The Problem of the New Century Essay Example for Free

The Problem of the New Century Es sayThis essay will analyze the impact that affectionate media has on teenagers all around the sphere. much specifically, this essay will guide the reader through three of the most striking repercussions that result when teenagers abuse these types of media cyber-stalking, poor inter personalised relationships, and bullying. From Facebook to MySpace to Twitter to Tumblr, these targets undoubtedly offer both positive and negative consequences to our worlds youth The question is Do the negative outweigh the positive?Home alone I drive in this And the rents wont be back till 6 You whitethorn think that a post like this on a social networking site should not be harmful at all. After all, youre just letting your friends know what youre up to However, online stalkers and pedophiles may use this catchmingly benign piece of information for more malicious ends. According to a 2007 Pew profit Research Report, all over half (55 percent) of teens no w use online social networking sites. (Lenhart, Purcell, metalworker Zickuhr)1 The latter have diminished one-on-one interactions and have simultaneously provided an easy, impersonal way to harass people without any app atomic number 18nt immediate consequences. It is true that social networks such as Facebook and Twitter enable friends to keep in touch and can be used to document school research, promote artistic talents and prove with other forms of content creation. (Hall)2 However, along with these benefits come some serious take a chances especially since these sites are extremely addicting. The excessive use of social networks, especially by teens, has brought upon abominable effects on society that should not be taken lightly cyber-stalking, poor interpersonal relationships, and bullying. When analyzing this topic, one must point out that, as a consequence of their excessive use ofsocial networks, teens have decease the main victims cyber-stalking. First off, unsuspectin g, nave teens are less conscious about conveying personal information that most adults would never give off to strangers. An actual case of cyber-stalking against young adults occurred when, in accordance with the Justice De disruptment of the United States, an honors graduate from the University of San Diego terrorized v female university students over the Internet for more than a year. The victims received hundreds of violent and threatening e-mails, some eons receiving four or five messages a day. The graduate student, who has entered a guilty plea and faces up to six years in prison, told police he committed the crimes because he thought the women were laughing at him. (Easttom)3 Furthermore, when teens give away information in social networking sites, they are not only putting themselves in great danger but also involving their families. Last but not least, teen bloggers are an extremely easy target for these online stalkers. A study of sixty-eight random web-blogs written by teens of ages 13-17 by the Northwestern University revealed that teen bloggers frequently willingly give away all their personal information putting them in high risk and making them easy target for cyber stalkers. (Leopold) It is evident that teens and young adults are more liable to disclose more personal information online, making them easy targets for stalkers. The fact that cyber-stalking doesnt involve direct contact power create the erroneous illusion that it is milder than actual physical stalking. Nonetheless, this could not be more wrong. As the Internet (and social networks) becomes a more fundamental area of our daily lives, cyber-stalkers are using it to access our personal information. Without the excessive use of these sites, would cyber-stalking such an eminent issue? It is our unfortunate dependence on these sites that make us so vulnerable and more prone to be victims of such a frightening issue that grows larger every single day. It is understandable that teens depend on social networks to keep in touch with friends who they do not see regularly. However, the fact that 91 percent of teens use social networks to maintain friendships with friends who they already see frequently causes some degree of concern. (Frazier)4 This is concerning because the dependence in social networks is detrimental to society, seeing as it creates poor interpersonal communications. When people communicate through a computer or cellphone screen, they lose one-on-one social contact skills.Comments and opinions conveyed through the Internet tend to be less tactful, too. Badoo These disadvantages can lead to a degradation of conversations and to misunderstandings, which could easily be avoided by just taking the time to talk in person. Also, less friends.. Social Net. Moreover, when teenagers spend so much of their time online, they fall into a dysfunctional lifestyle were vital activities such as sleeping, exercising, maintaining a healthy diet, keeping up with sch ool, and spending quality time with friends and family become subordinate to using their computers or cellphones. In 2003, researchers at the City University of New York conducted a study regarding the effects of at-home computer use on young children. They tack together that young children who excessively used the