In an article on cybersafetycop.com, Police Sergeant Clayton Cranford says, “Nearly

eighty percent of teens said that they did not have parental rules about Internet use, and only

eleven percent told their parents about either being bullied or seeing something disturbing

online” (Cranford). Many parents don’t monitor their children’s social media. Some may not

even know their child uses it, leaving the door open even wider for the cyberbullies or worse.

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Because there are many ways a child could be bullied through all the social media platforms, it’s

just not safe for them to use in high amounts and again shows the true dangers of social media.

One of the more alarming claims about frequent usage of social media by young people is

that it causes changes in the brain due to addiction, proving the negatives definitely outweigh the

positives. This is especially true of young people who use social media because their brains

aren’t fully formed yet. When a person experiences something positive, sees something they like,

or feels happy, the reward center in the brain is activated. The chemical dopamine is released

into the brain causing the person to feel good. According to Jena Hillard of the website

addictioncenter.com, “When an individual gets a notification, such as a like or mention, the brain

receives a rush of dopamine and sends it along the reward pathways, causing the individual to

feel pleasure” (Hillard). The more a person uses social media, the more their brain wants that

dopamine “hit,” much like a drug. It can become so addictive that the user will experience

something called “phantom vibrations.” Their brain will want so badly to check social media that

they will feel a phone vibration that isn’t real. The person may reach over to tap their screen

without the phone even being there because their brain has been trained to constantly check for

new content on the phone. The sad thing is that developers know they’re doing it! In the Netflix

documentary, The Social Dilemma, Tristan Harris, a former Design Ethicist at Google, says, “It’s

not enough that you use the product constantly, I want to dig down deeper into the brain stem

and implant inside of you, an unconscious habit so that you are being programmed at a deeper

level. You don’t even realize it” (qtd. in The Social Dilemma). Social media developers know

that they have an impact on real-world behavior and emotions without the user even being made

aware. They are constantly trying to figure out how to give the users that next dopamine hit.

Commented [M5]: Strong Wrap Up!

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Because of the addictive nature of social media and the fact that children’s brains are not fully

developed, using social media too frequently can have devastating effects on young people.

Online predators have become an increasing problem with the use of social media by

young people. It’s not difficult for an unassuming child to be lured in by an adult that is

presenting themself as another child. In an article from the Child Crime Prevention & Safety

Center, Attorney Michael E. Kraut states, “According to the F.B.I., over 50 percent of the

victims of online sexual exploitation are between the ages of 12 and 15. An estimated 89 percent

of sexual advances directed at children occur in Internet chatrooms or through instant

messaging” (Kraut). Because many platforms allow for anonymity, predators can create fake

accounts that may appeal to young people. The child unassumingly befriends this online person,

assuming that the person is just another kid. They may share private information with the

predator that could endanger their safety. In his article on cybersafetycop.com, author Clayton

Cranford says, “They know how to identify the most vulnerable victims and what techniques to

use to groom children into sending nude images or videos to them. In some cases, the

accomplished pedophile can manipulate the child, build a relationship, resulting in the child

voluntarily meeting or running away with him” (Cranford). When left unchecked, children who

use social media can easily be lured into harmful situations. Young people who are emotionally

vulnerable or are looking for someone to care about them are especially at risk as predators know

how to build trust with the victim. Once a predator has earned the trust of the child, it’s easy for

them to entice the child into giving them private information or manipulating the child into

sending nude images or meeting in person. Cranford goes on to add, “Predators who try to

sexually exploit children for the purpose of producing child pornography often share that

pornography, or access to the child, with other predators” (Cranford). He’s saying that the child

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is now even more at risk because more predators will have access to that child. Because many

parents don’t set any boundaries online with their children, they often don’t have any idea what

their kids are doing online or in their social media apps. Young people should not use social

media in high amounts because they are more naïve and vulnerable, making them more at risk of

encountering online predators.

