SOCIAL
NETWORKING & ITS SIDE EFFECTS
The popularity
of the social networking sites has increased rapidly in the last decade and we are now more wired than ever. This is
probably due to the reason that college and university students as well as
teens use it extensively to get global access. It
has become a platform for people to share their ideals, to meet new friends and
to reconnect with old friends giving people new and varied ways to communicate
via the internet, whether through their computers, laptops and mobile phones
etc. Sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and You Tube etc. have
become a raging craze for everyone these days.
It is indeed a matter of pride to see that most of us are inclined
towards ‘digital’ specially the younger generation. From young toddlers to
teens, children are able to navigate the world of technology, using a range of
gadgets for enjoyment, social connection, education, communication and
convenience.Classrooms are now filled with technology from computers to
interactive whiteboards along with the families who are now inviting a range of
technologies into their homes too. There
is no doubt that the internet facility has given us the
ability to connect with people from around the globe with a few clicks of a
button and one can easily send an information to anyone or can get
information within seconds. No one can make a fool of anyone as
all the information can be verified from these sites. People today are no longer limited to being able to boot
up a computer and texting on a mobiles, but have indeed be become tech savvy for they
are using technology to become more productive and efficient.
Negative Impact of Social Networking Sites:
In
many ways, social media has led to positive changes in the way people
communicate and share information, but along
with the multitude of benefits that technology brings, it has a dark side because overuse of these sites on a daily
basis has many negative effects on the physical and mental health of students ,
specially, making them lethargic and unmotivated. Today,
social sites have become a habit for many people and children find it difficult
to study for one hour without login to a network site. Where some people have
become very smart because of this facility, there some have become very poor
academically due to lack of concentration towards their objectives. There is a widening concern over the time children
spend with technology and the type of interactions they are having through
technology. This is resulting in some serious
negative outcomes with long-term consequences. In a manner we can say that children are getting addicted to this. Getting
too much involved into these networking sites for example: if you check
Facebook too often or keep reading to see some startling statistics. Some play online video games for twenty-four
hour marathons, where others upload thousands of images of themselves to
Facebook. Many adolescents prefer playing games hence they tend to withdraw
from social situations and spend an increasing number of hours sitting alone in
the dark, staring at a screen filled with zombies or soldiers, clinging to a
handheld device that lets them interact with these characters, each of who represent
another individual in another household doing the exact same thing. Since
access to this can be from a computer, mobile and laptop etc., anywhere,
including work or school, addiction is be
harder to spot.
The negative effects of such sites over weigh the
positive ones. These sites have caused potential harm to society as children
have become victims of social networks than anyone else. This is because of the
reason that when they are studying or searching their course material online,
they get attracted to these sites to kill the boredom in their study time,
diverting their attention from their work. The extensive use of this technology
has had many adverse effects on the children of today:-
Reduced
learning and research capabilities. Students today have begun to rely on information that is available on
the social media platforms specifically as well as the web in general in order
to get answers. This means that there is a reduced focus on learning as well as
on retaining information and research abilities. They prefer surfing on the
computers to reading books, discussing with friends or finding material in the
Libraries etc.
Multitasking.
Multitasking
can cause the brain to overheat for a brain needs intervals to recover, not
just by sleeping at night, but during the day too periods of rest and recovery
is important for its efficiency as it simply can't run straight out all day
long at peak performance without rest. Students
attempting to multi-task are trying to check various social media sites while studying.
This leads to reduced academic performance and their ability to concentrate on
their task at hand gets significantly reduced.
Reduction
in real human contact. The more
time the students spend on these social media sites, the less time they spend
socializing with others, reducing their communication skills as they are unable
to interact and socialize effectually with others making them feel shy and
introvert. The child withdrawing himself from previously enjoyed activities
such as playing with their siblings and friends playing, even withdraws from
family and friends. He feels bored or lost without technology and the limit is crossed
when he is engrossed in it during mealtimes. Thus they cannot be considered as
an adequate replacement for any face-to-face communication. Not only this,
students who are spending a great deal of time on these social networking sites
are not able to communicate in person in an effective manner.
Reduces
command over language use age and creative writing skills. Students mostly use slang words or shortened forms of
words on social networking sites. They rely on the computer grammar and
spelling check features and this has reduced their command over the language as
well as their creative writing skills. They have become computer dependent.
Time
wastage. Students, while
searching and studying online, get attracted to using social media sites and
sometimes they forget why they are using internet resulting in waste of their
time and sometimes students are not even able to deliver their work in the
specified time frame. Children spend a large amount of time on computers,
mobiles and laptops etc. chatting with friends, internet surfing playing games
etc. that keeps them preoccupied with technology, having a negative impact on
their time to complete other daily homework and studies etc.
