Ditch the Social Media AppsDue to the rapidgrowth of technology in our society, there are many advanced ways of discoveringnew people, interacting with old friends, and reaching out to family. There arenumerous outlets of social networking, so it’s rather difficult to name all oftheir kind, such as: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube. Socialmedia has taken complete control of our world, notifying society of everysingle event that occurs at any given moment. This new revelation of socialnetworking by connecting people of similar interests, updating anyone aboutcurrent news, broadcasting, branding, advertising, and all the differentpossibilities that come with social media seem quite brilliant in theory. Couldit be that this social media breakout is actually a negative development andpeople are just oblivious to the destructive aspects that have entered oursociety? Are there issues that actually arise in our present culture from thewonder that is social networking? Although social networking sites, likeFacebook and Instagram, are able to connect people in new ways, there aresignificant reasons that clearly showcase social media harming users in real-worldfields ranging from basic socializing to their general public profile. The creators and founders of the different social media applications pride themselves on how they are able to easily connect people, no matter the circumstances, distance, or language. Keisha Odunze of the Daily Collegian states, “Social media websites such as Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram are essential for catching up with friends, releasing your inner thoughts and sharing great moments that you have experienced” (Odunze). This specific writer, along with constant users of social sites, believe that they are better connected to their social lives due to these innovative applications. In reality, the social networking phenomenon is making people less social than ever before and the evidence is undeniable. One of the biggest criticism that comes with social media is the fact that it is making young people less social in terms of face-to-face interactions. Walking into a room nowadays is quite a remarkable, yet sad scene. Every single person is on their individual device minding their own business with little to no human interaction. This issue has drastically escalated as a person may seem bizarre or weird to be the first one to speak out loud. People have forgotten how to talk to one another, how to form offline relationships, and how to get off their phones for just five minutes. Sue Palmer, author of Toxic Childhood, states, “We are seeing children’s brain development damaged because they don’t engage in the activity they have engaged in for millennia” (Derbyshire). Young children are playing games alone on iPads instead of playing with other children at the park. It may not seem like a big deal, but this small action leads to a halt in child development. Palmer proposes a solution, “I’m not against technology and computers. But before they start social networking, they need to learn to make real relationships with people” (Derbyshire). The benefits of easily connecting people and keeping up with our ever-changing society is simply negated with the fact that young people are struggling with basic human interaction. Supporters of social networking sites are completelyinvested in the ability to stay in touch with hundreds of friends as well asmeeting new people through common interests. According to the article, Is Technology Making People Less Sociable,“Arecent survey of adults in the U.S. found that 71% use Facebook at leastoccasionally, and 45% of Facebook users check the site several times a day.”In this new day of technology in the palm of your hands, adults would rathercheck their social media feeds over and over again instead of interacting withothers. It really seems as if people haveforgotten how to interact in real life and how to engage in a face-to-faceconversation. It’s quite a sad scenewhen you take in consideration how relatively new smart phones and social mediaare, and no matter how “social” these sites are, they could neverreplace the comfort and legitimacy of a real-world relationship. For example, even though a person canhave a lot of Facebook friends or Instagram followers, they may feel lonelierthan ever. Stephen Marche, a writer well-versed in this topic states, “Aconnection is not the same thing as a bond, and that instant and totalconnection is no salvation, no ticket to a happier, better world or a moreliberated version of humanity” (Marche). The social connection that these sitesoffer cannot replace or replicate any real connection, and it seems as if peoplesimply do not know how to interact in a real world setting anymore.An important aspect of social networkingapplications involves the ability for people to express passions, opinions, andfeelings. These apps allow users to follow favorite sports teams and musicians,share current news with friends, and randomly post daily thoughts. Based offmultiple surveys, “14% of users say that connecting arounda shared hobby or interest is a major reason they use social media” (Smith).Others take to the Internet to voice strong opinions about controversialtopics, as social media allows people to freely voice whatever is on their mindat any given moment. In reality, this ability to freely post literally anythingto any of these social media sites so easily and permanently leads to a massiveissue in terms of cyberbullying. Bullying behind a computer screen is somethingfairly new to most people, but the effects are already destroying many younglives. In late 2016, CBS News released an article regarding a young girl whocommitted suicide due to the lingering effects of cyberbullying. According tothe article, Brandy Vela “had been receiving abusive text messages formonths from bullies using an untraceable smartphone application” and her“family says cyberbullying pushed the 18-year-old over the edge, leadingher to shoot herself in the chest” (CBS News). This unfortunate situationis just one incident of cyberbullying, as thefree speech and ability to post or follow anything through social sites canlead to new forms of bullying that affect millions of young people. Cyberbullying is a relatively young issue in today’s society, but the drasticeffects are increasing in quantity, and there are so many platforms that thistype of bullying occurs in.The process of learning at school and understanding newconcepts can be very challenging for many students. Besides the fact that manypeople simply struggle in certain subjects, there are also various distractionsthat get in the way of their studying. Social media posts, constant appsnotifications, and the easy access to browse literally anything on the Internetstack countless distractions for many people as they attempt to get work done.These meaningless distractions cause students to perform poorly in