With the advancements in social media, people have lost the ability to communicate both

face to face and in writing. Kids these days would rather text or Snap someone if they have a

question rather than picking up the phone to call or speak to them in person. When texting, many

kids no longer use capital letters, punctuation, or even entire words. Instead, they’re using run-on

sentences and abbreviations when communicating through texts. Though it may be convenient,

this poor practice bleeds over into their studies, particularly when it comes to writing papers. The

inability of young people these days to formulate a properly written sentence is astounding. In

addition to the poor writing, another drawback to social media use in young people is that a

society is being created in which it’s commonplace to only use electronic communication. In her

article in thehealthy.com, author Jana Hillard says, “We can spend so much time talking to

people over social media – with “LOLs,” likes, emojis, and quick comments – that we may have

a more difficult time engaging in conversation with people in real life…instead, people are

learning to depend on their emojis to express what they are feeling or thinking” (Hillard). Face to

face interaction between youth and adults is becoming a thing of the past, although it’s difficult

to determine if it’s due to convenience or fear. It can be difficult to know the tone that a text

message is meant to have, so many people use emojis to help convey what they’re trying to get

across. Because of the convenience of texting and other social media outlets for communication,

young people seem to find difficulty in holding meaningful conversations with adults. In a

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University Wire article written by Kelly Coffey, she states, “We need to know how to interact

with others in real life, and not just over social media, especially for interviews, to maintain

relationships, even just to be a genuine person” (Coffey). Because social media has been such a

big part of their lives, it seems young people tend to get uncomfortable even making eye contact

with adults when speaking to them. In addition, because of the addictive nature of social media,

if a young person is talking to an adult, much of the time they are frequently looking down at

their phone just out of habit. Coffey goes on to add, “Because of sites like Facebook and Twitter,

people are losing the in-person connection that one needs to have in order to maintain a personal

relationship” (Coffey). Whether it’s face to face communication or the inability for young people

to write properly, one could say that using too much social media is dumbing down youth and

making them less social.

Social media can bring a lot of joy to the lives of people both young and old. Families

have been reunited, new friends have been made and old friends have been found. It informs,

engages, and empowers people. But social media also has a very dark side to it that, when used

too much, can lead down devastating paths. Young people, especially those who are naïve and

vulnerable can fall prey to social media pitfalls such as depression, cyberbullying, and addiction.

When left unchecked, youth can fall into the traps of online predators, leaving them open to

being sexually exploited or even kidnapped. Overuse of social media negatively affects their

interpersonal skills and prevents them from learning how to properly communicate with adults.

Despite all the good that social media can bring about, there are too many negative impacts for

young people to be using it on a regular basis. Commented [M6]: Make sure in your conclusion you: 1. Remind of your overall thesis 2. Recap all of your major points of argument 3. Leave the reader with something profound to think about.

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Annotated Bibliography

Alvarez, Antonia R. G. “‘IH8U’: Confronting Cyberbullying and Exploring the Use of

Cybertools in Teen Dating Relationships.” Journal of Clinical Psychology, vol. 68, no.

11 Nov. 2012, pp. 1205–1215. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1002/jclp.21920.

This journal article discusses what cyberbullying is as well as different types of cyberbullying

(cybertools), particularly in teen dating relationships. The information provided covers two large

surveys of teens in the United Kingdom and United States that describes specific methods of

electronic victimization. The results will discuss frequency, gender differences and causes of

cyberbullying. The article is valuable because it gives a lot of good examples and statistics about

how youth are being cyberbullied. It touches on the effects it has on mental health and one’s

psychological well-being. The source will help my argument because it describes the personal

experience of one teen girl’s relationship in which she was cyberbullied and discusses her need

for months of therapy.

Coffey, Kelly. "Social Media? More Like Anti-Social Media for this Generation." University

Wire, 8 Oct. 2014. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/wire-feeds/social-media-more-

like-anti-this-generation/docview/1609180864/se-2?accountid=40736.

The article discusses the effect of social media usage on the social skills for this generation. The

author argues that social media is ruining our generation and gives examples of why he thinks so.

