The effects of social media on mental and physical health has been a major topic in recent years due to its largely unknown long term consequences and societies involvement with the new concept. The topic is one that can be discussed in a variety of ways depending on different opinions and ones familiarity with the idea at hand. Everyone is effected by social media because of its unique ability to incorporate their immediate views of the world.
The topic is found to be very interesting by many because it combines the publics interest in social media and overall mental and physical health. I chose the topic because I am involved with social media through the use of Facebook and can see how both mental and physical health can be effected positively and negatively. I think that social media has a positive influence on health but am interested to see how others feel about the situation and what can be learned. However it is seen, social medias effects on mental and phyiscal health is a newer topic that is in much debate because of its connections to human interactions and their well being.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Entry 2 Final Draft
At the beginning of my research, I thought social media had a positive effect on both mental and physical health. I believed this partly becasue of the limited information I had reguarding the topic and specific personal experinces I had with social media. I believed social media's effects on mental and physical health to be a positive thing because I saw relationships being made, lives being integrated, thoughts being shared and the potential for new ways to communicate and interact.
Throughout my research, I found many positive and negative effects of social media on mental and physical health. Social sites allow humans live out more relaxed and integrated lives however, it is noticed that teens today are lazier than ever and there has been increase in obesity rates over the years (Park). Social sites can allow for a new way to communicate, reconnect and interact in society but, overuse of these social sites have been known to have negative effects on mental health causing psychological disorders and narcissistic tendencies (Shashank). Information is easy to obtain and share with the help of social sites but excessive use has been proven to have negative effects on education (Trapp). Overall, It is seent that social media is a two sided coin having many positive and negative effects but in the end it's up to chance as to what the overall effect is.
At the end of my research I found that social media had a stronger negative effect on mental and physical health than a positive effect. I understand that social media is helpful in someways but I feel that the negatives out weigh the positives in this situation. Relationships can be made but it is seen that, obesity(Park) and mental problems(Shashank) can arise. This shows that social media is harmful to both mental and physical health. The positive effects of social media showed favorable mental health effects but I didn't once come across information showing a strengthening of physical health. Overall, research has changed my ideas from one that was in favor of the thought that social media is beneficial to mental and physical health to one that believes it has more of a negative effect.
Throughout my research, I found many positive and negative effects of social media on mental and physical health. Social sites allow humans live out more relaxed and integrated lives however, it is noticed that teens today are lazier than ever and there has been increase in obesity rates over the years (Park). Social sites can allow for a new way to communicate, reconnect and interact in society but, overuse of these social sites have been known to have negative effects on mental health causing psychological disorders and narcissistic tendencies (Shashank). Information is easy to obtain and share with the help of social sites but excessive use has been proven to have negative effects on education (Trapp). Overall, It is seent that social media is a two sided coin having many positive and negative effects but in the end it's up to chance as to what the overall effect is.
At the end of my research I found that social media had a stronger negative effect on mental and physical health than a positive effect. I understand that social media is helpful in someways but I feel that the negatives out weigh the positives in this situation. Relationships can be made but it is seen that, obesity(Park) and mental problems(Shashank) can arise. This shows that social media is harmful to both mental and physical health. The positive effects of social media showed favorable mental health effects but I didn't once come across information showing a strengthening of physical health. Overall, research has changed my ideas from one that was in favor of the thought that social media is beneficial to mental and physical health to one that believes it has more of a negative effect.
Entry 3 Final Draft
At the start of my research, I understood social media to be a positive influence on society but as my research deepened, my ideas began to change. Originally, I saw social media as having a positive effect on mental and physical health because of the way it stimulates humans. I understood these sites as being a way for humans to interact with society and be entertained (Park). After my research, I discovered that social media has many negative effects on both mental and physical health. I found that hyper networking through social sites leads to poor health behaviors such as smoking, drinking and sexual activities (Payne). These effect both mental and physical health in a negative way. Excessive use of social sites can also lead to mental disorders (Shashank) and obesity (Park). My research did not replace my original thoughts about social media having a positive effect on health but I did learn that it does have negative effects as well.
I found myself in disagreement with the idea that social media is a "strong force" in the recovery process used to help mental health problems. The phrase "strong force," I feel, implies that if a person is engaged with social media then their mental health problems will be fixed. I have seen the opposite of this happen on multiple accounts. A friend of mine growing up was very unhappy with school and the people he was involved with. Eventually he became depresssed. Following this, he became actively involved with social media through the use of facebook. Instead of coming out of this depressive state he became overly dependent on facebook and other social websites. In this situation, social media had a negative effect on his mental and physical health.
I could see social media being a partnering force in the recovery process used in helping people with mental health problems but not a "strong force." Overall, there is a potential for someone with a mental health problem benefitting from social media partly because it can be used to create realtionships and communicate(Atkinson). This can be helpful in getting people out of their shells and getting them engaged in the world around them.
