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Jeff Paull
Gary Howard, Instructor
English 2010
5 Dec. 2013
Portfolio #3
Doesn’t everybody have an account online that they can interact with anyone they want
to? How do you feel about online social networking and do you feel like it is taking over today’s
youth? There is an age limit to have an account with any Online Social Networking site and the
age limit is 13. Teens are addicted to online social networking and it has become a second life
for them. Many teens care more about their status Online then their real life appearance. Cyber
bullying is a big deal in today’s youth and it needs to be stopped. The positive aspects of online
social networking do not outweigh the negative when it comes to teens because it’s used for
cyber bullying and it can ruin their social life.
People throughout time want to communicate faster and like to know who is thinking
about them or talking about them. Teens now are very lucky because a few hundred years ago
getting responses from someone would usually take months up to a year maybe even longer.
Humans have never stopped looking forward and we kept progressing from telegraphs to now
with emails. Social Networking started one day in 1971 where two computers were next to each
other and one computer sent the other one an email. In the past there have been multiple sites
where you can have an online social networking account. Some of them are Friendster,
MySpace, and everyone’s new favorite Facebook. The Founder of Myspace was Tom Anderson.
The Founder of Facebook was Mark Zuckerburg and it was believed that he stole his idea by a
fellow classmate.
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One negative aspect of online social networking for teens is it can be used for cyber
bullying. Cyber bullying is like real life bullying but isn’t a for sure thing if you get bullied in
one you will get bullied in the other. There are differences between the two for instance being
physically hurt and getting psychologically hurt. Some cyber bullies are angry loners or misfits,
sometimes seeking revenge for been bullied themselves. But experts say it is common for online
abusers to be popular students with plenty of self-esteem who are trying to strengthen their place
in the social hierarchy. They do it by intimidating those they perceive to have less status.
Janine Zweig the lead author and researcher at the Urban Institutes said that, “The
technology opens up a wide avenue for someone who wants to be abusive toward their partner.
It’s another tool abusers can use to be relentless.”(St. George) This just means that if someone is
an abusive person being online gives them a whole new way to bully someone to get what they
want. When you are in a relationship you always want to trust the person you’re dating, so when
you’re not looking they could be doing something to your online profile that you might not want
to happen. They did a research that nearly six percent of teens said that their partners had posted
awful pictures of them online and five percent wrote horrible things about them on their profile
page. (Mitchell)
There have been many cruel instant messaging over the years and it has caused kids to
commit suicide. In suburban Dardenne Prairie, Mo, Megan Meier hung herself after receiving
cruel messages from a boy on Myspace she was only 13 years old. In Essex Junction, Vt, Ryan
Patrick Halligan at the age of 13 killed himself because he was being harassed over the internet
because other kids were calling him gay. According to Thomas J. Billitteri he says that “Experts
say cyber bullying has become a scourge of the adolescent world, inflicting painful scars on
youngsters and vexing adults unable to stop the abuse. While many instances are relatively
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harmless, others can have serious, long-lasting effects, ranging from acute emotional distress,
academic problems and school absenteeism to violence, a desire for revenge and vulnerability to
sexual predation.”(Billitteri)
Another negative aspect of Online Social Networking for teens is it can ruin their social
life. At Mary Institute a teen girl sent a male classmate a photo of her naked over the internet and
the photo ended up everywhere online and schools a crossed the country could see her photo
image. Imagine that girl and how badly it ruined here social life and everyone now thinks of her
differently because she sent a naked photo. Mike White the network services director at
Kirkwood school District said, “Instant messaging has changed everything. It’s like passing
notes but at light speed.”(Wagman) Online messaging is so fast if you put something down
without thinking about it you can’t take it back. All teens now talk online there isn’t any personal
contact and you have no idea what they are feeling like being those smiles, winks, and frowns.
Dr. Brandt the director of the Center for Eating Disorders says that in his studies females were
more likely to worry about what they looked like and they would compare themselves to their
friends over Facebook.(Hanes)
“Facebook is making it easier for people to spend more time and energy
criticizing their own bodies and wishing they looked like someone else. In this age of
modern technology and constant access to SmartPhones and the Internet, it’s becoming
increasingly difficult for people to remove themselves from images and other triggers that
promote negative body image, low self-esteem and may ultimately contribute to eating
disorders.” (Hanes)
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This shows that using social networking may cause eating disorders and low self-esteem
it may ultimately ruin their social life because they feel conscious of their weight in their pictures
that people are taking of them so they don’t want to be around anyone. They are also comparing
themselves to their friends and they think that they need to change certain parts about them to
look more like their friends.
There are many positive aspects of Online Social Networking and they can be used for
great things. I happen to use Online Social networking for a few reasons to keep in touch with
friends I haven’t seen or heard from in a long time. According to Brooke Lusk, “One positive
aspect of online communities is that youth can use them for academic assistance and support.
(Lusk 3-6) Social networking sites spread information faster than any other media. Although
social networking sites have been helping criminals get to kids it has also helped the police
forces to catch the criminals before they do anything. You can gain more friendships and stay in
touch with friends if they leave schools. Social Networking helps teens talk to their teachers
outside of the classroom instead of by email. It can also help kids get events set up for school or
outside activities.
As you can see in teens the usage of Online Social Networking have more negative
aspects and can cause Cyber bullying and can ruin their social lives. Both of these topics happen
every day of our lives and it needs to slow down. You can never stop either of these because
there will always be some sort of Online Social Networking. There will also be someone out
there with their opinion and you might not like what they have to say about you. Parents need to
come together and talk to their teens about these serious situations and tell them what to do if it
happens to them. Teens are getting their cell phones and get their Online Social Networking sites
at such a young age that it is so hard to stop them from looking at the sites. Teens are getting
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addicted to these sites and they need to focus more on their social aspects of life instead of the
Online Social Networking World.
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Works Citied
Billitteri, Thomas J. "Cyberbullying." CQ Researcher 2 May 2008: 385-408. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
Conte, Christopher. "Networking the Classroom." CQ Researcher 20 Oct. 1995: 921-44. Web. 2
5 Dec. 2013.
Hanes, Stephanie. "Facebook May Amplify Eating Disorders and Poor Body Image." Christian
Science Monitor. 30 Mar 2012: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 24.5 Dec 2013.
Kang, Cecilia. "For Girls on Instagram, Beauty Is Screen Deep." Washington Post. 06 Apr 2013:
A.1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 5 Dec 2013.
Lusk, Brooke. "Digital Natives and Social Media Behaviors: An Overview." Prevention Researcher.
Dec 2010: 3-6. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 5 Dec 2013.
Mitchell, Kimberly. "Remaining Safe and Avoiding Dangers Online." Prevention Researcher.
Dec 2010: 7-9. SIRS Issues Researcher.Web. 5 Dec 2013.
St. George, Donna. "Dating Abuse Now Digital, Teens Report." Washington Post. 22 Feb 2013:
A.7. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 5 Dec 2013.
"Stop the Cyberbullies." Washington Post (Washington, DC). 21 Jul 2010: A.18. SIRS Issues
Researcher. Web. 5 Dec 2013.
Wagman, Jake. "Instant Messaging Pressuring Teens, Spreading Good, Bad Info." St. Louis
Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, MO). 19 Jun 2003: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 5 Dec
2013