Effect of Social Media on Students
Social media has evolved tremendously over the years. It has become nearly a necessity to people around the world. Why take away the social media if it helps us out so much and has made things more accessible? The truth is that social media has become almost as addictive as a drug and a use for chatting and doing things that are not important, when instead people could be out doing important things and building relationships. Social media distorts our views on society and the real world, affecting the way that people communicate and has made us more dependent on a screen than face-to-face. Social media is destroying the social skills of high school and college students for the following reasons including: it causes danger, social media includes cyber bullying, and it can cause personality and brain disorders.
The first reason that social media has a bad effect on the social skills of young adults is that it can cause personality and brain disorders. A person on the internet can be everything that they think a person wants them to be to be the “cool” kid. This is a bad habit to develop because students might tend to show a personality that is not them. What will happen when they go out into the real world and communicate? It is plain and clear that they will feel tense and get nervous since being behind a computer screen does not require an individual to face that person and require an automatic reply. On the contrary, when facing a person face to face one has to communicate on the spot, and not “being yourself” can mislead a person into thinking that that individual is someone that they are not. Social media in the end creates antisocial ideas in people’s minds. According to Berkowitz studies indicate that the depictions of antisocial behavior activate thoughts that are semantically related to the observed event. This can mess up what people believe to be the “real world.”
The second reason that social media has a bad effect on the social skills of young adults is that it includes bullying. While being on social media many things could happen. Social media gives way for people to communicate without having to deal with another person’s emotions. Cyber bullying is a part of this type of communication. If someone over the internet does not like someone for whatever reason or a fight breaks out, then getting on the internet and typing ones feelings and emotions out can damage a person for life. Cyber bullying can lead a person to believe that they are someone that someone else might describe them to be. Many people take words to heart and end up taking them personally. This type of bullying can lead to major damage in the social skills of students because they tend to keep to themselves. In the long hall, social media can mess someone up physically, emotionally, and mentally.
The last reason that social media has a bad effect on the social skills of young adults is that it can cause danger. Students tend to be eager to have many groups of friends and will go at lengths to get them. Meeting people online rather than in person can cause a dangerous environment for not only students but adults too. Many people have experienced trouble when meeting unknown strangers. This can cause a student to lack the right social skills because they could have been hurt in some way and end up hiding their feelings because they might be afraid to let anyone know of their actions. Social media can also lead up to violence when there is miscommunication involved. When communicating to others there could be a lack of understanding because one cannot tell ones emotions by texting, typing, etc. As usage and participation on social networking sites continues to grow at a rapid speed, so does adolescent dependence on these platforms to conduct their everyday lives. The more people are involved in social media, the more it challenges people to be more creative in expressing themselves in order to get the attention of others and also to push themselves to keep up to date with the developments taking place in the world of social media. Most critics emphasize the significance of using social media in a productive and responsible way to deal with the dangers social media poses to human relations, behaviors and communication.
Overall, the social skills of young adults are being affected by social media for the following reasons including: it causes danger, it can be used to cyber bully, and it can cause personality and brain disorders. Many people all across the world are active users of social media platforms, although not all of them go to extremes. Social media can have many advantages, but I believe that in today’s society it is being abused. According to a survey students tended to have a higher rate of social media users and believed that it is almost a necessity. That starts to affect the social skills of young adults because they are impressionable and do not think of the consequences of social media. Social networking plays an important role in contributing to adolescent self-esteem, identification and self-perception.

Bibliography Some effects of thoughts on anti- and prosocial influences of media events: A cognitive-neoassociation analysis. Berkowitz, Leonard Psychological Bulletin, Vol 95(3), May 1984, 410-427. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.95.3.410
I will use this article to support my claim that social media creates antisocial ideas in people’s minds. The article states that our social behavior is related to the observed events of that person. Basically, social media exaggerates what society may actually be like.
Hampton, Keith, Lauren Sessions, Eun J. Her, and Lee Rainie. SOCIAL ISOLATION AND NEW TECHNOLOGY. Rep. PewInternet, 4 Nov. 2009. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. .
This article supports my essay because the study finds that the use of mobile phones and internet is associated with larger and more diverse discussion networks than before. Now, people can discuss important topics with people from all around the world. It is agreeable that Americans’ discussion has shrunk, but those who have a Facebook or any other social media networks have core discussion networks. The study also proves that cell phone users and bloggers are more likely to belong to a voluntary association than those who do not blog or use a cell phone. I will state the benefits of social media but then come back and defend my position with information that says why social media is more destructive than beneficial.
Stollak, Matthew, Amy Vandenberg, Jordan Zeni, and K. J. Scribner. "The Impact of Social Media
Policies on the Staffing and Socialization." N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2012. . I will incorporate this article that I found to support my essay because it provides some good statistical information. It tests a variety of people and states information that backs up my thesis. James, Tiffany. "Social Effects of Technology." SlideShare. N.p., 29 Oct. 2010. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. . It includes multiple charts and graphs that go over the usage of internet and social networking. It shows how people have used internet to their advantage including job hunts, hobbies, and staying up to date. But I can then state the bad effects of why using the social media might not be the best option for doing so.

"Social Networking: Advantages vs. Addictions." Social Networking: Advantages vs. Addictions. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2012. . This website shows that social media can affect the behavior of people. If it affects us in a negative way, no one is actually going to want to talk to someone with a negative attitude. It also states that social media is more addictive than beneficial. Baldwin, Mark. “Is Social Media destroying the social skills of High School and College Students?”
Survey, 5December 2012.