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Annotated Bibliography
Research Question: How does social media affect the well-being of today’s generation?
Chukwuere, Joshua E., and Joshua C. Goodness Chinazor. "The Effects of Social Media News on Human Psychology: A Narrative Literature Review." Journal of African Films and Diaspora Studies, vol. 4, no. 2, 2021, pp. 81-81–98. ProQuest, http://login.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/effects-social-media-news-on-human-psychology/docview/2610983480/se-2, doi:https://doi.org/10.31920/2516-2713/2021/4n2a5.
Summary: The very resourceful journal had many research that brought up how each generation looks at social media differently. The older generations use social media to catch up and rekindle with old friends while this generation uses social media to feel accepted and to try to fit in, in the way they think they need to. Social media is causing self-esteem effects to the younger youth today, such as depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. The journal believes social media was made to our advantage and in a positive way, but the people of this world always take something good and turn it into the opposite. The youth of this generations dn for the generations to come are our future and they should not be bringing each other down. We need to help each other, not the opposite.
Evaluation: The library database I conducted my research at was Arizona Republic and what I learned was so much. I agree with everything this journal has to say about my topic, about how social media can be looked at in a negative and positive way and people really do pay attention to what they see, hear, and so much more. The research I found today backs up my point that my topic is a real-life problem and needs to have attention brought upon it. This was a very successful resource because I have found this resource to continue my research and make it stronger so the readers will really feel the emotion and facts when reading this essay.
Johnson, Kim. “Is Social Media Bad for Your Mental Health?: Middle Georgia State University.” Www.mga.edu, 16 June 2022, www.mga.edu/news/2022/06/is-social-media-bad-for-your-mental-health.php.
Summary: The article by the News Bureau goes in depth as to why social media has such a strong hold on today's generation and also including other generations as well. Talking about the risks and rewards of social media consumption and which one has more positives than negatives.
Evaluation: News Bureau does an amazing job categorizing the different sections in her article. She goes through the steps in order of what you would normally look at down the line. Talking about the positives and negatives because that is what real life people do is look at both sides. I love how she goes more in depth with mental health and the signs. This article can help me a lot because I can pull a lot from it, such as the facts and evidence that is provided in all categories. This article provides different information from all the other articles so it really helps to be able to broaden my essay with different facts and not always the same ones.
Pantic, Igor. “Online Social Networking and Mental Health.” Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, vol. 17, no. 10, 1 Oct. 2014, pp. 652–657, 10.1089/cyber.2014.0070.
Summary: The article on the National Library of Medicine website brings up facts about social media over the years and how it has a hold over people. There is a spotlight specifically talking about the social media Facebook and how that can make people depressed. Social media can have an effect on self-esteem.
Evaluation: This article is laid out differently and more professionally then my other articles and I like how I can have a different perspective when it comes to writing my essay. Talking about the different networking sites and their effects on the peoples life that use social media religiously. Social media is looked at affecting the normal aspects that a human should have that makes them human. That social media is literally sucking the life out of human beings and humans are just letting it happen.
Robinson, Lawrence, and Melinda Smith. “Social Media and Mental Health - HelpGuide.org.” Https://Www.helpguide.org, 2020, www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/social-media-and-mental-health.htm#:~:text=However%2C%20multiple%20studies%20have%20found.
Summary: The help guide article by Lawrence Robinson and Melinda Smith talks about how we love using social media in our everyday lives. An excessive use of social media is not good mentally or physically. These feelings can cause addiction, anxiety, depression, isolation, body dysphoria, eating disorders, and FOMO. This impacts a person's mood negatively.
Evaluation: While the article does talk about how staying connected with others can be a positive thing and ease some effects that social media can also cause. This article talks about the many negative effects of social media. This being FOMO, isolation, depression, anxiety, cyberbullying, self-absorption. This can easily shift a person's life for the worse. People should be in control of social media, not the other way around. There are definitions and examples under each possible negative aspect of social media which can make my essay go more in depth.
“Talking to Kids about Harmful Beauty Standards Online.” Bgca.org, 6 Sept. 2022, bgca.org/news-stories/2022/September/talking-to-kids-about-harmful-beauty-standards-online?gclid=CjwKCAiAoL6eBhA3EiwAXDom5sOdKDnQXxdBt8aC3pRS8MbHljmbtE6257FB1SAI8porID5LOLTJVRoC_vgQAvD_BwE. Accessed 24 Jan. 2023.
Summary: The article by the Boys and Girls Clubs of America goes into depth talking about what social media can do to kids. Adults are not the only ones affected. This article specifically talks about the beauty standards promoted online and how that is not the best thing for the eyes of kids to see when they go on there for fun. This article promotes that kids need to build their self-esteem, not let social media take it away from them.
