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Meg Plunkett 04/08/2014 Mass Communications “Oh my god, that is a really cute picture, can you tag me in that?”, “Hold on, I have to tweet about this!”, “Did you see what she posted on Instagram, she is such an attention seeker” Those are just a few of the many phrases you probably have heard or even said yourself at some point in your life. Do you notice how all of those phrases stated revolves around social media? Social media has been on the rise for a while and it is still rising every day. While social media has had many benefits, negatives also come along with it. Social media has ruined the way we as people communicate today. According to an article on TheGuardian.com, “Nearly one in 10 school children get their first mobile phone by the time they are five.”1 “38% of kids on Facebook are under the minimum age of 13”2 claimed by the Zdnet.com. The real question is, why are five year olds getting phones and kids under the age of 13 with a Facebook account? What are five year olds doing alone without a parent or guardian that they need a phone on them? When I was five, I was mostly likely with an older adult that had a phone I could use to call my parents if I needed to. “72% said that social media affects romantic relationships negatively, 18% positively, and 7% said that social media had no effect”3 stated by the article “Teen on social media’s 1 http://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/aug/23/children-first-mobile-age-five 2 http://www.zdnet.com/blog/facebook/38-of-kids-on-facebook-are-under-theminimum-age-of-13/11745 3 http://www.connectsafely.org/teens-social-medias-impact-relationships-survey/

impact on relationships: Survey” by Anne Collier. The article talked about how relationships now a day start and begin through some sort of social media site or texting. I forgot the websites, but I did a speech on social media on the rise and found that 1 in 5 divorces are blamed on Facebook, 3 in 5 gay couples meet online and 1 in 5 couples meet online. While I do not look down upon people who online date, I just hope and wish to meet someone the old way. When I say the old way, I mean through work, a friend, family friends, at the gym, etc. I want that face to face contact with someone when getting to know someone I would be interested in dating and I do not want to have to rely on texting or putting our relationship on social media for people to see what is going on with us. According to DoSomething.org on the “11 Facts About Cyber Bullying”, “Nearly 43% of kids have been bullied online. 1 in 4 has had it happen more than once.”4 Cyberbullying is a serious issue that has been around for a long time and it continues to rise increasingly in the younger generations. The worst part is, it does not stop when people get out of school because a research done by University of Sheffield and Nottingham University has shown that “14-20 percent of people felt they been a victim of cyberbullying at least once a week”5 in the work place. In relation to social media being on the rise it has negatively impacted communication in various ways. People are now blaming their relationship issues due to social media, more people are not only being bullied in person, but as well on the internet and lastly, kids these days lack communication overall. When we get ready to go out, we are not getting ready for the social

4 https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-cyber-bullying 5 http://www.northeastern.edu/securenu/?p=1995

event; we are getting for the photos that will be taken and posted on social media. Social media also affects how future employers view us. We have to be careful with what we post because employers can easily see what is posted and judge you based on your social media site. Not only has social media ruined the way we do things, it also has taken over our lives. I love social media and what is has done, but I wish we could back to the old times. The times when we were kids and would play outside until the street lights came on. When we did not have phones, so when there was a silent or “awkward” moment we did not have to pretend to be on our phones to avoid it. I hate when I hang out with my friends and they are constantly on their phones because I came over to physically hang out with them, not to just sit around to do what I can easily do at home. Recently, my fraternity was put on probation because of a comment put on the Facebook page “Overheard at Carthage” relating to something we do in our pledge process. This is a great example of how social media has done more damage than good. Now we really have to emphasize the importance of what we put out on the internet and to not post anything that does not benefit the fraternity in any way. Another example of social media being bad is in relationships. My cousin relies on technology and social media to depict her relationship with whatever guy she is dating at the moment. She is constantly “stalking” his social media websites to the point that she will get mad if she found something minor, such as him liking another girls picture or his “best friends” on Snapchat being other girls. If he does not text her back within a few minutes, she gets mad and assumes he is cheating on her something. As much as I tell her if she chooses to snoop around, she cannot get angry for the things she finds since she chose to do this, but in the end she still

gets mad at him over everything. This is the very exact reason why I do not have anything about me on social media except appropriate picture I post with my friends and I in it. Making it easier to stay in touch with people, getting our news faster, creating employment connections, helping to raise awareness, and making it easier to learn are just a few of the benefits of social media. While social media has immensely impacted society the past few years, it is still ruining the way we communicate. With social media being so big, it is so easy to post or say something you normally would not say to someone’s face. Overall social media has impacted us negatively and I think we need to go back to more face to face communication. Go back to the old ways of if you wanted to get to know someone, you go up and talk to them, not stalk them over Facebook or get their number through a friend and text them. It is disappointing to see little kids sitting around with phones, instead of taking something as simple as a garbage can and sticks to play outside with. Therefore, put down the phone for a while, stop trying to take pictures of every little thing that is happening every little second, enjoy the moment now and take it in. The best moments in life, are the ones you remember in your head, not the photographs you take.

Works Cited "11 Facts About Cyber Bullying." DoSomething.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2014. "38% of Kids on Facebook Are under the Minimum Age of 13." ZDNet. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2014. "Cyberbullying in the Workplace." SecureNU. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2014. "Nearly One in 10 Children Gets First Mobile Phone by Age Five, Says Study." Theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media, 23 Aug. 2013. Web. 08 Apr. 2014. "Teens on Social Media’s Impact on Relationships: Survey." ConnectSafely. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2014.