SPEECH OUTLINE
Persuasive Outline
Topic:
The Social Media age and its impact on today’s youth.
Audience:
Approximately 1500 students from a local prominent high school in
Jamaica.
General Purpose:
To persuade
Specific purpose:
To persuade my audience that although social media has its benefits, it can
be more harmful if they do not limit their use.
Thesis:
Even though social media can be very useful, it is important to recognize
that excessive use of social media can be more harmful and as such
society including youths should understand how to limit their use of social
media.
I.
Introduction
A.
B.
Attention Getter:
Raise of hands, how many of you use any type of social
media?
Reason to Listen:
Although there are many beneficial or positive uses to
social media, it can do a lot more harm than good.
C.
Thesis Statement:
Even though social media can be very useful, it is
important to recognize that excessive use of social media can be more harmful
and as such society including youths should understand how to limit their use of
social media.
D.
Credibility Statement:
1.
E.
I am a part of this generation and also guilty of this issue of the excessive
use of social media and I feel it is important to share with you research I
have conducted on the topic of social media and the negative impacts on
youths.
Preview of Main Points:
1.
First, I will define social media and highlight that there are both positive
and negative impact of social media use by youths.
II.
2.
Following that, I will provide details on how social media can be more
harmful than good if used excessively.
3.
Finally, I will give you some advice on how to change your attitude and
mindset about social media, by being conscientious with how often we
use it and what we do on it.
Body
Transition: Even though social media can be very useful, it is important to recognize
that excessive use of social media can be more.
A.
Youths are using social media for a variety of purposes and can be both
positive and negative.
1.
2.
In my research, many definitions were provided by scholars for the term
“Social Media”.
a.
Social Media is a group of Internet-based applications that build
on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and
that allow the creation and exchange of User Generated Content.
(Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010)
b.
Burgess & Poell (2017) defines social media as the digital
platforms, services and apps built around the convergence of
content sharing, public communication, and interpersonal
connection.
For many youths, social media plays a significant role in their creative
and social lives in a positive way.
a.
Among the platforms examined in the Pew Research’s latest
survey, YouTube is dominating the 2022 teen internet scene,
followed by TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook.
b.
Woods & Scott (2016) explains that social media has a lot to
offer, including connections with people from various
backgrounds or who hold different opinions.
c.
There are many other beneficial uses of social media like using it
for education, communication, and socialization, however, it can
do a lot more harm than good if used excessively.
Transition:
B.
I have just informed you on some of the main positive uses of social media by
youths, now let us take a look at how social media can be more harmful than good
if used excessively.
Some of the negative impact of the excessive use of social media by youths
include: their safety, real life social skills and self-improvement.
1.
2.
3.
Social media is not safe.
a.
Joseph Turow, a professor of communication at the Annenberg
School for Communication, says hackers may be using your posts
against you (Penn Today 2020).
b.
Social media enables the quick dissemination of rumours and
misleading information bringing up the major issue of
cyberbullying.
Excessive social media use lessens your communication skills.
a.
Numerous studies show that youths of this generation spend more
time on their devices than socializing with their peers.
b.
Experts highlights the fact that social media prevents people from
having a face-to-face conversation which may lead to them being
nervous and uncomfortable around people.
Youths who spend too much time on their social media account are
inclined to neglect their self-improvement.
a.
b.
c.
Transition:
According to a 2010 NBC News Report, “college students who
are on Facebook while studying or doing homework wind up
getting 20% lower grades than students who do not practice this
excessive usage of social media.
Some children are no longer interested in school or other social
gatherings as they prefer to stay at home scrolling through their
social media page
You are so preoccupied with your social media account, you miss
assignment due dates, not study for the test, forget to complete
the chores etc.
Now we realize that social media can be more harmful than good if used
excessively, let us look at how your can change your attitude and mindset about
social media, by being conscientious with how often we use it and what you do on
it.
C.
Changing our attitude towards and mindset about social media, by being
conscientious with how often we use it and what you do on it will make a
difference in your life.
1.
According to “Social Media: Six steps to take back control”, it
states that we should:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
III.
Selective in your response
Stop worrying about missing out
Don’t let it be a distraction
Don’t be fooled
Set limits
Remember reality
Conclusion
A.
Review of Main Points:
1.
2.
3.
Today I first defined social media and highlighted that there are both
positive and negative impact of social media being used by youths
Second, I showed you how social media can be more harmful than good
if used excessively
Finally, I gave you some advice on how to change your attitude and
mindset about social media, by being conscientious with how often we
use it and what we do on it.
B.
Restate Thesis:
Even though social media can be very useful, it is
important to recognize that excessive use of social media can be more harmful
and as such society including youths should understand how to limit their use of
social media.
C.
Closure:
The next time you use social media, I hope that you take the
negative effects and dangers into consideration and use it more cautiously. I
challenge each of you not to use social media for 24 hours! Don’t let what is
going on your device today affect your life negatively tomorrow. Thank you.
References
Burgess, J. & Poell, T. (2017). The Sage Handbook of Social Media. London: Sage
Publications Limited.
Choney, S. (2010, September 7). Facebook use can lower grades by 20 percent, study says.
NBCNews.com. Retrieved November 5, 2022, from
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna39038581
Kaplan, A. & Haenlein M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and
opportunities of social media. Business Horizons.
Penn Today. (2020, May 19). The dangers of sharing personal information on social media.
Retrieved November 5, 2022, from https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/dangers-sharingpersonal-information-social-media
Pew Research Center. (2021, April 7). Social Media Fact sheet. Pew Research Center: Internet,
Science & Tech. Retrieved November 1, 2022, from
https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/
Tarafdar, M. (2018, May 4). Social Media: Six steps to take back control. The Conversation.
Retrieved November 01, 2022, from https://theconversation.com/social-media-six-steps-totake-back-control-95814
UNICEF. (2017). Children in a Digital World . Retrieved November 2, 2022, from
https://www.unicef.org/media/48601/file
Vidal, C., Lhaksampa, T., Miller, L., & Platt, R. (2020, May). Social Media use and depression
in adolescents: A scoping review. International review of psychiatry (Abingdon, England).
Retrieved November 5, 2022, from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7392374/
Vogels, E., Gelles-Watnick, R., & Massarat, D. (2022, August 10). Teens, social media and
technology 2022. Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. Retrieved November 1,
2022, from https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/08/10/teens-social-media-andtechnology-2022/#fn-28469-1
Woods, H. C., & Scott, H. (2016). #Sleepyteens: Social media use in adolescence is associated
with poor sleep quality, anxiety, depression and low self‐esteem. Journal of Adolescence,
51(1), 41–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.05.008