Evaluation: This article is very reliable with all the sources provided and evidence I can pour into my essay. None of the other articles specifically focus on kids and specifically talk about beauty standards and how that hurts people in a negative way. I am glad I have this article to branch out and provide different aspects of evidence to strengthen my essay. Steps are provided in this article to help not fall down the dark hole when it comes to social media. Boys and girls compare themselves to the people they see on social media which can be normal because everyone does that, but online there is a specific image that is looked at as the only okay body or face image. People need to grow away from that and do better.
Walsh, Dylan. “Study: Social Media Use Linked to Decline in Mental Health.” MIT Sloan, 14 Sept. 2022, mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/study-social-media-use-linked-to-decline-mental-health.
Summary: The effects social media has on kids and young adults' mental health can be seen or hidden behind their sad face. Girls compare themselves to others on social media because there is a “standard beauty”. It is crazy how one small technological device has such a strong hold over so many people and could hurt them in so many different ways. In these articles, studies talk about how there is a strong link between social media and the increasing of depression, suicide, anxiety, etc. Social media has greater risks than rewards. People try so hard to feel accepted that they believe they are not good enough and change their personality to make other people happy rather than themselves.
Evaluation: The article is made to talk about what matters and the topic is social media and how that is increasing anxiety and depression. I found this article in the regular google website and just looked for websites ending in .org, .gov, and .edu. By doing this I found a lot of research that is reliable and can back me up to the readers in my essay that this is a real issue and it is happening right now and it needs to be fixed.
Dear Reader,
The annotated bibliography that I created to support my research question goes around full circle and ties all together. The best thing about my annotated bibliography are the summaries. I am proud of the work that I put into all of the summaries for each and every citation. Most of my summaries I will say do sound very similar in many aspects but they all also have many specific parts that pop out. Some revisions that I did make to my annotated bibliography after looking over my peer reviews on my rough draft were adding a little more details to some summaries that were not very specific. Some challenges I did face during this whole process is staying on task and not going off topic. During research I had trouble trying to not repeat myself because a lot of the resources talked about the same effects and what social media can do to the different generation, especially the younger generation. Also during the revising process, I have trouble pinpointing words or phrases that I need to add or revise. The peer reviews honestly did not have any major effects on aiding any revisions during the process to my final draft of annotated bibliography. I had two peer reviews, on the first review the student gave me one correction which was putting more detail into my first two summaries. Everything else on the checklist she approved that I did correctly so I could not really find anything else to fix. My other peer review also said everything was done correctly and just said I could add a page header with my last name and page number to make it look professional even though it was not a requirement and I did so. After this process I will gladly say I am proud of my work and that it was a process and I am glad I strived through it.
Thank you,
Brooke Seaton
Research Essay
Brooke Seaton
Professor Nanette Schuster
ENG 102
2 April 2023
How does social media affect the well-being of today’s generation?
Social media is used every day, via. TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook. All these apps can showcase people’s opinions in a positive but mostly negative way. Cyberbullying is much easier nowadays; people can comment or post anything under a real or fake account. The words that are said under these accounts affect and stay with people for the rest of their lives. Things being said to someone that everyone can see, true or false, can put someone in a depressed state, give them anxiety, or worse. Nothing good is coming from this and is breaking down this generation and putting them in a state that is hard to get out of. Social media is hurting this generation in a negative way and causing many side effects such as eating disorders, depression, anxiety, and loneliness.
Girls and boys look up to too many influencers or models that are on social media. This should have a positive effect on someone's life, instead of this generation looking up to their idols, people are comparing themselves to others. There is a “beauty standard” broadcasted all over social media, that everyone should fit in this little box and try to look the same and be the same. Many different aspects are compared on social media, “In fact, 8 in 10 girls say they compare the way they look to other people on social media, and 50% of them say idealized beauty content and unrealistic filters on social media are damaging to their self-esteem.” (Boys & Girls Club of America). People are comparing themselves by body weight, shape, face, and hair, honestly anything you can think of. It is very unhealthy to compare yourself to another person because everyone's body is different and does not work the same. It is more natural and healthier to love and appreciate your body, you only get one. Girls compare themselves and will create eating disorders that will affect the rest of their lives. Girls are not the only ones that are affected by social media. Boys are also guilty of comparing themselves in all sorts of ways to other men. Boys compare muscles and body weight; this can lead to unhealthy habits. Boys are overlooked in these types of situations, boys are looked at as strong and independent, when everyone has feelings and thoughts.
The older generations use social media to catch up and rekindle with old friends while this generation uses social media to feel accepted and to try to fit in, in the way they think they need to. Social media has different uses, “while there are positive uses for social media, there are physiological effects on our brains that affect our dopaminergic pathways and thus our mental health.” (Middle Georgia State University). Social media is causing self-esteem effects to the younger youth today, such as depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. Teens rely on their peers for feedback on themselves and expect to obtain some type of acceptance. There are many negative effects from using social media, “Research studies note the connection between use of social media and its undesirable outcomes that increase incidence of anxiety, stress, depression, body image concerns, and loneliness in teens and young adults.” (Middle Georgia State University). The youth of this generation and for the generations to come are our future and they should not be bringing each other down.