I found myself in disagreement with the idea that social media is a "strong force" in the recovery process used to help mental health problems. The phrase "strong force," I feel, implies that if a person is engaged with social media then their mental health problems will be fixed. I have seen the opposite of this happen on multiple accounts. A friend of mine growing up was very unhappy with school and the people he was involved with. Eventually he became depresssed. Following this, he became actively involved with social media through the use of facebook. Instead of coming out of this depressive state he became overly dependent on facebook and other social websites. In this situation, social media had a negative effect on his mental and physical health.
I could see social media being a partnering force in the recovery process used in helping people with mental health problems but not a "strong force." Overall, there is a potential for someone with a mental health problem benefitting from social media partly because it can be used to create realtionships and communicate(Atkinson). This can be helpful in getting people out of their shells and getting them engaged in the world around them.
Entry 4 Final Draft
Originally I thought that social media had an overall positive effect on health but after much research, it has come to my conclusion that social media does more harm than good. I have noticed that addiction plays a major role in how humans are affected by social media (Trapp). The excessive use of Facebook can lead to narcissistic tendencies and psychological disorders as well as anxiety, depression, and physiological disorders (Harwalkar).Humans move to these new forms of communicatinon to feel included and engaged. The sad reality is that being "engaged" causes humans to miss out on true reality and whats going on within the world around them (Payne). Focus is lost, weight is gained (Park) and mental problems arise (Harwalkar) from the continued use of these social sites. The sickening fact is that we as humans are leaning towards social media as a new form of life. Hypernetworking is a growing form of communication for following generations and research has already shown its negative effects in reguard to poor health behaviors(Payne). If these trends continue, then future generations will suffer the effects of what is being created in the present. I can only wonder how long it will take for social media to completely take over and what type of society future generations will be exposed to.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Entry 5 Final Draft
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
Park, Alice. "Teen Obesity: Lack of Exercise May Not Be to Blame." Time. Time, 09
Nov. 2009. Web. 12 Mar. 2012. The article claims that in recent years, teens have come to relax, lounge and hang out more often and prefer this over going to work out or be active. This has led to an increase in obesity rates among the younger US citizens. Numbers have tripled from 1976 to 2004 and researchers find the cause to be the increasingly sedentary lifestyles of kids today. As teens and children spend more time in front of a screen they are spending less time exercising and burning fat.
Time is a well known magazine and is a very credible source. The information provided in the article is based off of research, surveys and statistics found on the topic of teen obesity. The author of the article, Alice Park, uses information and quotes from Dr. Janet Walberg Rankin, a professor in the department of human nutrition, foods and exercise at Virginia Tech, to come to an overall conclusion.
This article is useful for the topic because it provides a con argument for the social media being the new frontier to better health. This will provide a neutral stance on the situation and allow the overall conclusion to be based off of research instead of opinion.
Harwalkar,Shashank. "[Report] Teens Who Use Facebook Often Turn Anti-
Social." Social Media News, Web Tips and Online Trends. 07 Aug. 2011. Web.
12 Mar. 2012.The article claims that social media has transformed how we communicate with each other however it has also brought challenges that need to be overcome. The excessive use of Facebook can lead to narcissistic tendencies and psychological disorders, including antisocial behaviors, mania and aggression. Daily overuse can cause anxiety, depression, and physiological disorders. Facebook can impact learning in a negative way and can be extremely distracting.
The source is valid because it uses facts and the findings of Larry D. Rosen, a psychology professor at California State University. California State University is a very well known institution and a well respected education is needed to teach there. The information has been simply restated in the online article by the author and can be trusted because its based off of findings related to the topic of social medias effects on health and is not biased.
The article may be used because it provides findings on the negative affects of social media on health. This is another con argument for the overall topic. The information shows how the lack of face to face interactions can affect teens and how personality disorders may come from the excessive online communication.
Trapp, Kristin. "Effects of Facebook on Teenagers: Positive and Negative."
HubPages. Web. 12 Mar. 2012.This source is about the positive and negative effects of Facebook on teenagers. It discusses the psychological effects of “overdosing” and a variety of consequences of excessive use. Education also seems to be effected by the excessive use of Facebook because students find themselves getting distracted and getting lower test grades than students who do not use social websites excessively. The source goes into the positive and negative effects of Facebook as a form of social media.
The source is credible because it uses the information of psychological professors as well as experiments and research. The source is not biased because it states both the positive and negative effects of Facebook allowing it to be a more reliable source of information. The author, Trapp, also references other credible sources based on the research of psychologists making this a credible article to reference.
