New Era University

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

The Impact of Obsession in Social Media Sites to Teenagers

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for English 2

(Reading & Writing)

Submitted to

Prof. Leo Paulo Magcalas

Submitted by

Orogo, Krissia Mae C.

MARCH 2018
 CHAPTER 1

PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

In the early 2000’s, the Web became much more personal as social networking websites were
introduced and embraced by the masses. Social networking sites (SNS) are defined as web-based
services that allow individuals to construct a public or semi-public profile within a limited system,
articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and view and traverse their list of
connections and those made by others within the system. The nature and terms of these connections
may vary from site to site.

According to Almendrala (2016), if you have teenagers or know them, you’ll agree they
always seem to be glued to their smartphones — or, more precisely, the social media platforms these
phones contain.

But while it’s easy to joke that teens are obsessed with Instagram, Snapchat and probably a
bunch of apps we don’t even know about, there’s new evidence that might explain why:
Neuroscientists have found that seeing all those “likes” on a social media post may be especially
intoxicating to growing brains.

In the first study to scan teenagers’ brains while they use social media, scientists from the
University of California, Los Angeles found that a certain part of the brain associated with rewards
hums with activity whenever teens see one of their photos earn a lot of “likes.”

The researchers also found that “liking” had a cumulative effect: When peers liked a photo,
teens were more likely to like the photo themselves, no matter the content.

Almost 90 percent of American teens say they use at least one social media site, and 71
percent of teens say they use at least two sites. And that can have negative effects: A recent survey
found that half of teens feel addicted to their devices. Other research has found that pressure from
social media might be linked to an increased risk of depression and anxiety in teens.
Review of Related Literature

According to Adam (2014), It’s an ever-present obsession, almost like an addiction. It’s as if
our generation would suddenly cease to function without it. As every text, tweet, and notification
pops up, we refuse to turn away from the bright screen that is our cell phone. Whether it is between
classes, on the bus to my apartment, or even in the rare instances when I’m sitting with my family at
home eating dinner, the urge to tune in to the digital world is undeniable. Our generation obsesses
over the need to tweet or post every moment of our lives, and I would be remiss not to include
myself. In essence we are obsessed with obsessing over ourselves. Society as a whole is quickly
moving away from face-to-face interaction and towards face-to-screen interaction. Of course there
are positives to technology and social media: it has effectively removed barriers of geography and
language, has democratized the world’s information, and has even enhanced the way we do
business. But it has come at a cost. We have begun to lose our humanity. The desire to explore the
once unexplored world has now been replaced with Google, YouTube, and anything that glues us to a
computer screen, and gives us instant gratification. I often see six, seven, and eight year olds sporting
iPhones, iPads, and laptops, while back when I was their age, the only thing I ever wanted to do was
play in the mud and run around. I believe that social media, while powerful, hinders our
communication and removes emotion and value behind what we write and post. We become so
immersed in the digital world that we often forget to appreciate what’s around us. It seems as if
social media diminishes the beauty behind “real” life as we so desperately feel the need to share
these experiences with the world rather than just sitting back and enjoying it ourselves. This is
prevalent in all walks of life, whether at sporting events, concerts, parties, etc. it’s hard not to notice
how people seem more concerned about the video or photo taken at the event rather than simply
enjoying the event itself. I’d even dare to say that because of social media, our and subsequent
generations will become completely out of touch with domestic and world issues. While most of us
twiddle our thumbs, there are real problems that many seem to be unaware of. With statistical
evidence that points to a majority of young women who would rather win America’s Top Model than
the Nobel Peace Prize, it’s not hard to point to social media as a problematic factor. It’s become a
form of sensationalized media, where every waking moment of a celebrity’s life is “followed” by
millions of people. Famous Poet Slam artist Marshall “Soulful” Jones once stated in his poem,
“doubled over we used to sit in tree tops/till we swung down and stood upright/then someone
slipped a disc now we are doubled over at desktops/from the Garden of Eden to the branches of
Macintosh/ apple picking has always come at a great cost/ iPod iMac iPhone iChat/I can do all of
these things without making eye contact.” With employers now using social media as a method of
assessing job candidacy, my once obsessive desire to post about every waking moment of my life has
quickly diminished. As I said before, social media is powerful, but also dangerous. So I urge all you
texters, tweeters, and online chatters to take a break, lift up your heads, and look outside once in
awhile, you might actually like what you see.

According to Almendrala (2016), If you have teenagers or know them, you’ll agree they
always seem to be glued to their smartphones — or, more precisely, the social media platforms these
phones contain.