computer (for over 8 hours a week) spent significantly less time playing sports or taking part in beneficial outdoor activities. They were also found to have substantially heavier body mass index. (Frazier)4 Kids are said to be the future, but if this is happening to our worlds kids, what does that say about the world we are aspiring to build? Amongst all effects of the use of social networks, bullying may be deemed as the most troubling one. Thanks to the impersonal manner of online interactions, people tend to say (or type) things they normally would not say in person. Considering this, one may say that teenagers online have the urge to feel cool, accepted, or even admi red. Though they may not be as cruel in person as they are online, the pressure of having to stand out drives many of them to bully fellow teens that may have a less dominant personality. For instance, bullies may publicize orphic instant messages, text messages or e-mails, post threatening messages or photos that will cause embarrassment and, most commonly, spread rumors. Even though some victims may ignore this harassment, this is not the common case. Most of the kids who have been bullied online take desperate measures to put an end to their humiliation. As a consequence, most of the targets, who are usually emotionally unstable, choose a permanent solution to this temporary problem suicide. For example, there is the case of Megan Meier. She was a 13-year-old girl who had self-esteem issues but was, overall, content with her life. It all started when a cute boy by the name of Josh Evans befriended her on MySpace. They started messaging each other, but Evans compliments soon sna tched to insults. Then, suddenly, Megan got a message from Evans maxim I dont know if Iwant to be friends with you any longer because I hear youre not nice to your friends. Then, the Evans started posting public comments calling her fatness and a slut. The stress and frustration was too much for Megan, who had a history of depression. Tina Meier, her mother, discovered her daughters body in a bedroom closet on Oct. 16, 2006. Megan had hanged herself and died a day later. (Good Morning America)5 Afterward, it was discovered that Josh Evans never existed. This was a fake account that Megans ex-best friend created with the help of her mother in sound out to get back at Megan for some rumor that she had allegedly spread. They claim that they did not mean for Megan to commit suicide. But this is not enough. Megan is gone now thank to cyber-bullying, and nothing can replace her. All in all, the conclusion is evident social networks, like everything in life, are only beneficial to certai n extent. When these enable people to track you down, one should surely realize that it has gone too far. When these start replacing inter-personal relationships, one should realize that it has gone too far. When these take over your life, driving you to the point of wanting to leave this world, one should realize that it has gone too far. Luckily, we are not too late. We still have time to turn off those computers and cell phones, go outside, and take a deep breath of fresh, real air. After all, what W. Clement Stone once wrote is very true You are a product of your environment. So choose the environment that will best develop you toward your objective. Analyze your life in terms of its environment. Are the things around you support you toward success- or are the holding you back?BibliographyLenhart, Amanda. Purcell, Kristen. Smith, Aaron. Zickuhr, Kathyrn. (2010, February 3). Social media and mobile Internet use among teens and young adults. Retrieved October 22nd, 2012 from http //web.pewinternet.org//media/Files/Reports/2010/PIP_Social_Media_and_Young_Adults_Report_Final_with_toplines.pdfHall, Sharon Hurley. (2012). Life123.org. Retrieved November 1st, 2012 from http//www.life123.com/parenting/tweens-teens/social-networking/issues-with-teens-and-social-networking.shtmlEasttom, William. (2012, February 1). Cyber stalking, fraud, and abuse. Retrieved November 1st, 2012 from http//www.pearsonitcertification.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1825167seqNum=4Leopold, Wendy. (2006, February 19). Study finds teen bloggers at risk for cyberstalking. Retrieved October 22nd, 2012 from http//www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-02/nu-sft021706.phpFrazier, Karen. (2011). Are Social Networks Harmful to Society?. Retrieved November 1st, 2012 from http//socialnetworking.lovetoknow.com/Are_Social_Networks_Harmful_to_SocietyGood Morning America (2007, November 19). Cyber bullying led to teen suicide. Retrieved October 23rd, 2012 from http//abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3882520page= 21 Lenhart, A., Purcell, K., Smith, A., Zickuhr, K. (2010). Social media and mobile Internet use among teens and young adults. Retrieved October 22nd, 2012 (See Bibliography)2 Hall, S. (2012). Life123. Retrieved November 1st, 2012 (See Bibliography)3 Easttom, W. (2012, February 1). Cyber stalking, fraud, and abuse. Retrieved November 1st, 2012 (See Bibliography)4 Frazier, K. (2011). Are Social Networks Harmful to Society? Retrieved November 1st, 2012 (See Bibliography)5 Good Morning America (2007, November 19). Cyber bullying led to teen suicide. Retrieved October 23rd, 2012 (See Bibliography)