Assignment/Activity Title — Opinion Editorial

Year — Sophomore

Portfolio Competency — Social Awareness

Skill(s) — Research, Analyzation, Writing, Social Awareness.

In journalism, we were tasked with writing an op-ed on a topic that we consider ourselves “experts” on. My op-
ed was about the toxicity surrounding the popular social media app, Tik Tok, in relation to teenager’s mental
health and body image. I’m very interested in journalism and writing, so my goal was to use my knowledge to
inform the audience about what I feel is a pressing issue. I wrote my article based on my own knowledge, but I
also did my own extensive research about the negativity of social media as a whole.
When I began writing my piece, I was overwhelmed because I wasn’t sure how to make it concise, or where to
even start. I began researching the decline in mental health for teenagers as a result of social media, and I ended
up watching a documentary all about it called “The Social Dilemma.” I pulled knowledge, perspectives and
statistics from this documentary, various articles, and Tik Tok itself in order to cover all aspects of the subject.
As I was writing, it was brought to my attention that the body image issues raised by Tik Tok (my topic) is not
something people know about at all, so I began writing to tailor to a greater audience, in order to inform more
people. I didn’t just cover the surface area of the subject, I analyzed and went in depth about the psychological
need for validation that many teenagers possess, and how it can negatively affect themselves and the people
around them. Instead of focusing on the surface level issue that people are somewhat familiar with, I dove into
the psychology behind it, further informing the audience.
This knowledge helps me think differently about the world because through my research, I was able to finally
grasp the extensiveness of the history of algorithms and the science behind technology. I gained social
awareness because I have never stopped to think about the history or the science behind my phone, which is an
object I use more than any other. Through my research, I also learned how much more common the body image
issues spurred from social media than I thought they were, as well as statistics, truly putting it into perspective
for me. This knowledge can help others think differently about the world because the majority of adults and
some teenagers have no idea how much of a toll the app has taken on certain age groups, and the different ways
they have negatively affected both mental and physical health. By reading my op-ed, I can veer their attention
onto this pressing issue, hopefully persuading them to help work against it.

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