Progress on Research Paper

For my New Communication Technologies class, I chose to write my essay on the topic:

Does the extensive use of social media have a positive or negative impact on the health of young people. What are the most recent academic papers on this topic? Clarify what all sides of the argument claim and only then offer your reasoned opinion based on facts.

To write this essay, I researched several journal articles and books written on the topic of social media and the impact it has on children and adolescents, with differing viewpoints on whether it is a more positive or negative feedback. I also used my survey on the impact of social media on youth created on SurveyMonkey to bring in my own findings. After evaluating the information and pulling in my own experiences with social media, I form my own opinion based on these facts.

Some of my research:

• 22% of teenagers log on to their favorite social media site more than 10 times a day, and more than half log on once a day. (O’Keeffe, G, MD & Clarke-Pearson, K, MD 2011)

• Some positive effects of social media-staying connected with friends and family, opportunities for community engagement such as raising money for charities, enhancement of individual and collective creativity, dialogue with others from diverse backgrounds and the sharing of ideas and knowledge. (O’Keeffe, G, MD & Clarke-Pearson, K, MD 2011)
•           A Survey of teens ages 12-17 found that 62% of online teens get news about current events and politics online. 31% get health, dieting or physical fitness information from the internet. 17% use the internet to gather information about topics that are hard to discuss like drugs or sexual health. (Lenhart, A et al. 2010).

• Some negative effects of social media-cyberbullying, sexting (20% of teens have sent or posted nude or seminude photos or videos of themselves online), Facebook depression, and privacy issues (O’Keeffe, G, MD & Clarke-Pearson, K, MD 2011).
• Studies have attempted to use personality as a potential predictor of use of social networking sites. Three of five personality factors were found to be typical of those who use social media: extraversion, neuroticism, and openness to new experiences. 
•          Those who were extraverted had many connections online as well as in the 'real world' and had higher self-esteem
•           A study of college students found that people who used Facebook less frequently felt less satisfied with their lives (Correa, T et al. 2010).

In my survey, I asked the question "Has the use of social media ever effected the way you feel about yourself (e.g looks, social status, economic status, etc)? and 88% of respondents said yes.

I also asked, "How accurately do you believe a person's Facebook profile depicts their personality and their life?" No one said "completely accurate", and 75% said "somewhat accurate".


References

Correa, T, Hinsley, A, & de Zuniga, H 2010, ‘Who Interacts on the Web?: The Intersection of Users’ Personality and Social Media Use’, Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 26, issue 2, pp. 247-253, viewed 26 August 2013, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563209001472.

Lenhart, A, Purcell, K, Smith, A, & Zickuhr, K 2010, ‘Social Media & Mobile Internet Use Among Teens and Young Adults’, Pew Research Center, viewed 25 August 2013, http://web.pewinternet.org/~/media/Files/Reports/2010/PIP_Social_Media_and_Young_Adults_Report_Final_with_toplines.pdf.

Livingstone, S 2002, Young People and New Media: Childhood and the Changing Media Environment, SAGE Publications, viewed 30 August 2013, http://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=e4AHeRPLs0oC&oi=fnd&pg=PP2&dq=social+media+impact+on+young+people&ots=myiQwM0sIC&sig=VciCLnprTIsb5hvCCE-tSJEU0zs#v=onepage&q=social%20media%20impact%20on%20young%20people&f=false

Livingstone, S 2008, ‘Taking Risky Opportunities in Youthful Content Creation: Teenagers’ Use of Social Networking Sites for Intimacy, Privacy and Self-expression’, New Media & Society, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 393-411, viewed 30 August 2013, http://nms.sagepub.com/content/10/3/393.short.

O’Keeffe, G, MD & Clarke-Pearson, K, MD 2011, ‘The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families’, Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, vol. 127, no. 4, pp. 800-804, April 1, viewed 26 August 2013, http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/127/4/800.short.

My Library on Diigolet: https://www.diigo.com/user/danadrahos