Reflection Blog #1

• What does the research from Common Sense Media and the Pew Research Center reveal about teens’ and adults’ experiences and their relationship with social media?

The research from Common Sense Media and the Pew Research Center reveal that teens’ and adults’ spend most of their time on social media. From waking up in the morning to going to bed at night, their everyday life is all based on social media. Teens said that they also check their phone while they are in the classroom. The new notifications on their phone is what they are waiting for. As soon as they get the notification, they would want to check it right at that time. They also revealed that they spend time on social media in order to learn new innovative things. Snapchat shows and instagram stories educate them about the politics and friend’s daily life routines. Adults and teens also shared that it is their habit to be on social media that they cannot really change. Some teens don’t regulate their own social media use which includes putting their devices away at meals, when doing homework, and while driving. It is definitely risky if they don’t know how to regulate their habits of social media. Social media has pros and cons which we need to acknowledge and keep in mind so we can gain the best out of it.

• What are some positive effects that were shared by the teens’ or adults? Explain.

Some positive effects that were shared by the teens’ and adults’ are staying connected with their closed ones, and being able to communicate with them through social media. Teens’ also shared that they use social media to show their creativity out of academics such as arts, drawings, paintings, and skills of cooking. Some adults’ said that they discuss issues on social media with their friends and family which make them feel relieved. Snap snows, and streaks educate them to know what is going around in their country and also internationally. Social media apps are being useful to write books, stories, and vlogs, create music, and social justice movements. People do dances and amaze their audience through social media now-a-days. Teens feel happy while being on social media. It is a stress reliever for some college students. Youtube channels allow them to share whatever they want like their hair routine, makeup routine, dances, music, and so on and earn money when they get famous. Furthermore, people said that whenever they feel sad or lonely, they connect with their friends on social media and communication makes them feel less lonely. When they need someone in tough times, there is always someone there for them. Moreover, during these tough times where people are forced to be home, social media apps such as zoom and emails allow them to attend classes online and study with their peer classmates. Overall, I believe that most people are focusing and enjoying the pros of social media rather than bad effects.

• What are some negative effects that were shared? Explain.

While I believe that most of the effects of social media are positive, it is also crucial to consider the negative effects of social media. Some negative effects which were shared in these two articles are people get depressed sometimes, and they get judged and end up suffering from anxiety and loneliness. Furthermore, cyberbullying happens to so many people which make them feel sad and hurtful. In the article, “Social Media Social Life: Teens Reveals Their Experiences,” one of the main negative effects I saw them sharing is about cyberbullying. It happens so often and it is really sad that people have to go through that sort of thing. Moreover, some of them have experienced racist and sexist comments which discourage them to post anything on social media. People need to educate them and realize that everyone is equal and we need to treat everyone equal. Lastly, having social media around us forces us to be on the phone and get distracted from academics and also family life. We often forget that there are also lots of other physical activities and games around us apart from social media.

• What is one other key finding from either of the research sources that you found to be important, notable, interesting, or surprising? Explain.

Overall, I think both the Common Sense Media site and the Pew Research Center are so informative. It educated us about social media’s pros and cons by the age group. It was interesting to know how 18–24 years of age group’s use of social media and 24–29 years changes so much. Also, social media and mental health’s topic was so surprising to me since I didn’t know most of the things on social media and mental health. Teen’s stories of cyberbullying were pretty intimidating. We must be aware that social media cannot be more important than spending time with our loved ones.