Impact of Social Media in the Lives of Teens, Coursework Example

Research Hypotheses

Teenagers that use social media responsibly can gain a lot from the platform. However, if not carefully used, social media can negatively affect teenagers.

How to Incorporate Cross-Cultural Perspectives in the Capstone Project

This research will use data from different sections of society. The effect of social media on teenagers will include Latinos, African Americans, Whites, and other groups to make sure people from all cultural backgrounds have been studied.

How to Overcome Weird Biases in the Project

The best way to avoid bias in this project will be to ensure I do not use my personal experience or those close to people I know. The data will be from secondary sources to avoid bias.

Impact of Social Media on Teenagers

Social media has become a part of most people’s lives in the United States, especially teenagers. The advent of computers, smartphones, and the ease of internet connectivity has made it easy for people to sign up and join social media platforms. Some of the most common platforms used by teenagers are Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok (Nesi, 2020). Social media has the ability to help teenagers in developing their communication skills. It also makes it easy for people to make friends. Furthermore, social media encourages people to pursue their areas of interest (Appel et al., 2019). Finally, teenagers can share their thoughts and ideas because of social media.

However, if not well used, teenagers are at risk of developing mental health issues such as social media anxiety disorder. When teenagers use social media for a long time, there is a high chance that they will become addicted to the platforms. There is also a high chance that social media will expose teenagers to bullying (Anderson & Jiang, 2021). Finally, social media has the potential of making teenagers have unrealistic views about life.

References

Anderson, B., & Jiang, J. (2021, May 27). Teens, social media & technology 2018. Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/05/31/teens-social-media-technology-2018/

Appel, M., Marker, C., & Gnambs, T. (2019). Are social media ruining our lives? A review of meta-analytic evidence. Review of General Psychology, 24(1), 60-74. https://doi.org/10.1177/1089268019880891

Nesi, J. (2020). The impact of social media on youth mental health. North Carolina Medical Journal, 81(2), 116-121. https://doi.org/10.18043/ncm.81.2.116