Social Media: Good or Bad for Teenagers?

I have a little homework for you. The next time you go to a public place like a park, mall, or restaurant, look around you and notice the people. Are they conversing with the people he or she is with? Or are they being a typical teenager these days and their face is buried in the phone. Technology has advanced over the years but in our generation I believe that we are on a downward spiral with our social skills.
This problem has been growing for some time now. The Millennial Generation is defined as consisting of individuals born between the years of 1979-2001 (AMP Agency). As well, my generation is the only one of its kind that has grown up with internet as well as having a phone at a young age. Sure it might sound like an easy life growing up with these advances, but new dangers have formed like cyber bullying, online predators, and heath concerns. Not to mention the growing recession that their parents have gone through, spiraling college costs, and high unemployment rates for recent college graduates (Reaney). It seems like our future is not so bright as it seems to be living in an era that can communicate more efficiently.
If we look at the where our age group really took off in the digital world, it would have to be Facebook. Back in 2004 when it started, over 80% of American teenagers are on it now. “Friending” anyone can mean that they can chat in instant messaging, join groups that share the same interests, or “poke” your friends. Don’t ask me, I didn’t come up with that name. The whole site is basically a virtual town hall meeting (Boyd). A person is suppose to be at least 13 years old, but many parents and kids lie about their age to get on. Why would parents do this? Especially when there is more bullying going on online then there is at school. 88% of teens have witnessed mean or cruel behavior on Facebook (Boyd). I think that teens are getting online too easily with the help from their guardians and are too immature to leave the harsh comments offline.
Many parents have heard about or even are on Facebook, but few are on the up and coming social media called Twitter. “I like it because its short, little thoughts that the whole world can see. Plus, you can interact with people across the globe, even celebrities. I got a tweet back from Jenna Marbles once, but a lot of others have followed me,” Sydney Johnson said. She is an average teenager who has jumped on the Twitter bandwagon. Comparing it to Facebook, you can post “statuses” under 140 characters. I like it more than Facebook because there are less people on it, you can post as much as you want without people getting annoyed, and frankly, not a lot of parents are on there. I don’t put anything on there that I wouldn’t show my grandparents, but the thoughts and sayings are my own that aren’t watched like Facebook. Twitter, for me, is more addicting than any other social media site that I’m on, and I believe I can’t be the only young person who believes that. Cyber-bullying can still show up on here. The next few years to come will be interesting to see if Twitter can pass Facebook in members.
Like I said earlier, teenagers aren’t the only ones getting addicted, but also their parents as well. Catching up with old classmates or people that don’t live by them are the main reasons that they go online. A new research by Brigham Young University psychologists finds that teens and their parents who connect on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram feel closer in real life as well (Moulton). Which is interesting to hear because I know most of my friends’ parents and even my own are a little nosey. That’s why teenagers should be more careful on posting stuff online; don’t put anything you wouldn’t want your grandparents seeing.
Concerns for your health have come up as well with technology. The main danger is the brightness of the screen when in low lighting. I know I am guilty of this as well, but checking your phone or computer before you go to bed may disrupt your sleep cycle. The brightness of the devices people are using and the distance they hold from their face can negatively affect the amount of melatonin a body produces. Melatonin is a hormone that helps control the natural sleep-wake cycle (Miller). A bad nights sleep can lead to crankiness, not focusing in the classroom, tiredness, anxiety, and even the start of depression. Doctors have recommended that turning off your phone about an hour before you go to bed will help you get the recommended amount of eight hours or more.
Social Media has gotten to the point where some kids are cutting cold turkey from all the buzz and noise. “I like the free feeling I had deleting some of the apps on my phone. I haven’t gone off Facebook or Twitter for good; but this is a good baby step,” Taylor Lemke says. She and her friend has started a pact where they are deleting the mess from their lives. FOMO, fear of missing out, is a acromion that people feel when they see pictures of their friends doing stuff without them on Facebook or other media sites. If a person gets anxiety from this really, what else would they get it from? Just the fact that this is a real name makes me worried. More kids need to turn off the computer and just live in the present; enjoy 3D things rather than the graphics on a computer screen.
My generation already gets a bad rep for being one of the laziest ones known yet, so I propose a new fix on everyday routines. Let’s focus on the happenings at the moment; focus on the present with your friends at the table or the walk you are on. That way, you don’t think FOMO gets you.

Grading Rubric for Commentary
INTRODUCTION
Does the introduction:
Establish social context
Identify trend you will be discussing
Provide a clear thesis statement that foreshadows your own stance on the issue
Your introduction interacts with the audience well, specifically the first sentence. It engages the audiences attention well, and makes them want to keep reading. Also, from your first paragraph the audience has a clear notion what the topic is going to be about.
EXAMPLES
Do your examples: work to give evidence for your trend? relate to the trend you are describing

Are your examples supported by evidence from your research? Even if you are relating a news story, you will need to explain where you found the information. Research may focus on people’s reaction to the examples you are providing.
You have good examples within, and even include personal experience from yourself. I really think that helps the audience relate also. Also, you used quote from people, and then went on to explain how they feel.
STANCE – IMPLICATIONS
Does your paper provide the reader with a clear understanding of your position on the trend as a whole? Do you discuss the implications if this trend were to continue? Discuss both sides of the issue (do others disagree with your stance and why?)
You discuss the trend pretty well, but maybe go into more detail about more aspects as to what can happen if this problem is not fixed. For example, talk about health issues and what lack of actual social interaction can cause.
SOURCE USE
Do you have no fewer than 5 cited sources that you use in your paper? Are your sources credible? Do you use proper in-text citation for your sources? Do you include a bibliography page with proper end-text citation? Do you use proper lead-ins and attributive tags (according to, says, stated etc) with your sources?
You need to put a reference page at the end of your paper, but you did a good job citing your sources throughout the paper. Just be sure to put that in at the end of your work. Also, on some of the sources, rather than putting the source in parenthesis, put “according to ..(website)..”
EDITING
I will be looking for elements of mid-level style as well as: spelling errors grammatical errors clear topic sentences organized paragraphs
I would suggest rereading over your paper again. Fix some minor spelling and grammatical errors and reword some sentences.

Definitions of letter grades.
A = excellent document in all aspects—some slight room for improvement.
B = good; some aspects of the document or project might be excellent, others will be good.
C = acceptable completion of the assignment. No major problems, but room for improvement in most areas of the assignment.
D = a major aspect of the assignment has not been completed. Elements of the assignment might be quite good, but with unsatisfactory completion of certain elements, the assignment will remain a D.
F = incomplete assignment because page length was not met, proper research was not completed, proper documentation conventions not followed, genre conventions not adhered to, etc.

Overall Grade:

Checklist: YES NO

1. Introduction identifies pattern/issue ____X__ _______
2. Has a clear thesis statement in the introduction __X____ _______
3. Provides clear examples of the pattern or trend. ___X___ _______
4. Has at least 5 sources used as evidence ______ ___X____

Closing Comments:
You have very good information in your paper! There were some minor errors throughout that I found. As for adding a bit more to your paper I would suggest adding a paragraph on more of the effects of what all of this can have on a person- both health and social aspects. Also, need to add a reference. Other than that you have good ideas throughout your paper!