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Effects of Social Media on Young Adults

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Effects of Social Media on Young Adults
Effects of Social Media on Young Adults Looking at the average Millennial, one would see him toting all his smart devices and would wonder if Millennials are ever disconnected – from technology or from each other. The Millennial Generation, more than any other generation, feels the need to be constantly linked to each other. For young American adults aged 18-32, technology is their life; virtual reality has come to supersede physical reality. In what seems like every second of every day, teenagers can be found on their computers, tablets, and cell phones, searching though pages of social media. In fact, statistics prove that they are: an average teenager has 201 Facebook friends and 73% of teenagers are on at least one social network (Thomas). Across Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram and Twitter alone it shows how cyber space is endless. According to Social Media Watch, Twitter now boasts that as of May 2, 2013 it has 359 million active users; Facebook still holds the top social media spot with 701 million active users. Thanks to the sizeable growth in online activity, the Millennial Generation has lost touch with interpersonal communication. If not monitored, online social networking will become detrimental to the Millennial generation and following generations’ social and psychological development, as the anonymity of cyber space has been shown to encourage negative behavior, leading to increased feelings of disconnection from others.
Each generation spends their childhoods in different ways. As for this century, Millennials find themselves trapped in the world of media, populated by televisions, radio, magazines, mobile phones, laptops and the Internet, which gives young adults access to what most young adults crave, social media. There seems to be no decline for “the social networking movement.” Just a few examples of the seemingly infinite types of online networking are: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin and YouTube. According to Amanda Lenhart, of New


Cited: Bergman, Shawn M., Matthew E. Fearrington, Shaun W. Davenport, and Jacqueline Z. Bergman. Personality and Individual Differences. Vol. 50. N.p.: Elsevier, 2011. 706-11. Web. 4 May 2013. Cosby, Chris. "The Effects of Social Media on Teenagers." SociallyActive. N.p., 22 Nov. 2012 18 May 2012. 29 April 29, 2013. . Finn, Lisa. "Teen Suicide On The Rise?" The Independent. N.p., 20 Oct. 2010. Web. 4 May 2013. Lenhart, Amanda. Teens and Social Media. PEW/INTERNET. N.p., 10 Apr. 2009. Web. . Meckles, Jennifer. "Sleep Affected by Late-night Cell Phone, Technology Use." Wbir.com. N.p., 24 Feb. 2012. Web. 05 May 2013. Palme, Jacob, and Mikael Berglund. "Anonymity on the Internet." Anonymity on the Internet. N.p., 30 Feb. 2007. Web. 05 May 2013. Rooney, Ben. "The Debate Over Online Anonymity." The Wall Street Journal. N.p., 16 Jan. 2013. Web. 4 May 2013. Thomas, Taylor. "30 Statistics about Teens and Social Networking." TopTen Reviews. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.
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