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China Allford
Professor Voltz
UWRT 1102-045
29 April 2016
The Contributions of Social Media and Networking: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly
Social media and social networking has a very influencing impact on society. The reason
being is because the technology that individuals have and use today makes social media and
social network readily accessible and easy to use. These two terms correlate in definition and in
turn makes them coexist and inseparable; therefore, it makes it difficult to explain or do without
having the other. Although, social networking came before social media, for the most part social
networking explains what people do while on social media. For example, social media is having
websites or forms relative to this of communicating and creating connections of personal and
business use, while social networking is creation of those personal and business connections or
contacts.
However, it has not always been this was. There was a time were social networking was
not made via website or other related forms, but instead was made through phone calls or other
non-digital forms. But because of the creation of the internet people were then able to create
websites that allowed individuals to communicate quickly and efficiently, which resulted in huge
popularity and use among people. The popularity and use of the internet and its websites is the
direct cause and impact of why social networking has now became correlated with social media.
However, the influencing impact those two terms have, have raised questions as to whether the
effects of individuals using social media and social networking does more harm than good; after
evaluating various article it can be seen that both terms allow individuals to healthy emotional

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and social development, unhealthy identity development, and a decline in both physical and
mental health.
Social media is impacting the younger generation in the society existing today heavily,
and this impact has led to a very positive effects on youth based on their emotional and social
development. The emotional and social development that social media gave way was the
development of quick communication and connectedness. Based on Social Media Use and
Social Connectedness in Adolescents: The Positives and the Potential Pitfalls the authors state,
It is well established in theory that a sense of social connection forms the basis for creating
strong, long-lasting interpersonal bonds describe humans as possessing an innate psychological
drive to belong to groups and take part in meaningful social interactions (in qtd. Allen et al. 19).
The connectedness that young individuals or individuals in general feel creates strong bonds and
a sense of belonging with other individuals that share the same interests or with family members
that they cannot easily travel to see. Social media can also allow a bond to be made from people
you will ever meet as well, because what you post can be revealing of who you truly are. For
example, Anjali Chandra explained, A Facebook profile or a Twitter post can be as revealing as
other forms of creative expression, such as art or writing (n.p.). The way someone writes a post
or what they post can reveal a certain trait about them which can attract other people.
Additionally, the feeling of belonging to a group or creating a bond to just one person can have
lots of positive effects on an individual. For example, research that states some of the positive
effects say:
This nding has been supported by other researchers, who have found that online
communication signicantly and positively affects perceptions of social integration and
bonding. [It] also suggested that social media might support a sense of belonging by

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allowing young people to seek validation from peers regarding their thoughts and
experiences. (in qtd Allen et al. 21-2)
The sense of belonging that an individual has comes from their peers, which in return allows that
same individual to feel accepted or have confirmation that they can be themselves and that the
other accepts them for who they are. This sense of belonging has a positive emotional
empowerment on the individual because the individuals become more self-confident.
However, where there is too much self-confidents, there is also gates ways and paths to
too much narcissism, which a can lead to a negative or unhealthy identity development. The
negative or unhealthy identity development is creating conflicts amongst gender and sexual
identity, which can affect good opportunities on getting a job. The conflicts that are arising with
gender and sexual identity has to deal more with relationships and how it is viewed among the
youth. In a scholarly article, the authors mentioned, [G]iven that adolescents can view dating
as a recreational endeavour involving companionship, rst experiences of romantic love, and
sexual experimentation. Moreover, the developing prefrontal cortex of the teenage brain is still
mastering tasks such as impulse control, emotional regulation and the assessment of
consequences and risks in qtd Allen et.all 26). Many young people are getting exposed at earlier
ages to these experiences, and the fact that they are still trying to develop mentally and
physically is only making the situation worse. And the way these young children are expressing
is getting worse, which is the very reason why parents or guardians have to supervise what their
children are posting or looking at on social media. Instead, parents are too busy checking their
social media accounts and worrying about gossip verses their own children are doing on his or
her site. Equally important, businesses are now taking into account the type of expressions
people post on their social media account. These businesses are now looking at how future