Low grades.
Students get low grades in
school due to lack of the desired information and writing skills. Lack of
concentration and careless routine hours of studies fetch them low grades in
school, college and competitive exams etc. which depresses them down. Due to
technology use his academics is also affected intensely impacting effecting
negatively on the school grades as well as studies.
Loss of
motivation in students. The
student’s motivational level reduces due to the use of these social networking
sites. They rely more on the virtual information instead of gaining practical
knowledge from the real world. The child feels safe and comfortable killing his
valuable time surfing the internet without any purpose and gets irritated when
any parent or elderly person attempts to put limits to his technology use and
the worst is when that child starts staying up late or waking through the night
or early morning to use technology, so that no one should know.
Effect on
health. The excessive use of
these sites affect the mental as well as physical health. Students do not take their meals on time and
take proper rest. They take excessive amount of coffee or tea to remain active
and focused which effects negatively on their health. Hyper-networking and hyper texting correlates with unhealthy behaviours
in teens, including drinking, smoking and sexual activity. Hyper-networking
also associates with depression, substance abuse, poor sleep patterns, suicides
and poor academic performance. Students who are using technology
including the social networking sites on a regular basis tend to have more
stomach aches, besides sleeping problems, as well as anxiety and depression.
Such students also display more of narcissistic tendencies besides many other
psychological disorders, including various antisocial behaviours as well as
aggressive tendencies. Outdoor activities outdoor and indoor games have almost.
Isolation. While
on the surface it appears social networking brings people together across the
Internet, in a larger sense it is definitely creating social isolation. As
people spend increasing amounts of time on social networks, they experience
less face-to-face interaction. This can lead to a host of mental,
psychological, emotional and physical problems including depression, anxiety,
somatic complaints and many others. It is an absolute fact that socially
isolated people experience tremendous levels of stress, aggression, anxiety and
other mental issues. His increased preference with socialising online can
sometimes engage in unsafe technology use for example, making friends with
strangers or view wrong prohibited sites.
The use of social
networking is full of advantages if used properly because misuse or excessive
use of anything is bad. The parents should check and balance on their children
when they use the internet and should be on guard whether they are using it for
appropriate time period or not. The teachers should also make students aware of
the negative effects and explain what they are losing by sticking to these
social networking sites. It is inherent on the individual to use social
networking constructively, and parents must be especially careful to monitor
their children's use of social networking to minimize the potential for
negative outcomes.
- Set your own limits and demonstrate this to your child. For example, a family rule may be no phones or technology at the dinner table for any family member.
- Help your child develop coping skills for managing technology and non-technology time. Explore their talents and interests and foster these.
- Help your child develop problem solving skills particularly in times when he is feeling at a loose end without technology.
- Develop your child’s communication skills, demonstrate conversation, friendship, conflict-resolution skills and practice these and listen to your child when they are communicating with you.
- Develop some new family traditions. Have times when the family disconnects with technology and reconnects as a family unit. Involve your children in brainstorming activities they might like to do.
- Challenge your own thoughts. Many of our own thoughts and perceptions can get in the way of helping our children limit their technology use. For example, believing the outside play is unsafe or that technology is good to help your child be quiet, can limit your ability to maintain healthy boundaries for your child’s technology use.
- Make sure your child has some scheduled time in their week to be unscheduled, unstructured and free from technology, homework and planned activities. Help your child play in the garden, at the park or the beach, for example, without the distractions of technology. Invite your child’s friends along to foster friendships and social skills.
- Always use maximum privacy settings and be cautious about what you share on social networking sites. Minimize the time you and your children spend social networking.
- Monitor your children's social networking use and friend lists. Make household rules about social networking and enforce them and also educate your children about the potential hazards of social networking.
- Set some relaxation time and explore the things your child finds relaxing that he does not involve technology during those hours.
- Educate yourself. Know what technology your child is using and what they are doing on that technology. Be your child’s friend on Facebook, look at their account, and know the websites and games they seek.
- Educate your child. Help your child know how to safely navigate technology, know the risks and how to identify them and know the supports they can seek if things go awry. Have some simple rules such as no sending of videos or photos without permission, no ‘friending’ people that you haven’t met.
- Establish clear bedtime routines and limits. Shift technology usage to daylight hours and out of the bedroom as children who use a computer before bedtime take longer to fall asleep, have a poorer quality sleep and are more distractible and fatigued during the day.
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