New York, New York – Gazing from the window of the Wazzup Tonight corporate office, I push away from my workstation to notice everyone is either occupied by, or engaged on a handheld device! An overwhelming realization came over me to how social media has slowly taken over our lives. I pondered on the effects of social media; both, the positive and negative adverse affects. Equipped with a laptop, briefcase, and a week-long allowance to conduct research for this article, I sat out to the streets of Brooklyn. To begin with, my mission was easy, “find out how social is media, really”?
Since its inception nearly a decade ago, social media has traveled outside the realms of life online, to world-wide reality. The staggering number of daily interactions further strengthen the influence of social media. With that being the case, it is easy to conclude that social media has easily leaped to the forefront of communication. With every #hashtag, like, tweet, or retweet, we’ve grown more dependent by the minute.
More so, A cognitive merging effect takes place in the psychological wave pattern of our social make up or DNA. We have become pervasively motivated by a need to belong. As a result, enduring interpersonal attachments which social media conveniently fills the void. With that in mind, let the research begin
Research Method, Participants, and Procedures:
ROCKAWAY PKY at GLENWOOD (Brooklyn, NY) United States
(35 females and 35 males, and 30 children ages 12-16) with a mean age of 24.6 years. Given these points, participants completed the questionnaires individually.
- All questionnaires were available only in English.
- Classified users by platform, social status, gender, age, and ethnicity
- Observation of habits (monitored posts, likes, and patterns)
- Disclaimer – No disparity was made with race nor social status
Conclusion /Adverse Effects
For the purpose of research to discover the effects of social media, I conducted a survey using the parameters above. With this in mind, I soon discovered that one’s psychological well-being was altered by his or her social networking habits. A stunning 80% of those surveyed prioritized checking their social media timeline as one of the first task upon wakening in the morning. With regards to the 35 females I surveyed, a whopping 87% based the standards of their appearance in comparison to other females on their timeline. On the other hand, a majority of the comparisons were made with other women never seen in real life. The interaction, news feed, or postings of peers resulted in a direct correlation of the subjects persona, attitude, and in many instances; views on how they saw themselves.
However; in a neurological sense, negative emotions resulting from social media often lead to long-term symptoms of depression and isolation. The realization is simple; we live in a society where social media has become vital in the moral make up of human interaction. Consequently, we can no longer afford to ignore the power and influence of the social networking world. To conclude, ask yourself, “Am I getting something productive out of my time on social media, and how is it helping to improve my life?” More importantly, we must hold ourselves accountable for the way we intake and interpret social media.
About the Author
Lamont “Renzo” Bracy Tech Correspondent | Economic Strategist for Wazzup Tonight