Watts 1

Justin Watts

Debate Research Paper

FYS-100-105

November 20, 2015

Is Social Media Helping or Hurting Society?

Social media has not only been helping our society advance to the next level, but it is also

hurting society as well. People may be able to advertise, keep in contact with other people all

around the world, and express their own views, but people are at risk with every click that they

make on a social network. In an article titled Social Media Explosion, Marcia Clemmitt states,

“Every photo upload or click of a “like” button deposits users' personal data online, much of

which is sold to help businesses target advertising” (Clemmitt). Basically, social media is just as

helpful as it is hurtful.

There are many issues of concern within this article. One of the problems that the author

states is privacy. Many say that this is one of the main issues with social media. Some other

issues with social media involve hoaxes, lack of face-to-face contact, relationship problems, and

much more. It is very difficult to be involved with any social media account and not have one of

these problems play a part. It is a very chilling thought to think that just a little over a decade

ago, people were perfectly fine with having face-to-face contact with each other. Today, people

would much rather have face-to-face contact over “Facetime” or the video chat program called

“Skype.”

The benefits for social media can go on and on. The world has come so far from what it

used to be just by the advancement of technology and social media. Today, anyone can have

connection with anyone around the country by just the click of a button on a computer or smart

Watts 2

phone. According to the article titled Social Media Explosion, “Research suggests that social

media are leading to increased political activity, says Joseph Kahne, a professor of education at

Mills College, in Oakland, Calif., and chairman of the MacArthur Foundation's Research

Network on Youth and Participatory Politics” (Clemmitt). Social media has helped people get

involved and introduced with a vast amount of political topics and discussions. By doing this,

people are engaging in a social activity in which they are sharing their ideas. Along with this,

presidential candidates have a history of campaigning via social media. In the same article titled

Social Media Explosion, “President Obama's 2008 and 2012 campaign operations used Facebook

effectively to encourage supporters to contact particular Facebook “friends” who analysts

determined were promising targets for a vote-Obama pitch, Kreiss says” (Clemmitt).

Another positive benefit that social media gives society is that it helps combat depression

in some ways. Social Media Explosion states that, “Social media tools clearly help some people,

says Rosen. For example, studies show that for people with mild or major depression, “having

many friends on Facebook helps” improve moods, in the same way that talking on the phone

does” (Clemmitt). Some people have to have many friends in order to have a happy life. This

may include having a lot of friends on social media in order to boost popularity and may even

boost self-esteem. Social media has a way of making people more accepted within the

community or a group.

While social media is helping society in many ways, it is also hurting it in many ways as

well. Social networking can be a very dangerous thing in someone’s life. One scary thought is

that once something has been posted, it can never be deleted. One bad aspect about social media

is the amount of internet hoaxes and accounts of fraud that happen; and it is completely legal.

According to Social Media Explosion, “Linebacker Manti Te'o of the University of Notre Dame

Watts 3

is at the center of an Internet hoax involving his two-year online relationship with a non-existent

young woman who Te'o said had died of cancer” (Clemmitt). The problem with this is that Manti

Te’o was faced with a very difficult, maybe even life-changing situation that turned out to be not

even real. Not only was Te’o hurt and cheated, he was also embarrassed nationally just by this

hoax.

Another problem with social media today is that people are now lacking more “face-to-

face” contact with each other. The same article, Social Media Explosion, says that, “Many kids

say they prefer not to talk face to face,” notes Larry Rosen, a professor of psychology at

California State University, Dominguez Hills” (Clemmitt). Children and teenagers today are too

involved with what is going on with their Twitter feed rather than what the weather is outside.

The problem with this is that not only is it just one issue, but it turns into multiple issues. Being

involved with technology, such as social media, takes away from people’s time throughout the

day and causes them to have a sedentary lifestyle. Living this kind of lifestyle could possibly

lead to obesity and other health concerns. Social Media Explosion also states that, “Teens are

showing “a decrease in risk taking” from previous generations when it comes to expressing

themselves and interacting with other people, says Katie E. Davis, an assistant professor at the

University of Washington Information School in Seattle” (Clemmitt).

Social media has benefitted democratic societies in many ways. One way is to raise

awareness about certain political or social topics. According to Social Media Explosion,

“Western commentators have claimed that Iranians used Twitter to organize protests after a

contested June 2009 election” (Clemmitt). Things such as campaigns, awareness events, protests,

agendas, etc. are all examples of how social media can be used to promote democratic societies.

Watts 4

Social media has very negative influences in today’s society. Cyber bullying, fraud, and

stalking are all examples of how social media is dangerous to the public. According to Statista,

87 percent of youths in the United States have witnessed cyber bullying in a study conducted as

of April 2014 (Impact of Cyber Bullying on Youths in The United States as of April 2014).

Cyber bullying is a big part of the problem with social media. Not only has it caused depression

amongst people that experience it, but there have been cases where the situation ends up deadly.

In an article by Jeffrey Duong, MHS and Catherine Bradshaw, PhD titled Associations Between

Bullying and Engaging in Aggressive and Suicidal Behaviors Among Sexual Minority Youth: The

Moderating Role of Connectedness, “Victimized youth are at risk for numerous negative social

and psychological outcomes, such as poor academic achievement, depression, and aggression”

(Duong, Bradshaw).

Internet hoaxes and fraud are also a huge concern surrounding social media. The problem

with this is that people tend to be someone who they are not, which is perfectly legal online.

Dating networks such as eHarmony, FarmersOnly.com, and ChristianMingle.com are just a few

examples of dangerous networks in which someone may not be who they claim to be. One story

involves a former University of Notre Dame linebacker, Manti Te’o. Previously stated above,

“Linebacker Manti Te'o of the University of Notre Dame is at the center of an Internet hoax

involving his two-year online relationship with a non-existent young woman who Te'o said had

died of cancer” (Clemmitt). According to an article written by Aaron Hernandez, “Due to the

recent embarrassing issues involving social media misuse by student athletes, the NCAA has a

substantial incentive to limit social media use by student athletes—possibly by banning its use

altogether” (Hernandez).

Watts 5

Social media has helped the lives of many but it has also ruined the lives of many. Cyber

bullying is a major problem around the world today. As long as there is social media, there will

be cyber bullying. The generation today will say anything behind the screen of their phones or

computers but they will not say the same thing in person. This is what makes social media so

dangerous. Whether it be commenting on someone’s status or tagging someone in a picture,

social media is a jungle filled with many predators.

Watts 6

Works Cited

Clemmitt, Marcia. "Social Media Explosion." CQ Researcher 25 Jan. 2013: 81-104. Web. 19

Nov. 2015.

Duong, Jeffrey, and Catherine Bradshaw. "Associations Between Bullying And Engaging In

Aggressive And Suicidal Behaviors Among Sexual Minority Youth: The Moderating

Role Of Connectedness." Journal Of School Health 84.10 (2014): 636-645. ERIC. Web.

19 Nov. 2015.

Hernandez, Aaron. "All Quiet On The Digital Front: The NCAA's Wide Discretion In Regulating

Social Media." Texas Review Of Entertainment & Sports Law 15.1 (2013): 53-66.

Academic Search Premier. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.

"Impact of Cyber Bullying on Youths in The United States as of April 2014." Statista - The

Statistics Portal. Statista. 20 Nov 2015. <http://www.statista.com/statistics/312584/cyber-

bullying-us-youth-impact/>.