Social media is very convenient to keep in touch with others but unfortunately that means it is easily accessible. Being addicted to your phone is a real thing and keeps people's attention and keeps them continually updating on their phone. Being self-absorbed in social media, “Sharing endless selfies and all your innermost thoughts on social media can create an unhealthy self-centeredness and distance you from real-life connections.” (HelpGuide.org). Being attached to your phone is taking people's attention away from the real world. People are missing out on real life and real opportunities. This is causing unhealthy lifestyles such as laziness and taking people away from getting exercise.
Depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and loneliness are only a few of the negative side effects that anyone can obtain from using social media. Social media really digs into the brains of this generation causing there to be many defaults. Mental health is very fragile and when it is messed with it does have many downfalls. There is an increase of mental distress, “College-wide access to Facebook led to an increase in severe depression by 7% and anxiety disorder by 20%.” (MIT Sloan). In these articles studies talk about how there is a strong link between social media and the increasing of depression, suicide, anxiety, etc. Social media has greater risks than rewards. People try to meet these standards to make others happy, when people need to learn to be happy within themselves and social media is making people’s vision blurry from seeing the bigger picture. Why go on a device to hurt yourself by the end of the day, when you can live in real time.
After analyzing and researching the overall issue of social media in today's generation, it is concluded that there needs to be a line drawn between social media and a person’s real life. There are side effects caused by using social media which include: anxiety, depression, loneliness, addiction, and eating disorders. There is a wide range of what could happen in this generation, but if social media keeps being the center of everyone's attention, mental health is going to go down in a spiral. Social media has a stronghold on the people of our future, they need to break through and create that boundary so that the future is not at stake. The girls and boys of this generation need to learn they are enough, once they learn this then they will open their eyes and realize there is a greater world out there, more than just what is on the screen. All of these mental illnesses that can be created have a long-term effect and can be prevented easily by taking time away from social media and surrounding yourself in a more positive environment.
Works Cited
Chukwuere, Joshua E., and Joshua C. Goodness Chinazor. "The Effects of Social Media News on Human Psychology: A Narrative Literature Review." Journal of African Films and Diaspora Studies, vol. 4, no. 2, 2021, pp. 81-81–98. ProQuest, http://login.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/effects-social-media-news-on-human-psychology/docview/2610983480/se-2, doi:https://doi.org/10.31920/2516-2713/2021/4n2a5.
Johnson, Kim. “Is Social Media Bad for Your Mental Health?: Middle Georgia State University.” Www.mga.edu, 16 June 2022, www.mga.edu/news/2022/06/is-social-media-bad-for-your-mental-health.php.
Robinson, Lawrence, and Melinda Smith. “Social Media and Mental Health - HelpGuide.org.” Https://Www.helpguide.org, 2020, www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/social-media-and-mental-health.htm#:~:text=However%2C%20multiple%20studies%20have%20found.
“Talking to Kids about Harmful Beauty Standards Online.” Bgca.org, 6 Sept. 2022, bgca.org/news-stories/2022/September/talking-to-kids-about-harmful-beauty-standards-online?gclid=CjwKCAiAoL6eBhA3EiwAXDom5sOdKDnQXxdBt8aC3pRS8MbHljmbtE6257FB1SAI8porID5LOLTJVRoC_vgQAvD_BwE. Accessed 24 Jan. 2023.
Walsh, Dylan. “Study: Social Media Use Linked to Decline in Mental Health.” MIT Sloan, 14 Sept. 2022, mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/study-social-media-use-linked-to-decline-mental-health.
Dear Reader,
My research question is: How does social media affect the well-being of today’s generation? I have submitted my final draft and did many revisions from my rough draft to my completed essay. I did many sentence revisions by switching up some phrases or changing the whole sentence completely. I tried to make my sentences not sound all the same. Composing the bibliography made it easier to find all my evidence and it also gave me some sentences I liked to include in my essay. It did make the process go much smoother. This essay shows how my question is very important to me and how relevant it is in today's world. It is a struggle that many people you know struggle with, and I wanted to express my opinion on it with factual evidence to back me up. A struggle I encountered when writing my essay was repeating myself. A lot of the effects I talked about are recurring and so impactful I kept wanting to touch base on it and go more in depth. I did struggle with this and went back and revised many of these sentences because I needed to make the other effects known as well. I wrote this essay because this is only the start of social media because technology is going to keep getting more advanced and be more integrated into our lives. I show my best writing skills when I write about something real, relevant, and impactful. I feel I did that in this essay as well.
Thank you,
Brooke Seaton
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