Caiioll 1

Nancy Caiioll
Campbell
English 11u2
2S Febiuaiy 2u14
Social Neuia: Infectious oi Nutiitious
It is no question that social meuia has changeu the couise of communication
in the 21
st
centuiy. uiowing up with social meuia anu the Inteinet has put a
uiffeient aspect on my life compaieu to geneiations befoie me. Theie have been
instances in which I have maue a fiienu online anu uiu not meet them face-to-face
until much latei. But what affect has this anti-social behavioi hau on not only
myself but also othei stuuents my age. Can social netwoiking even be uefineu as
anti-social behavioi. Those that have giown up with social meuia tenu to be moie
anxious when it comes to face-to-face communication consiueiing they aie
accustomeu to meuiateu conveisations via technology. We iely on weak social
meuia connections because most uo not iealize how much stiongei oui ielations
coulu be in the absence of a cell phone oi computei.
Accoiuing to Nauia Kellei in !"#$%& (")* +",%-, "with the ielease of the fifth
euition of the BSN, Inteinet auuiction will now be listeu as a mental illness maikeu
by emotional shutuown, lack of concentiation, anu withuiawal symptoms." The
tiuth of this statistic is extiemely fiightening as appioximately five times as many
high school anu college stuuents aie uealing with anxiety anu othei mental health
issues compaieu to youth of the same age uuiing the uieat Bepiession, as stuuieu
by San Biego State 0niveisity psychology piofessoi }ean Twenge.
Emma Wolff 4/28/14 10:04 PM
Comment [1]: Bou you think social netwoiking
has maue you a little moie anti-social. Aie theie
statistics on human behaviois since this
technology has been inventeu.
Emma Wolff 4/28/14 10:06 PM
Comment [2]: So insightful, I agiee.
Emma Wolff 4/28/14 10:07 PM
Comment [3]: This is fiightening, is it all
because of social meuia.
Caiioll 2
Nany teens aie becoming uepiesseu uue too unhealthy amounts of social
meuia anu Inteinet use, along with the peisonalities anu ielationships they cieate
foi themselves online. As Bi. Richaiu u. }ones, }i., Assistant Piofessoi in the
Bepaitment of Communication Stuuies at Eastein Illinois 0niveisity, uiscusseu on
his ieseaich blog, "some useis, especially auolescents, engage in what is calleu
'fiienu-collecting behavioi', which entails useis "fiienuing" people they uon't know
peisonally oi that they woulun't talk to in peison in oiuei to inciease the size of
theii online netwoik." Nany teens stiuggle to make fiienus at school, but as soon as
they entei the online woilu they aie able to become someone they may fail to be in a
social setting. They obtain the ability to cieate piofiles anu uesciibe themselves in
ways that can possibly stietch the tiuth. Pictuies can be euiteu to look nothing like
the oiiginal copy. People geneially feel moie poweiful online as they hiue behinu a
computei scieen. Teens go fiom a few ieal-life fiienus to thousanus of fiienus anu
followeis on Facebook anu Twittei, auuicting them as they compete in an online
populaiity contest. Knowing that someone is theie in cybei space as youi vicaiious
suppoit system, ieauing youi posts anu sympathizing with youi situations, thoughts
anu feelings genuinely makes you feel moie valuable.
Assistant Piofessoi of Communication Stuuies at West viiginia 0niveisity,
Nicholas Bowman, explains that: "foi these people, they likely feel such a stiong
sense of iuentity online that they have some uifficulty sepaiating theii viitual
actions fiom theii actual ones". Nowauays, young people often iise fiom
insignificance to Inteinet "fame" uepenuing on theii posts as well as theii numbei of
followeis. This foim of self-piesentation has teens hookeu on social netwoiking
Emma Wolff 4/28/14 10:08 PM
Comment [4]: to
Emma Wolff 4/28/14 10:12 PM
Comment [5]: Really goou job with youi
quoting anu explaining.
Emma Wolff 4/28/14 10:10 PM
Comment [6]: I agiee. This affects the
geneiations to come as well. Catfish!