This is a useful source because it provides both sides of argument for whether or not social media is the new frontier to better health. This will allow the ideas of both sides to be used in the paper so that it is unbiased and strictly based on information. This will allow for an overall conclusion to be made.
Mori, Isabella; Pacheco-Vega, Raul. "Social Media and Mental Health." Brain
Blogger. Global Neuroscience Initiative Foundation (GNIF), 6 July 2010.
Web. 26 Feb. 2012. The article claims that social media can be a strong force in the recovery process used to help mental health problems. The article states that there is a decrease in the stigmas associated with mental health due to the overall anonymity allowed by social media and how branching out of comfort zones becomes easier. On the other hand, information is presented on how social media can impair mental health.
The source is written by Dr. Raul Pacheco-Vega and Psychotherapist Isabella Mori who work in the fields of mental health, counseling, psychotherapy and movement therapy. They have a wide variety of experience dealing with the effects of social media on mental health. The article was written in 2010 and is very well referenced. Both the positive and negative affects of social media on health are mentioned throughout the article and multiple examples of each are mentioned to support the claims made regarding social media in relation to better health. This is a valid source overall.
The reference provides information on both sides of the effects of social media on health. It focuses in on the mental health aspect of health so this source provides variety when dealing with ways in which health is effected through the media. The information is easy to understand and the writing is not too complex making it understandable for the intended general audience.
Payne, Ed. "Study Links Too Much Texting, Social Networking to Health Risks."
CNN. CNN, 10 Nov. 2010. Web. 26 Feb. 2012.According to the article on texting and social networking in relation to health risks, information regarding poor health behaviors such as smoking, drinking and sexual activity are linked to hypertexting and hypernetworking. The article defines hypertexting and hypernetworking and relates them to everyday situations for teenagers. Survey information is provided at the bottom of the article showing how certain behaviors are linked to hypertexting and hypernetworking and the percent of teenagers who are involved.
The article and information are posted by CNN, a well known and accurate broadcasting station. The article is recent, having been written November 10, 2010 by Ed Payne who uses a variety of information collected to come to an overall thought on the topic of texting and social networking in relation to health. The information is taken from a survey of Midwestern teens and is not the first time information was conducted on texting and social networking making information easy to obtain and reference.
The information found in the article provides a good source for the effects of texting and social networking on teenagers. It defines two major causes of the poor health found in teenagers and mentions what the health problems are. This source provides a study on texting and social networking that can provide new incite towards the topic of social media and its effects on health.
Atkinson, Nancy. "Social Media Use in the United States: Implications for Health
Communications." Journal of Medical Internet Research. Gunther
Eysenbach, 27 Nov. 2009. Web.According to the article, there have been rapid changes in communication through the use of the internet and social media. The purpose of the study is to determine health and sociodemographic factors related social media users in the United States. Research determined that 67% of adults have access to the internet, and that 5% participated in an online support group, 7% reported blogging, and 23% used a social networking site. A stronger relationship between poorer health and frequent use was found in a younger age group.
The information is found in the Journal of Medical Internet Research and was conducted by many qualified researchers. Wen-ying Sylvia Chou, PhD, MPH,1,2 Yvonne M Hunt, PhD, MPH,1 Ellen Burke Beckjord, PhD, MPH,3 Richard P Moser, PhD,4 and Bradford W Hesse, PhD participated in the overall research and are in fields related to the topic(see bottom). Overall this is a valid source.
The information found in the article can help support the idea that social websites have a negative effect on health. The research on age and the percents on who use Online Support Groups, Blogs, and Social Networking Sites will be especially useful because it provides statistical evidence as to how teens overuse social media.
4Behavioral Research Program, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
3RAND Corporation, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
2Health Communication and Informatics Research Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
1Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
Entry 4 Draft 3
Originally I thought that social media had an overall positive effect on health but after much research, it has come to my conclusion that social media does more harm than good. I have noticed that addiction plays a major role in how humans are affected by social media. The excessive use of Facebook can lead to narcissistic tendencies and psychological disorders as well as anxiety, depression, and physiological disorders (Harwalkar).Humans move to these new forms of communicatinon to feel included and engaged. The sad reality is that being "engaged" causes humans to miss out on reality and whats going on around them (Payne). Focus is lost, weight is gained (Park) and mental problems arise (Harwalkar) from the continued use of these social sites. The sad fact is that we as humans are leaning towards social media as a new form of life. Hypernetworking is a growing form of communication for following generations and research has already shown its negative effects in reguard to poor health behaviors(Payne). If these trends continue, then future generations will suffer the effects of what is being created in the present. I can only wonder how long it will take for social media to completely take over and what type of society future generations will be exposed to.
