Debate preparation template

First speaker guide

Topic Are social networking sites useful or harmful to people?

Speakers’ names Valentina and Maria José

Speaker’s position (Negative)

Greeting and Introduction
Good ______afternoon_____ chairperson, opposition and audience.

We are Valentina y Maria José

The topic for today's debate is that Are social networking sites useful or harmful to
people

Outline your team's case:

a) Your points: negative
I will be speaking about...

● negative impact
● communication in families
● danger of social networks for children and adolescents

b) Second speaker's points:

Our second speaker will be talking about....

● communication

● promote ventures
● keep in touch with acquaintances and friends

Your First Point

State your argument:
My first point is negative impact
Social networks have influenced human beings in a way that facilitates communication,
but this has also had a negative influence, for example, in many people they have
caused depression, lack of sleep, anxiety and loneliness. Many of these people have
suffered because of these networks because they have suffered sexually by strangers,
others have suffered because their accounts are hacked and personal information is
exposed, this has caused countless problems due to the misuse of these platforms

What's the information that supports your argument? A study reveals that four of the five
most popular social networks can harm the mental health of the youngest. Instagram,
the social network for photos and videos, has the most negative impact on the mental
well-being of adolescents, according to a survey in which nearly 1,500 people between
the ages of 14 and 24 have participated. This finding comes as a result of growing
concern among political groups, health agencies, doctors, charities and parents about
the harm young people suffer as a result of 'sexting', cyberbullying and other problems
derived from social networks that reinforce feelings of self-hatred to the point that some
people contemplate suicide.

Give examples, facts, figures, etc.:

The 1,479 young people who participated in the survey had to answer questions about
the impact that these social networks have on 15 aspects of health and well-being,
including their effect on sleep, anxiety, depression, loneliness and self-identity, among
other aspects. .

Instagram has been the worst rated social network, particularly for its impact on sleep,
body image, and feelings of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. However, the young
people also indicated positive aspects such as self-expression, self-identity and
emotional support

Your Second Point

State your argument:
My second point is communication in families.

The compulsion or excessive use of networks can be rooted in a harmful pattern, which
leads to interference in family time and study time; which causes obstruction and division
in the family, because we prefer to communicate with those who are outside and far
away, and not with those who live with us.
What is the information that supports your argument?
This is how social networks have changed relationships in the family

As indicated by Mary Blanca Ángel-Franco and Yoly Eucladis Alzate-Marín in their study
Family and social relationships in adolescent users of virtual social networks (RSV), the
arrival of social networks meant the appearance of a space to communicate and share
information. A tool that has ended up altering the behavior of the younger generations,
who have grown up alongside them. A change that of course has had an echo in their
family space and in the relationships ...

Read more: https://www.hácerfamilia.com/familia/asi-cambiado-redes-sociales-

relaciones-familia-20180915183701.html

(c) 2022 Europe Press. Redistribution and rebroadcasting of this content without
your express prior consent is expressly prohibited.
Give examples, facts, figures, etc.:
This is how social networks have changed relationships in the family

While the youngest members do not believe that these platforms have negative effects,
24% of the parents who were surveyed in this study do recognize these consequences.
Adults consider that their children abuse these tools and do not dedicate enough time to
joint activities, ending up isolating themselves.

Read more: https://www.hácerfamilia.com/familia/asi-cambiado-redes-sociales-

relaciones-familia-20180915183701.html

(c) 2022 Europe Press. Redistribution and rebroadcasting of this content without
your express prior consent is expressly prohibited.

Your Third Point

State your argument:
My third point is the danger of social networks for children and adolescents.

Although social networks require an age limit to create a profile, many children have
access to them at a very early age because they put a date of birth that is not true. This
has caused children to manage virtual platforms from an early age that require a certain
degree of responsibility, care and vigilance because many unscrupulous people take
advantage of these profiles to deceive both children and adolescents who constantly do
not have the supervision of their fathers.
Children and adolescents are even more vulnerable to the risks and dangers of social
networks with regard to privacy, since on many occasions they are not aware of how far
a post, photo or video uploaded to them can go, especially when They haven't bothered
to set up their profile so they can only see what their friends post. Once something is
published on the Internet, even if its author deletes it, it will hardly disappear from the
Internet

What is the information that supports your argument?

A special edition of the Journal Computer-Mediated Communications was devoted to
studies of social networking sites.
Through social networks we can exert a lot of influence on people, it is not for nothing
that we currently give more credibility to what appears on social networks than in some
traditional media.

On the other hand, the addictive power of social networks has been studied, which is
due to the fact that they give the user a sense of protagonism that makes him feel that
he is the center of attention and makes him expectant of the responses of others to their
own performances. In 2011, an experiment was carried out at the University of
Maryland, in the United States, in which a thousand university students from 37
countries were asked to spend 24 hours without the internet or the media. The results
were curious. After spending 24 hours without connecting, 20% of the students
manifested symptoms such as those suffered in a withdrawal syndrome, such as
anxiety, despair, etc.

Give examples, facts, figures, etc.:

The following table corresponds to the classification of the main social networks
worldwide, based on the number of active users in January 2021, as published by
Statista

En países de America Latina

La siguiente tabla corresponde a la tasa de penetración de redes sociales en América
Latina y Caribe por país en enero de 2021, según Statista.