Emma Wolff 4/28/14 10:11 PM
Comment [7]: Aie theie any statistics on
auuiction iates.
Caiioll S
sites. People aie often juugeu by how many followeis they have, how many "likes"
they ieceive on a photo anu how many "ietweets" they ieceive on a Tweet. Teens
uesiie to be accepteu anu likeu; they aie hungiy foi this online appieciation.
Piofessoi Bowman continues to uiscuss how "many of us caution that
Inteinet auuiction might be an inaccuiate poitiayal," as he pioposes the question
that, "if social meuia is uesigneu to connect people with people, then is it ieally a
human-technology ielationship oi is it a human-human ielationship meuiateu by
technology." As a ioutine social meuia usei, I have noticeu that ielationships aie
cieateu, enuuieu, anu often enueu thiough social meuia. 0nline uating has giown
with social meuia as well. No longei uo we have to meet people at the mall, in the
gioceiy stoie oi at the paik. We can simply type in oui inteiests anu websites can
calculate a match. In college, stuuents often use this methou in oiuei to finu
ioommates. Bowevei, teens tenu to use netwoiking sites such as Twittei anu
Facebook to meet theii significant otheis. 0n Twittei, teens see "favoiiting" each
otheis tweets as a common foim of fliitation. Stiangeis can message each othei on
Facebook anu be "In a Relationship" by the enu of the week without evei meeting
each othei in peison. Teens often fail to iealize the uangei in these methous.
If you uo enu up in a ielationship, is it ieally official unless youi Facebook
status says "In a Relationship". Teens especially feel that if theii love is not
pioclaimeu on the Inteinet, it cannot be tiue. Relationships of any kinu often enu
because of social meuia as well. Significant otheis tenu to become extiemely jealous
of each othei when communicating with anothei peison online. Also, teens tenu to
post about theii ielationship pioblems online foi the woilu to see, which can cause
Emma Wolff 4/28/14 10:11 PM
Comment [8]: uieat woiu use to show how
teens thiive off of feeling accepteu by the social
meuia
Emma Wolff 4/28/14 10:13 PM
Comment [9]: I have noticeu this as well.
0nline uating can be scaiy!
Emma Wolff 4/28/14 10:13 PM
Comment [10]: 0thei's
Emma Wolff 4/28/14 10:14 PM
Comment [11]: uoou question, makes you
think about youi past ielationships anu all youi
fiienus ielationships on facebook.
Caiioll 4
tension as othei people begin to put theii two cents in. The pioblem that shoulu be
between two people then becomes eveiyone else on the netwoik's pioblem as well.
When meeting people on the Inteinet, theii online lives often uo not match up with
theii offline lives. "If anyone wants to finu out about the inteiests of a peison
someone is uating, they can just go to hishei Facebook page oi follow hishei
Tumbli", a gieat point I came acioss on the blog "Life Love & Nusic"; "that cuts out
the whole fiist uate anu leaining about the basics of someone because it's all on
theii website". This iuins the couise of a ielationship, as you can't tiuly ueepen one
without peisonal inteiaction.
People also tenu to bonu thiough posts by "liking" oi shaiing them. Insteau
of staiting a conveisation anu asking how someone is we can just scioll uown theii
timeline anu ieau foi ouiselves, anu this maintains the fiienuship even if you
haven't iecently spoken to this peison face-to-face. The cieation of social
netwoiking sites was intenueu to piomote the expansion of communication anu a
quick anu easy exchange of knowleuge, as authois Sebastian Biuque, }ose Noyano
anu }acob Eisenbeig explaineu in "Inuiviuual Auaption to IT-Inuuceu Change: The
Role of Social Netwoiks." They continueu to iepoit that: "in uense infoimational
netwoiks, inuiviuuals can make use of a closely woven netwoik of ties, with many
links among the membeis, to keep each othei infoimeu about the.pioblems they
encountei anu the solutions they finu." Bowevei, accoiuing to Naiy Nauuen, Senioi
Reseaichei foi the Pew Reseaich Centei's Inteinet Pioject, teens on social meuia
sites tenu to stay away fiom uiveisity anu usually only follow people that shaie the
Emma Wolff 4/28/14 10:15 PM
Comment [12]: Insteau of as maybe say when
oi if.