But while it’s easy to joke that teens are obsessed with Instagram, Snapchat and probably a bunch of
apps we don’t even know about, there’s new evidence that might explain why: Neuroscientists have
found that seeing all those “likes” on a social media post may be especially intoxicating to growing
brains.

In the first study to scan teenagers’ brains while they use social media, scientists from the University
of California, Los Angeles found that a certain part of the brain associated with rewards hums with
activity whenever teens see one of their photos earn a lot of “likes.”

The researchers also found that “liking” had a cumulative effect: When peers liked a photo, teens
were more likely to like the photo themselves, no matter the content.

Almost 90 percent of American teens say they use at least one social media site, and 71 percent of
teens say they use at least two sites. And that can have negative effects: A recent survey found that
half of teens feel addicted to their devices. Other research has found that pressure from social media
might be linked to an increased risk of depression and anxiety in teens

According to Bartleby (2014), The 21st century is defined by its obsession and advancements
in technology, the younger generation in particular. Technology plays as a key factor in most lives,
social media especially. Among the most popular of social media are Facebook, Twitter and
Instagram, all with the main purpose to share or view personal information and experiences,
communicate with others and meet new people on social or professional grounds. There are several
positives and negatives effects associated with social media, making it a topic of debate whether it is
creating more good or harm for today’s society. We use technology as the number one means of
communication, and social media has made communicating with each other even easier.

According to Cowen (2017), The fallout from a California teenager's "excessive cell phone and
social media usage" is detailed in an upcoming special report on ABC News' 20/20. Brooke, now 15,
got her very first personal device—an iPhone—as a 12th birthday gift. Shortly after, Brooke said, she
became obsessed. "It was always about refreshing my feed and I'd stay up until like 4:30 in the
morning," Brooke said. "It was my heart. I couldn't put it down … It felt like a part of me."

According to parents Stephanie and Jim, Brooke started "acting out" at home as her usage
increased. At first, the family tried limiting phone access. "We would shut off service to the phone,"
Stephanie told 20/20. "We took her phone. She'd go and buy someone else's phone. She would find
old phones."

Brooke also set up multiple accounts, including "like six accounts" on Instagram and multiple
Snapchats. "I would block [my parents]," she said. Eventually, Brooke's parents claimed, this so-called
"social media fixation" was followed by alcohol consumption and drug use. At one point, when
Brooke was 13 years old, police showed up at the family's home to inform them that she was
involved in a blackmail attempt involving her nude photos. "I think I just got to a point where I kept
getting hurt," Brooke said. "I kept doing things that I knew didn't make me happy, but I just
continued to do it because I had nothing else to do.

According to Indianapolis (2014), You are an addict, especially an over obsessive one, only if
you overuse and abuse the usage of social media. Teens from the age of twelve to seventeen abuse
the use of social media, and are overly obsessed with it. According to statistics, it states that the use
of social media has increased rapidly from the year of 2006 to now (Amanda Lenhart). Teens
nowadays feel like it’s alright to start sexting, cyber bully, and just stay glued to their phone because
they think they can do whatever they want because no one is watching them. Teens my age need to
give social media a break for once, so they can experience the future and what’s coming ahead for
them. Even though social media makes it easier to connect with others and finish tasks, teens should
use social media the right way and need to set it aside so they can focus on the outside world not the
technological world.

Teens should give social media and the internet a break because it can basically give your
brain harmful effects, causing physical and emotional damage. Overuse of social media can basically
give teenagers an addict’s brain, which is equivalent to being addicted to smoking, alcohol, and drug
dealing. Social Media can often give teens the pleasure to share with their friends and family their
feelings and everyday task. When they get good feedback from what they have shared, like likes and
comments, it gives teens the desire to post more and more so they can still experience that good
feeling. When they get into the habit of doing this, it becomes an obsessive hobby. Social Media can
also cause memory loss in their brain, especially in their working memory (Smith). When teens are
exposed to the over use of social media, their memory tends to get an overload. That’s why teens
forget the simplest stuff, like why they needed to go on their phone, an answer the teacher just went
over, or why they needed to go to the kitchen or their bedroom. Teens will start losing the ability to
store memories into their working memory if they keep overusing social media and the internet.
Lastly social media can cause depression because of many reasons. If someone doesn’t accept his or
her friend request, or if they don’t get a follow back, they can often feel alone. Also teenagers may
feel like someone else is popular then they are because they have more followers and likes than
them. Or if someone doesn’t text them back, they often feel, like the person who they texted does
not care about them.