Usuarios activos (en

Servicio
millones)

WhatsApp 2000

Facebook 2740

Youtube 2291

Facebook
1300
Messenger

WeChat 1213

Instagram 1221

QQ 617

VK 593

QZone 517

TikTok 689
Weibo 511

Reddit 430

LinkedIn 430

Telegram 500

Snapchat 498

Twitter 353

Pinterest 442

Baidu Tieba 300

Skype 300

Viber 260

Ask.fm 215

LINE 203

Odnoklassniki 200

Vimeo 200

Tumblr 170

Flickr 112
Closing statement
Chairperson, opposition and members of the audience, in conclusion, social networks, in
addition to being a useful means of communication for many people, also become a
threat when we have no control over them. These can cause damage to both our mental
health and that of our environment, since by being attentive to an electronic device we
can be moving away from those who live near us. That is why my point of view is that
instead of being something that helps us positively in most people, it harms us
negatively. Causing distrust between couples, that there is no communication in families,
creating an environment of insecurity when it comes to sharing personal things in our
lives.

Second speaker guide

Speaker’s position (Affirmative)

Expressing disagreement with first speaker’s arguments

I disagree on …. because ….

Why do you disagree with first speaker’s points?

Although it is true that social networks have caused a negative impact on people in a
certain way, they are still too useful for human beings and positively influence many
important fields.

Briefly State the Points You Will Make

Today I will be talking to you about:
● communication

● promote ventures
● keep in touch with acquaintances and friends

Your First Point

State your argument:
My first point is communication

Social networks have become something necessary for humanity because they provide
many benefits. Through social networks we can be in constant contact with our family
and friends when they are not around, we can have registered the good or bad moments
that we spend in our lives, we can be aware of what is happening in the world and in
addition to that Social networks have become a work mechanism for many people, either
because they work directly by uploading content or because they use this medium to
promote their brands.
What is the information that supports your argument?
José Ángel Cerón, director of Communication and Marketing of Grupo Orenes, indicated
that "any company should be on social networks and it is a good communication
resource that must be used, but the key is to listen as in any communication process"

Alejandro Torralba, Grupo Orenes' Online and Marketing Manager, stated that “social
networks are a very useful means of speaking about our daily activity and a way of
opening the door to society. We have been learning over the years." For Torralba, social
networks are a channel within our communication strategy.

Give examples, facts, figures, etc.:

Be entertained (81% of surveyed users). Here are activities such as watching videos or
music, chatting/sending messages, posting/posting content, seeing what contacts are
doing or following accounts.
●Interact (77%): chat/send messages, publish/post content (with or without hashtags),
comment on current events, meet people and make new contacts.
●Get informed (66%): contact the customer service of a brand, follow accounts, become
a fan or follow a commercial brand and use the networks for professional or study
purposes.
●Be inspired (33%): gain knowledge, watch videos or music, follow accounts, become a
fan or follow a commercial brand.
●Meet people (30%).
●Follow trends (30%): Become a fan or follow a trademark, purchase products or
services from trademarks, or follow accounts.
●Follow the professional market (29%): look for a job or use networks for professional or
study purposes.

Your Second Point

State your argument:
My second point is to promote entrepreneurship.

It is no secret to anyone that social networks have become a commerce industry where
most of the people who have their accounts promote their ventures through photos and
videos, which allows them to have access to more people from wherever they are. .
They live like from different parts of the world.
What is the information that supports your argument?
3 reasons why social networks are indispensable today
1. Reduce costs:
There is no doubt that social media is one of the most profitable digital channels out
there.
So the CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) is reduced with effort, making traditional
advertising lose more and more importance.
2. Improve the reach of your brand:
All the algorithms are put to work and make sure that people see your posts correctly. It
doesn't matter if you focus on local business or if your ambition is to go global.
Allocating even a small percentage of your marketing budget to social media strategy,
advertising, and content generation leads to global reach and a great return on
investment.
3. Promote your company on social networks:
Advertising on social networks enhances the rest of digital actions, providing greater
impact and visibility.
Give examples, facts, figures, etc.:
For example, the Colombian Chamber of Electronic Commerce (CCCE), says its
director, María Fernanda Quiñones, has begun to promote different protocols to support
companies that are currently choosing and adopting the electronic commerce channel.

The Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies (Mintic) also present

initiatives such as the one they worked with the Organization of American States (OAS)
and the Kolau company, with which they seek, through digitization, that micro, small and
medium enterprises (MSMEs) can enter the digital world.

Your Third Point

State your argument:
My third point is to keep in touch with acquaintances and friends.

The main reason for social networks is communication between people, so when we
review our contact list, friends appear, meaning that this list is with people with whom we
often have a close relationship or just be known for some reason.

What is the information that supports your argument?

According to British evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar, an individual may have
only one or two people who function as close friends, with whom they interact on a daily
basis. On another level are the individuals with whom one interacts out of affinity and
feels appreciation for them. Below are the rest of the friends, in whom less time is spent
in the relationship, the connection is more superficial and the contact is not constant.
This means that not everyone we meet is truly a friend. However, Nieri disagrees. For
her, it is not possible to speak of a limited number of close friends: “Each friend can fulfill
a specific role and can establish a certain bond with the person. For example, there are
friends who only share moments of entertainment and there are others who are present
in more emotional moments, "he details.

Give examples, facts, figures, etc.:

A recent investigation that analyzed 277 works on friendship, published in Psychological
Bulletin, showed that all relationships increase in number until a time in early adulthood,
around the age of 30. And while family ties remain stable, personal ties, both friends and
confidants, are beginning to dwindle.
According to experts, losses almost always happen during major life transitions such as
graduation, the arrival of children, a job change, divorce and even the arrival of a new
love.
Closing statement
Chairman, opposition and members of the audience, In conclusion, social networks,
more than being a means of communication, is a medium in which we can all find many
benefits, as I have already mentioned before. Of course, you cannot ignore the fact that
when we misuse it, it can be very harmful, but in my opinion, not only social networks
can bring us negative things, but also everything we do in our lives, since if in our way of
living we are not in control of what we do many things can turn into something negative.
therefore we must see social networks as a means to interact with people who are not
constantly with us and to benefit from all their resources in a positive way