When I was growing up, social media did not exist until my teen years. Children growing up now are being introduced to this dangerous world of social media much sooner than I ever was. On average, “people ages 8 to 18 spend about 7.5 hours on social media websites a day” (Rideout). With all this time spent on social media and technology in general, comes the online bullying. It is becoming extremely relevant in today’s society because of how fast a post can be spread. Children also feel more confident to say mean and vulgar things to each other, that they wouldn’t normally say in person. A staggering, “43% of kids [report] that they’ve suffered online bullying” (Kazmeyer). This can destroy the face-to-face relationships that are so important because children and young adults have such low self esteem, based of what is said online. Having online friends has its pros and cons also. For one, the internet and technology open up all the possibilities of friendships around the world. Yet it can also cause a loss of personability and closeness to a person. Also, having online friendships can cause, “significant consequences for their development of social skills and their presentation of self” (Brignall). They can cause these consequences because of the lack of face-to-face communication. Technology and internet use in general must be …show more content…
One of the main benefits of media is that it can be used as an ice-breaker. It can help you get to know what this person is like before you have meet them. Studies have shown that, “twenty-nine percent [of people] said they felt less shy when interacting with people they were connected with on social media” (Kituku). Social media also opens up people to a whole new world of friendships because of the amount of social media use in today’s society. There are new connections made daily that can range from the same city, to all the way across the world. These new friendships and connections are actually helping people of all ages with the mental illness of depression. As said by Dr. Tim Anstiss, “ Online chat, discussion and support provides many other benefits to depressed people – feelings of connectedness, not being judged, and reassurance that things can and do get better over time” (Anstiss). Talking without having to look at someone has some strong benefits, but overall the effects that are negative are much more prevalent in our society. Without strong connections in a face-to-face communication, mental illnesses might not really be resolved. Also, the strong connections and feeling less shy talking to someone over social media, only benefits people when talking through social media. In face-to-face communication, there will still be the underlying issues