According to Mendys (2016), when you are obsessed with social media and keeping it
updated, there is a possibility of losing touch with the actual world around you. All of your time can
not be spent cultivating relationships that are only on a computer. We have become a culture that
is obsessed with updating Facebook statuses, sending Tweets, playing social media games, etc., and
this social media has in fact made us anti-social beings.

It obviously isn’t healthy when one loses all contact with friends and family except through a
social platform. Real relationships can be affected when you don’t spend true, quality time with
those that mean the most to you. While this might seem like a stretch, it is easy for certain
individuals to get completely absorbed in a virtual world.

Aside from hurting your social life and relationships, there is a definite physical impact that
can be caused by social media addictions and overuse. Whenever you are partaking in an activity that
requires sitting in front of a computer for hours, there are obviously effects on your body. The longer
we sit down and stay still, the unhealthier we become.

According to Netsanity (2016), To get a grasp on social media use, it’s a good idea to check out this
study, over at Psychology Today. This study points out, first of all, that there are differences in generational
use of social media. This seems like a no-brainer, since older generations are less likely to be online, while
younger generations tend to be more tech savvy, and embrace concepts like social media much more often.
On average, though, younger generations will only use 2 social media sites to the older generations 1. So, part
of the idea that teens are “obsessed” with social media can probably be chalked up to the differences
between generational uses. Just like how “kids these days” are “obsessed” with their phones. Their parents
had something similar when they were that age, but it was a different technology, fad, or other social
construct that they view as normal.

However, with that said, teens do use social media at a higher rate than older generations.
Not only that, but they use all aspects of social media, from reading and liking posts, to sharing
content, chatting, and playing games. Parents, who are concerned for their teens’ well-being, want to
make sure that spending that much time online isn’t harming them in some way. If you find yourself
in that category, remember this one, very important thing.

To Them Online Life Is Real Life

The Internet has completely changed the way we operate. It has shrunk the world, and
completely changed the way industries, the economy, entertainment, and communication work
forever. You can’t “just turn it off” and pretend that what happens online isn’t real, because it is real.
 It isn’t that teens are dedicating themselves to social media instead of living their lives. It’s
that social media is their preferred tool for communicating, sharing, and all the other things teens do
as they grow into young adults.

Think about it. When the cordless phone became a household item, teens spent hours in their
rooms talking to their friends. Why? For the same reason teens today use social media. It let them
maintain their bonds, and grow their relationships, even if they didn’t have driver’s licenses, and
couldn’t hang out in person. The Internet in general, and social media in particular, is simply a better
tool, allowing teens to talk to all their friends, see their updates, and keep in touch in real-time.

So, the next time you start to worry about your kids spending too much time on social media,
don’t just make assumptions. Sit down with them, and have some face time. Ask them why they
spend so much of their days on the computer, or a mobile device. Listen to their responses, and
show that you aren’t judging them, or trying to catch them in a lie. If you keep open lines of
communication, and support your teens, then they will feel much more comfortable letting you into
the worlds they’re making for themselves as they grow up.

According to Niemer (2015), The online world can be a complicated one, but that doesn't mean
that your Twittering teen has to get lost in its murky depths. Honest, open communication is the key to setting
social-media boundaries—as is stepping up your own social-media savvy. Use this guide to help your teen to
reap social media's many benefits without experiencing a total-life takeover.

It’s unclear who first coined the term “social media.” Executives at AOL claim to have begun
using it in the early 1990s. Today online social media communities span the globe—and today’s
teenagers have become the most electronically connected generation of all time.

To many parents and grandparents whose children and grandchildren are constantly connected to
music players, cellphones, video game consoles, and computers, this electronic connection is a mystery.

When today’s teenagers take an apple to school, it’s more likely a cellphone than a fruit. Dubbed by
some the “iGeneration,” many teenagers have become much more computer savvy—and social
media savvy—than their parents.
This technological divide has created a new generation gap. Parents can close this gap by becoming
social media savvy themselves, and by providing guidance and setting limits on social media use by
their tweens and teens.

According to Preston (2016), That’s probably a million-dollar question why teens are so obsessed
with checking their social media profiles. Well, honestly, there isn’t a simple answer to the question, but if you
ask why they check their social networking profiles so frequently, we have a possible answer.

A decade ago, the world was an entirely different place—no social media websites like
Facebook or Twitter, nor were their so many options to connect to the internet. But now, every
individual owns a handheld device. After the onset of Facebook’s success, there was no stopping
others from entering this widely diverse market of social network. People have whole
heartedly embraced tons of other apps like Snapchat, Kik, Line, Viber, and lots of other dating apps
like Down, Tinder, Grindr, etc. There is an app for everyone.

