The Presence of Social Media in NRHS: The Positive and Negative

By Manahel Shuja

Social media has come a long way since the first recognizable social media site, “Six Degrees” from 1997. As time has gone by, social media has started to take over the lives of teens to the point where many could not function without it. Social media has many pros and cons, especially in the school community. These range from communication to bullying.  

In New Rochelle High School, social media has had a strong impact on all students. Social media has allowed the introduction of new school clubs, after school events, and sports events making students more knowledgeable about what is happening all around the school along with helping them to be more involved with school activities. Alishba Zia, one of a students who runs the Instagram for the Muslim Student Association (MSA) stated, “ Whenever we have bake sales, meetings, or prayer events we post on the account to get the word out. Social media is very impactful on our generation so we use it to collect a greater audience.” Social media has also allowed students to get to know more about each other by being able to look at different peoples profiles. For example, there are many NRHS-affiliated accounts on Instagram, such as @nrhsdescision23. This account posts what college students will be attending.  This can be motivating to lower classmen who are trying  to reach the same goals as those who are going to college. 

Even though social media has many positive effects, it can also have some negative ones. For example, invading people’s privacy and the risk of bullying come with the use of social media. Online, there is no way to make sure that your information is not going out to the public. Other students in NRHS agree.  Student Riana Ann Binu, stated,  “I feel like privacy on social media is not always guaranteed so users have to be extra cautious on what they post.” Social media, especially what you post, has a great impact on your public view. If you are applying to college or any sport teams, some colleges check students' social media to see if they post anything offensive or inappropriate, which can affect their chances of getting into the college. When asked about the effects of social media posts, Mrs. Russo, an English teacher in NRHS stated, “I think it's important for students to understand that anything they post on social media has a public audience. A post that could portray them in a negative light might not be one worth making.” Not only does social media invade your privacy it also causes a risk of cyber bullying from things like the way you look at your political views. In NRHS there have been many accounts that invade people's privacy by taking pictures of them, making most people in those posts embarrassed. When asking Riana Ann Binu about the NRHS accounts she stated, “I think that some NRHS accounts are funny ,but I hope that they get the permission of the people they post before they post.” Even though some of these social media accounts take people's pictures without their permission they are still respectful and understanding when some want their post to be taken down. 

In NRHS, social media has had many positive and negative effects with the increase in communication and the increase in risk of privacy invasion. When asking others if there are more negatives or positives in social media, Samantha Benjamin replied saying that, “I believe that there are both positives and negatives to social media. Social media allows individuals to be more informed about issues that are occurring in society, helps people stay connected and develop platforms that positively influence their audience. But at the same time, social media can expose people to hate and create self image issues which can overall impact one’s mental health. In my opinion, if social media is used in a healthy and responsible manner, the benefits outweigh the negatives.”