He touches on the point that people no longer know how to have face to face conversations. The

article includes quotes from doctors in the field of psychology and mass communication

professors. The information is helpful because the author gives personal examples of how social

media has affected our interpersonal skills and is preventing us from living in the moment.

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Cranford, Clayton. "How Predators are Using Social Media to Exploit Your Children and What

You Can do to Stop Them" Cyber Safety Cop, 21 Feb. 2015.

https://cybersafetycop.com/how-predators-are-using-social-media-to-exploit-your-child-

and-what-you-can-do-to-stop-them/.

This online article discusses the way that youth are being exploited by online predators. It

addresses the questions and fears that parents have regarding how they can keep their children

safe online. The article gives an example of a ten-year-old girl that was preyed upon by multiple

people when using Snapchat. It provides valuable information on how online predators lure in

unsuspecting youth and how the online communication progresses and intensifies. The author

proves to be a credible resource as the instructor of Cyber Safety parent workshops. The article is

especially helpful in that it gives parents useful suggestions on how to keep their children safe

online. The information provided will support the argument that online predators is one of the

many reasons why social media is harmful for adolescents.

Nesi, Jacqueline, and Mitchell J Prinstein. “Using Social Media for Social Comparison and

Feedback-Seeking: Gender and Popularity Moderate Associations with Depressive

Symptoms.” Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, vol. 43,8, 2015, pp. 1427-1438.

PMC, doi:10.1007/s10802-015-0020-0.

This journal article discusses a study that investigates the contributions of social networking sites

regarding the problems of social comparison and social media addiction. It touches on the

negative consequences of using social media sites and concentrates specifically on social

comparison in adolescents. It also discusses the effects of social media use based on things like

popularity and gender. The article investigates the upward and downward comparisons that teens

will make when using social media. The information is valuable to the argument that social

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media usage can cause depression, as it suggests that negative social comparison due to social

media use is highly associated with lower life satisfaction.

The Social Dilemma. Directed by Jeff Orlowski, Exposure Labs, 2020. Netflix,

netflix.com/title/81254224. 

This Netflix documentary discusses the advent of social media and the how it changes the brain

and manipulates human psychology. The article will break down how social media companies

take advantage of people, focusing mostly on teenagers. Much of the information comes from a

former Google design ethicist, who also argues against how big tech companies manipulate their

users. It includes interviews with social engineers as well as psychology experts. The

information is helpful to my argument as it will point out how social media changes human

psychology and affects a person’s brain.

Zielenski, Alicia A. Is there a “Happy Filter” on Instagram? The Associations Between

Instagram Use, Social Comparison, and Depressive Symptoms, Alfred University, Ann

Arbor, 2021. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/is-there-happy-

filter-on-instagram-associations/docview/2566240018/se-2.

This dissertation discusses the relationship between social media use, social comparison and

depression in adolescents. While it includes both the positives and negatives of social media, it

focuses primarily on the negative aspects. The author argues that the higher levels of use,

specifically of Instagram, would correlate with higher levels of social comparison and

depression. The information includes striking statistics on social media usage among adolescents

and goes on to give specifics on about the most popular platforms among adolescents. The

information in the source is valuable to the argument due to the resources that the author cites

and the study that was performed on adolescents, with the consent of their parents. The content

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will help substantiate the argument that too much social media is harmful to youth as they tend to

compare themselves against others they are seeing or interacting with online.

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Additional Works Cited

Beres, Damon. “10 Hidden Negative Effects of Social Media on Your Brain.” The Healthy, 12

Nov. 2020. https://www.thehealthy.com/mental-health/negative-effects-of-social-media/.

Hillard, Jena. “Social Media Addiction.” addictioncenter.com, 3 Nov. 2021.

https://www.addictioncenter.com/drugs/social-media-addiction/.

Kraut, Michael E. “Children and Grooming / Online Predators.” Child Crime Prevention &

Safety Center, 2020. https://childsafety.losangelescriminallawyer.pro/children-and-

grooming-online-predators.html