But are we winning with the aggrandising social media access? Well, maybe we are with
Facebook’s growing network of small-scale businesses that it has helped to grow through cheap
advertisement, but those who just recklessly surf through these websites, only have a minimum
benefit to reap.

Back in 1980s, there wasn’t any such thing. Connecting with your friends wasn’t easy as you
had to go their homes and call them out. There were permissions asked “mom I can go to play with
Sean”, and if there wasn’t a yes, no one used to retaliate to the decisions of their parents. But now,
it’s different. It’s “my life, my rules” kind of thing going on, and parents are just wondering where did
this awful tagline came from. Does empowering oneself means going beyond those limitations and
lines that are possibly good for you? Parents know if their children are old enough to do something
or not. Parents can also be being over-protective and old-school, but unlike kids, they don’t whine,
cry or make poor decisions.

According to Taylors (2016), Social media, ever since it began, has become a big thing for young
people, particularly for teens. And you would have to agree that these teens are so glued to their smart
devices, specifically to the social media apps that their mobile phones contain.
 If you are going to take a look at it, there are differences with how each generation use social
media, but the question is that why of all people or generations, it is the teens who are particularly
hard wired and obsessed in getting those likes on their social media account? Why are these things
so addicting to them?

According to the neuroscientists, regardless of the social media app, it could be Instagram,
Facebook or Snapchat, seeing hundreds and thousands of likes on social media can be powerful to
growing brains. In a study by the scientists from the University of California, a specific part of the
teen's brain becomes active as soon as they see one of their photos earn a lot of likes.

The researchers also discovered that the tendency to "like" is influenced by the number of
teens who liked the photos themselves, regardless of the content.

This affects teens in particular because compared to children and adults, it is the teenagers
who have an increased brain activity when it comes to activities that they find rewarding. A part of
the brain called nucleus accumbens is stimulated and becomes larger in size when a teenager does
pleasurable things, no matter what it is. And in the context of social media it is when through
validation by the number of "likes" they get that they find rewarding.

With these studies, it is not hard to conclude why teens find social media very hard to resist
and addicting.

According to Udorie (2015), the digital landscape has put increased pressure on teenagers today,
and we feel it. There are so many social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, you
name it. I made a conscious decision to avoid Snapchat and Instagram because of the social pressure I saw
them putting on my 14-year-old little sister. If my mum turned off the WiFi at 11pm, my sister would beg me
to turn my phone into a hotspot. She always needed to load her Snapchat stories one more time, or to reply to
a message that had come in two minutes ago because she didn’t want her friend to feel ignored. If I refused,
saying she could respond in the morning, I’d get the “You’re ruining my social life” speech. Even as a teenager
as well, I sometimes find this craze a little baffling.

A new study has found that teenagers who engage with social media during the night could
be damaging their sleep and increasing their risk of anxiety and depression. Teenagers spoke about
the pressure they felt to make themselves available 24/7, and the resulting anxiety if they did not
respond immediately to texts or posts. Teens are so emotionally invested in social media that a fifth
of secondary school pupils will wake up at night and log on, just to make sure they don’t miss out.

Statement of the Problem

This research aims to know the impact of obsession social media sites in academic
performance of the students in New Era University by formulating the following questions below:

1. Do you have multiple accounts in different social media sites?

2. Do you visit your social medias with purpose?

3. How much time do you spend on your social medias?

4. Have you ever ignored a responsibility like doing homework or house chores?

Significance of the Study

The importance of my research is to know the impacts of social media in teenagers and why
they are being obsessed, and what are the solutions to avoid this kind of behavior. And to inform
other teenagers what are the impact of being obsessed. And the future researchers will benefit from
this study.

Definition of Terms

The social is living organisms including humans are social when they live collectively in
interacting populations, whether they are aware of it, and whether the interaction
is voluntary or involuntary.

The media is Media are the collective communication outlets or tools used to store and
deliver information or data.
 The sites is is a collection of related web pages, including multimedia content, typically
identified with a common domain name, and published on at least one web server.

The account is is a collection of related web pages, including multimedia content, typically
identified with a common domain name, and published on at least one web server.

Scope of Limitations

I, the researcher that the numbers of the students who are obsessed in social medias in
teenagers is mainly composed of 30 females and 20 males of teenagers. To gather the information
from the participants, I composed the set of questionnaires which I used to survey the participants.

Materials and Sampling

This research uses the random sampling method which is giving a survey questionnaire, and
answering the possible answers. I conduct a survey 50 teenagers who are using social media.
 CHAPTER 2

RESULTS

This chapter presents the findings and analysis obtained through survey questionnaire to the
specific questions presented in the statement of the problem in chapter one.