school andachieve undesirable grades. Other than the learning and studying issue thatcomes from social media distractions, these apps essentially obstruct youngpeoples’ attention spans. “Sites such asFacebook, Twitter and Bebo are said to shorten attention spans, encourageinstant gratification and make young people more self-centered” (Derbyshire). Appslike YouTube allow people to find entertaining videos in the matter of seconds,which appeal to their instant gratification. In real life, the world seems tooslow and those same people must revert back to using their phones and searchingfor anything that will entertain them. This issue ties in with the inability tomake real life connections because instead of being bored and making decentconversation with another human, they get impatient and sit alone staring at ascreen.An underrated quality that social networkingsites share is the process of finding jobs or advertising for exposure ofbusinesses. There are actually sites dedicated specifically for job hunting andbranding, such as LinkedIn. The book, Help!I’m a Facebookaholic: Inside the Crazy World of Social Networking by Tanya Cooke, states, “Whilemany companies remain nervous of social networking, regarding it as at best adistraction and at worst a vehicle for expressing employee dissatisfaction,some forward-thinking companies are actively embracing it” (Cooke 236). Supporters of finding work through socialmedia believe this is a wonderful new tool that will revolutionize the waypeople find exposure, build up companies, and search for jobs. While this ideasounds like a “no-brainer”, something so minimal, like a Facebook post or aninappropriate Instagram photo can hinder your job hunt. Although you as ajob-seeker just landed yourself an interview with a top company, an impropriatetweet you had a few years ago or a quick peek through your Instagram profilecan immediately derail your chances of landing the job. The book also states,“Your Facebook profile or page could tip the balance in your favor or let youdown big-time” (Cooke 236). A single photo, post, or like on your profile mightmake employers very nervous to hire you and due to your social networkingactivity, the ability to find a job could be very difficult.Through the use of social media, people have the freedom to post whatever they want, whenever they want, and however they want. Nowadays, when a person feels like expressing themselves in any way they wish, they can effortlessly go online and post their thoughts. That ability may lead to problems in the future, as things that enter the Internet are never truly deleted. For example, even if someone deleted a post from two years ago, that same “deleted” post can be traced and rediscovered. In a situation where a person was extremely frustrated or emotional, they may have shared hurtful comments regarding another person, group, or thing. Even if they posted these comments in the heat of the moment, that online post can lead to future consequences, and we are exposed to this type of Internet digging almost every day now. For example, professional athletes will get traded to a new team and users on the internet can find controversial tweets regarding that player resurfacing an old issue. Most recently, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, has had countless old tweets and posts resurface allowing old problems to come into the spotlight again. Perhaps these issues would not have resurfaced if he simply stayed off Twitter. Even so, Donald Trump is not the only person in the political world taking advantage of social media in terms of releasing information and news to the public. The problem, however, arises when discussing polarizing politics, in which people only follow things on social media that solidify their own political beliefs. This issue leads to close-minded individuals strictly leaning with people or networks that cater to their specific political ideology, rather than hearing facts or the other side of an argument. Unlike the real world, social media sites allow users to think before they say something and edit their post before making it public for the world to see. Users of social networking sites should take advantage of the opportunity to think before making something permanent, especially ones that would lead to repercussions. Although there aremultiple social networking sites that are able to connect people in a varietyof ways, the harmful outcomes outweigh the benefits. Nowadays, people are inadequatelyforming real life relationship, students are easily distracted leading them topoor study habits, and every post, good or bad, remains on the Internetpermanently. Social media sites were not created to cause so many issues, asthey still provide revolutionary ways of communicating, expressing oneself, andbranding for job-related affairs. However, just like any other aspect in life,social media should come in moderation. Unfortunately, with the constantadvancement in technology, it seems very difficult to keep people away fromlooking down at their screens. In order to tackle the social media phenomenon,people need to embrace life without their cellphones, engage in interpersonalconversations, and develop long-lasting relationship without the assistance of an app or website. People are becomingaddicted to their hardware and their “Facebook Friends” instead of trying tocreate real life connections and relationships that will last past their newsfeed. I believe that people need to look up from their phones, interact withactual human beings, and live their owns lives rather than scroll throughmeaningless posts and photos. Works CitedCBS/AP. “CyberbullyingPushed Texas Teen to Commit Suicide, Family Says.” CBS News, CBSInteractive, 2 Dec. 2016Cooke,Tanya. Help! I’m a Facebookaholic: Inside the Crazy World of Social Networking. London:John Blake Publishing Ltd, 2011. Print. Derbyshire,David. “Social Websites Harm Children’s Brains: Chilling Warning toParents from Top Neuroscientist.” Daily Mail, February 23,2009, www.dailymail.com.uk/. Journal, Wall Street. “IsTechnology Making People Less Sociable?” The Wall Street Journal,Dow Jones & Company, 11 May 2015Klass,Perri. “Seeing Social Media More as Portal Than as Pitfall.” NewYork Times, January 9, 2012, www.newyorktimes.com. Marche,Stephen. “Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?” The Atlantic,May 2012,www.theatlantic.com. Obeidallah,Dean. “Are Social Media Creating the Laziest Generation?” CNN,July 18, 2011, www.cnn.com. Odunze,Keisha. “Social Media Keeps Us Connected.” DailyCollegian. N.P., 26 Mar. 2013. Web.Partridge,Kenneth. “Social Networking – Reference Shelf.” The H.W.Wilson Company. N.p., Feb. 2011. Web.Smith,Aaron. “Why Americans Use Social Media.” Pew Internet &American Life Project, November 15, 2011, www.pewinternet.org. Get Help With Your EssayIf you need assistance with writing your essay, our professional essay writing service is here to help!Find out more