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employees interact online and considering if they should hire that individual, and this could
really hurt adolescents if they are not carful of what they post. Samia Cornelius and Sara Sameen
mentioned in their article that information is easily accessible by, and visible to employers and
hiring managers. However, it also holds the risk of introducing various biases to the screening
process. For instance, possible bias via Facebook occurs when hiring managers reject suitable
applicants just by looking at their profile picture, which they think is a representation of their
personality (in qtd Cornelius and Sameen 28). The internet is becoming very accessible and
easy to use, and with that it is also becoming easier to find people. The benefit of this is that you
are able to finds jobs of interest in an instant, and communicate with the business quickly. That is
a very big advantage for the business and the future employee because it opens the door for more
opportunities and qualified people for businesses. Although, if adults or adolescents are not
carful then they could sell themselves short and miss out on a good opportunity of a job.
The true ugliness of the contributions of social media is the fact that it can decline the
physical and mental health of individuals. Social media can lead to many people having
antisocial behavior, mental health issues, and laziness. These effects can lead to major problems
in the future for youth. For example, Jean Twenge declared, A study of 12- to 18-year-olds in
Hong Kong found that those who used the Internet more hours a week were more likely to
engage in antisocial and delinquent behavior and less likely to help others (in qtd Twenge 13-4).
The more time teenagers spend on social media the more likely they will become antisocial, and
the more likely they will act out in school. Parents and schools should work together to restrict or
limit these high risk teens. Another outcome of teens spending large amounts of time on social
media is mental health issue. The main mental health issue is addiction, and because of cultural
change of people using social media and networking more professionals are now looking at

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adding this new disorder to an accredited book ( in qtd Twenge 14). Social media and social
networking should not be that influencing, and the fact that social media has made people come
to this is terrifying. The United States is known for its intelligences, and because social media
and social networking is turning many individuals into train wrecks is concerning for the next
generations to come. This addiction to the social media and social networking can lead to
laziness in many young teens, because they spend so much time on social media. The authors of
a scholarly article explain, From academic procrastination to social impairment as far as real
physical interactions are concerned, diminished productivity at work and physical problems
associated with a sedentary life-style (Menna et al 94). Social media and social networking is
making many individuals lazy because it is causing them to decline in work ethic and become
sedentary for large amounts of time.
Social media and social networking will continue to be prevalent in todays society,
because of the technology the world is able to have. Innovations of technology will only make
the accessibility of social media and social networking easier. The large amounts of information
individuals get from social media is amazing, because good bonds and friendships can be made
out of other individuals who too far away to physically spend time with. However, the
contributions of social media and social networking continue to have more negatives than
positives. This will only change depending on how society changes, because if there is not
anyone to post, snap, or chat then social media and social networking will cease to exist.

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Works Cited
Allen, Kelly A., et al. Social Media Use and Social Connectedness in Adolescents: The
Positives and the Potential Pitfalls. The Australian Educational and Developmental
Psychologist 31.1 (2014):18-31. ProQuest Central. Web. 17 Mar. 2016.
Chandra, Anjali. Social networking Sites and digital identity: The utility of provider adolescent
communication. Child Adol. Behav. Letter 32 (2016): 17. ProQuest Central. Web. 17
Mar. 2016.
Meena, Parth S., Mittal, Pankaj K., Solanki, Ram K. Problematic use of social networking sites
among urban school going teenagers. Industrial Psychiatry Journal 21.2 (2012): 94-97.
ProQuest Central. Web. 17 Mar. 2016.
Sameen, Sara, and Cornelius, Samia Social Networking Sites and Hiring: How Social
Media Profiles Influence Hiring Decisions. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly 7.1
(2015): 27-35. ProQuest Central. Web. 17 Mar. 2016.
Twenge, Jean M. "Does Online Social Media Lead to Social Connection or Social
Disconnection." Journal of College and Character 14.1 (2013): 11-20. ProQuest Central.
Web. 17 Mar. 2016.