TABLE 1

GENDER

19

FEMALE
MALE

31

Table 1 shows that the total respondents which is 50 consists of 31 of female, and 19 male.
This data manifest that the most of the respondents are female who are subject that are more
obsessed in social media.
 TABLE 2

AGE

12 to 15
16 to 19

45

Table 2 shows that the total respondents which is 50 consists of 5 of 12 to 15 years old and 45
of 16 to 19 years old. This data manifest that the most obsessed in social media are the 16 to 19
years old.
 TABLE 3

SOCIAL MEDIAS THEY HAVE

2 1

26

50 FACEBOOK
TWITTER
YOUTUBE
INSTAGRAM
TUMBLR
OTHERS
24

22

Table 3 shows that the total repondents which is 50, most of them are having a multiple social
media accounts. And the less is tumblr and other social sites which is gmail.
 TABLE 4

PURPOSE OF VISITING SOCIAL MEDIA

ACCOUNTS

3
3

FOR FRIENDS
10 SCHOOL PURPOSES
FOR BUSINESS
OTHERS

32

Table 4 shows that the total respondents which is 50 consists of for friends is 32, for school
purposes is 10, for business is 3, and others is 3. This data manifest that the most of the respondents
are using a social media for their friends and the others are to be updated of what is happening like
news.
 TABLE 5

SPENDING TIME FOR SOCIAL MEDIA

1
6

19
1 to 3 hours
3-5 hours
6 to 10 hours
Whole day

24

Table 5 shows that the total respondents which is 50, that 1 to 3 hours is 6, 3 to 5 hours is 24,
6 to 10 hours is 19, and whole is one. This data manifest that the most of the respondents are
spending their time up 3 to 10 hours of using social media.
 TABLE 6

THEY EVER IGNORED THEIR RESPONSIBILTY

(HOMEWORK OR HOUSE CHORES)

18

YES
NO

32

Table 6 shows that the total respondents which is 50 consists of 32 of yes, and 18 of no. This
data manifest that the most of the respondents are ignoring their responsibility.
 TABLE 7

THEY BECOME FRUSTRATED OR ANGRY

WHEN SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE GOES
DOWN

20

YES
NO

30

Table 7 shows that the total respondents which is 50 consists of 30 of no, and 20 of yes. This
data manifest that the most of the the respndents are becoming angry or frustrated when social
networking sites are down.
 CHAPTER 3

DISCUSSION

This chapter offers the summary of results, conclusion and recommendations to address the
different problems presented in the study.

Summary & Conclusions

Most of the respondents are using multiple social medias or social networking sites, but most
of the teenagers are obsessed by using it but It has a purposes most of them are for socialization and
to be on trend, everyday in their lives social medias are part of their routine especially when
interacting to other people.

Recommendations

I recommend that the teenagers should have a limitation when they are using their
smartphones, most of the teenagers now are not involving in physical activities they always depends
on their smartphones which is not good, and also resulting to become lazy and not taking their
responsibility. Although, the social media are making our lives easier when it comes to
communication but we always think that everything that are over is not good, I recommend to have
their to-do list in their everyday lives and always involve their family to have a family bonding and
physical interaction to others.
 Bibliography

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orenadam/

Almendrala, M. (2016),. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/this-could-explain-why-teens-are-

so-obsessed-with-social-media_us_574f7084e4b0ed593f134279

Bartleby, T. (2016), https://www.bartleby.com/essay/Cause-and-Effect-of-Social-Media-FKUCZNKVC

Cowen, N. (2014), ." http://www.complex.com/life/2017/05/teen-social-media-fixation

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obsessed-with-social-media_us_574f7084e4b0ed593f134279

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Preston, B. (2016), http://voices.la.psu.edu/2014/02/20/our-obsessive-relationship-with-social-

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health-teenagers-government-pshe-lessons
Survey

Name: _________________________________________
Course/Year:______________________ Date:______________________________

1. Gender

__Female __Male

2. Age

__12-15 __15-19

3. Social medias you have

__Facebook __Twitter __Youtube

__Instagram __Tumblr ___Others: Please specify

________________________________

4. Do you visit your social media accounts with purpose?

__For friends __School purposes

__For business __Others: Please specify_____________________________

5. How much do you spend your time for social medias?

__1-3 hours __3-5 hours

__6-10 hours __Whole day

6, Have you ever ignored your responsibility like doing homework or house chores?

__Yes __No

7. Do you become frustrated or angry when a social networking site goes down or is
unavailable?

__Yes __No