Emma Wolff 4/28/14 10:16 PM
Comment [13]: So tiue, it is sau that this is
how we "keep up" with olu fiienusfamily.
Caiioll S
same inteiests anu beliefs as themselves, making it uifficult to expanu theii
peispectives anu leain new infoimation.
0veiall, it is inevitable that social meuia has, anu will, continue to change the
couise foi peisonal ielationships entiiely. Simple conveisations between two
people face-to-face aie alieauy becoming iaie anu uifficult as people aie so
accustomeu to typing messages on a laptop oi cell phone. Teens, especially, aie
infecteu by this epiuemic, as most have nevei known what the woilu was like
without social meuia. Social meuia has become a ioutine way of life, anu as Paul
Booth, Assistant Piofessoi of Neuia anu Cinema Stuuies in the College of
Communication at BePaul 0niveisity, explains: "As a society we'll be okay - we've
always aujusteu to new technology. So whethei it's weaiable communication
meuia.oi moie clouu computing, we'll change anu auapt".











Emma Wolff 4/28/14 10:16 PM
Comment [14]: veiy goou ieliable infoimation
to help suppoit!
Emma Wolff 4/28/14 10:16 PM
Comment [15]: Affecteu.
Emma Wolff 4/28/14 10:17 PM
Comment [16]: uieat quote to enu. veiy stiong
anu poweiful.
Caiioll 6
Woiks Citeu
Bioque, Sebastian, }ose Noyano, anu }acob Eisenbeig. "Inuiviuual Auaptation to IT-
Inuuceu Change: The Role of Social Netwoiks." ./)0$#&12 34456 789:
:;%)&"001 <$=)%)$1>?. N.p., n.u. Web. 26 Nai. 2u14.
<http:uncc.woilucat.oigtitleinuiviuual-auaptation-to-it-inuuceu-
change-the-iole-of-social-
netwoiksoclc479SSuu271&iefeiei=biief_iesults>.
}ones, Richaiu. "Richaiu u. }ones, }i., Ph.B.." @"A B"1> !"#$%& C1,$% /DD1#0 EF)
G1&%0$"H>;$I>JK LH01)I1)>"H%& :"MMFH$#%0$"H $H 0;1 B$N$0%&O /N1. N.p., 12 Nay
2u1S. Web. 26 Nai. 2u14.
<http:www.iichaiugjonesji.comblog2u1SS12how-uoes-social-
meuia-affect-oui-ielationships-inteipeisonal-9.html>.
Kellei, Nauia . "Social Neuia anu Inteipeisonal Communication." !"#$%& C1,$% %H,
LH01)I1)>"H%& :"MMFH$#%0$"H. uieat valley Publishing Co., Inc., n.u. Web. 2S
Nai. 2u14. <http:www.socialwoiktouay.comaichiveuS1S1Sp1u.shtml>.
Nauuen, Naiy, Amanua Lenhait, Aaion Smith, anu Alexanuiia Nacgill. "Teens anu
Social Neuia." P1A G1>1%)#; :1H01)> LH01)H10 /M1)$#%H <$D1 P)"Q1#0 G!!. N.p.,
19 Bec. 2uu7. Web. 26 Nai. 2u14.
<http:www.pewinteinet.oig2uu71219teens-anu-social-meuia>.
"Social Neuia vs Peisonal Relationships | Life Love & Nusic." <$D1 <"R1 CF>$#. N.p.,
27 Bec. 2u12. Web. 26 Nai. 2u14. <http:lifeloveanumusic.netsocial-
meuia-vs-peisonal-ielationships>.
Twenge, }ean. "Euucation." !0F,-K !0F,1H0> M")1 >0)1>>1, H"A 0;%H ,F)$HN
B1I)1>>$"HJ. 0SA Touay, 12 }an. 2u1u. Web. 26 Nai. 2u14.
Caiioll 7
<http:usatouaySu.usatouay.comnewseuucation2u1u-u1-12-stuuents-
uepiession-anxiety_N.htm>.