The Impact of Social Networking on Youth: Positive or Harmful?

Running head: SOCIAL NETWORKING
SOCIAL NETWORKING
Name of the Student
Name of the Organization
Author Note

SOCIAL NETWORKING1
Introduction
The main aim of the study is to produce an argument if the use of social media has an
effect which is positive for the youth or whether it is harming them. Social media which is
basically defined as set of computer oriented technologies are allowing for development and data
sharing for promoting several kinds of ideas of plans of career with the help of connecting
devices. This specific service of social networking is mainly accessed by the users though cell
phones or laptops. Social media allows sharing of information through some popular sites of
social media such as Facebook or Twitter. It has been observed that social networking is being
used in most of the educational institutions and the results are also very good. Social networking
is not capable of assisting students but it is not only limited to it. As per education is considered,
social networking is playing an important role in offering large opportunities for promoting
interaction and improving it between educators and the administrators. Using several websites
teachers can help in the betterment of the student’s involvement in educating and improving the
technological ability. There are several other advantages as well which are related to the
utilisation of social networking in the educational institutions (Hertlein & Ancheta, 2014). On
the other hand, it has been often viewed that apart from the contribution of social networking in
education it brings with it a type of addiction. It has been observed that a number of students and
other people are indulging a lot into social networking sites like Facebook or Instagram. A wrong
habit of utilising social media excessively has become a common topic of research and some of
the common symptoms of such an addiction are anxiety and depression.

SOCIAL NETWORKING2
Thesis Statement
Despite the advantageous contribution of the social networking’s use in the educational
field, there is a great addiction with the utilisation of social networking by the students, teenagers
and other people. This addictions is not at a good thing and this can even ruin the personal life of
any individual.
Appeals
ICT or more properly Information and communication technologies are noticed to have
significantly changed the way of living and have finally become a part of life which is
inseparable. Several people, especially the youth are using these technologies on a daily basis for
a number of reasons and purposes. As this excessive penetration of mobile phones in the society
increases to a great extent, there is a huge growth in the utilization of mobile phones among the
young people. This trend is seen to have been growing rapidly in the use of some of the social
networking services or SNS. The mobile applications of SNS is considered as predictor of the
addiction of mobile. ICT has the strength of creating addiction within individuals and the ICT
experience is so much enjoyable that people always try in maintaining the state even at high cost
(Salehan & Negahban, 2013). This excessive use of mobile phones can be seen as a kind of
techno stress. It effects the people a lot while working or studying and this type of addiction can
cause a huge harm to both the society and its individuals.
On the other hand, there is one article which clearly explores one possible mechanism
with the help of which online social networking of people leads to results which are mainly
psychological. It mainly proposes that supportive interaction helps in mediating relationship
between the general use of SNS and the user’s psychological states (Oh, Ozkaya & LaRose,