Entry 3 Draft 3
At the start of my research, I understood social media to be a positive influence on society but as I progressed, my ideas began to change. Originally I saw social media as having a positive effect on health because of the way it stimulates humans mentally. I understood these sites as being a way for humans to interact socially with society and be entertained. After my research, I discovered that social media has many negative effects on both mental and physical health. I found that hyper networking through social sites leads to poor health behaviors such as smoking, drinking and sexual activities (Payne). These effect both mental and physical health in a negative way. Excessive use of social sites can also lead to mental disorders (Shashank) and obesity (Park). My research did not replace my original thoughts about social media having a positive effect on health but I did learn that it does have negative effects as well.
I found myself in disagreement with the idea that social media is a "strong force" in the recovery process used to help mental health problems. The phrase "strong force," I feel, implies that if a person is engaged with social media then their mental health problems will be fixed. I have seen the opposite of this happen on multiple accounts. A friend of mine growing up was very unhappy with school and the people he was involved with. Eventually he became depresssed. Following this he became actively involved with social media through the use of facebook. Instead of coming out of this depressive state he became overly dependent on facebook and other social websites. In this situation, social media had a negative effect on his mental and physical health.
I could see social media being a partnering force in the recovery process used in helping people with mental health problems but not a "strong force." Overall, I could see someone with a mental health problem benefitting from social media partly because it can be used to create realtionships and communicate(Atkinson). This can be helpful in getting people out of their shells and getting them engaged in the world around them.
I found myself in disagreement with the idea that social media is a "strong force" in the recovery process used to help mental health problems. The phrase "strong force," I feel, implies that if a person is engaged with social media then their mental health problems will be fixed. I have seen the opposite of this happen on multiple accounts. A friend of mine growing up was very unhappy with school and the people he was involved with. Eventually he became depresssed. Following this he became actively involved with social media through the use of facebook. Instead of coming out of this depressive state he became overly dependent on facebook and other social websites. In this situation, social media had a negative effect on his mental and physical health.
I could see social media being a partnering force in the recovery process used in helping people with mental health problems but not a "strong force." Overall, I could see someone with a mental health problem benefitting from social media partly because it can be used to create realtionships and communicate(Atkinson). This can be helpful in getting people out of their shells and getting them engaged in the world around them.
Entry 2 Draft 3
At the beginning of my research, I thought social media had a positive effect on both mental and physical health. I believed this partly becasue of the limited information I had reguarding the topic and specific personal experinces I had with social media. I believed social media's effects on mental and physical health to be a positive thing because I saw relationships being made, lives being integrated, thoughts being shared and the potential for new ways to communicate and interact.
Throughout my research, I found many positive and negative effects of social media on mental and physical health. Social sites allow humans live out more relaxed and integrated lives however, it is noticed that teens today are lazier than ever and there has been increase in obesity rates over the years (Park). Social sites can allow for a new way to communicate, reconnect and interact in society but, overuse of these social sites have been known to have negative effects on mental health causing psychological disorders and narcissistic tendencies (Shashank). Information is easy to obtain and share with the help of social sites but excessive use has been proven to have negative effects on education (Trapp). Overall, It is seent that social media is a two sided coin having many positive and negative effects but in the end it's up to chance as to what the overall effect is.
At the end of my research I found that social media had a stronger negative effect on mental and physical health than a positive effect. I understand that social media is helpful in someways but I feel that the negatives out weigh the positives in this situation. Relationships can be made but it is seen that, obesity(Park) and mental problems(Shashank) can arise. This shows that social media is harmful to both mental and physical health. The positive effects of social media showed favorable mental health effects but I didn't once come across information showing a strengthening of physical health. Overall, research has changed my ideas from one that was in favor of the thought that social media is beneficial to mental and physical health to one that believes it has more of a negative effect.
Throughout my research, I found many positive and negative effects of social media on mental and physical health. Social sites allow humans live out more relaxed and integrated lives however, it is noticed that teens today are lazier than ever and there has been increase in obesity rates over the years (Park). Social sites can allow for a new way to communicate, reconnect and interact in society but, overuse of these social sites have been known to have negative effects on mental health causing psychological disorders and narcissistic tendencies (Shashank). Information is easy to obtain and share with the help of social sites but excessive use has been proven to have negative effects on education (Trapp). Overall, It is seent that social media is a two sided coin having many positive and negative effects but in the end it's up to chance as to what the overall effect is.
At the end of my research I found that social media had a stronger negative effect on mental and physical health than a positive effect. I understand that social media is helpful in someways but I feel that the negatives out weigh the positives in this situation. Relationships can be made but it is seen that, obesity(Park) and mental problems(Shashank) can arise. This shows that social media is harmful to both mental and physical health. The positive effects of social media showed favorable mental health effects but I didn't once come across information showing a strengthening of physical health. Overall, research has changed my ideas from one that was in favor of the thought that social media is beneficial to mental and physical health to one that believes it has more of a negative effect.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)