ENGL0003 - Curtin Dubai: Argumentative Essay Outline on Social Media

This argumentative essay outline, submitted by a student, explores the negative impacts of social media on individuals and society. The outline presents arguments against social media, focusing on its detrimental effects on actual socializing, the generation of arguments and conflicts, and the impact on mental health. It discusses how social media usage affects face-to-face interactions, promotes conflicts, and contributes to mental health issues such as depression and the fear of missing out. Counterarguments are addressed and rebutted. The outline includes supporting evidence from various sources and a bibliography. Despite acknowledging some benefits, the essay strongly emphasizes the negative consequences of social media on human life.

ARGUMENT OUTLINE
Social media ruins people’s lives
Name of student:
Name of University:
Authors Note:

Thesis Statement: Social media ruin our general lives and life styles
Introduction Paragraph (Paragraph 1)
Introduction
With the progress of the humanity, the nature of communication has changed as well.
With the advancement of science and technologies, social media has become the most popular
communication system. However, various critics are of the opinion that social media has more
bad effects over the lives of human being.
Affirmative argument 1: is not actually social
Support 1a: people stays glued in the social media and have forgotten the actual essence of
socializing.
Support 1b: People give less time on face to face interactions with family and friends.
Counterargument: The social media helps in socializing in the way that it helps in connecting
friends and families living far and apart.

Rebuttal: though it connects with people living far away, evidences prove that social media users
merely use these applications for connecting with families or friends. They are majorly used to
influence other users in the platform.
Affirmative argument2: arguments and conflicts
Support 2a: arguments over an issues causes conflicts that are often dragged up to personal level
Support 2b: grudge holding against each other
Counterargument: people have chances to reflect and think about a topic from different
dimension
Rebuttal: though there are chances of accumulation of various knowledge, chances of conflicts
are more that results in the spread of hatred in various cases
Affirmative argument3: Mental Health issues
Support 3a: people try to fake perfection
Support 3b: people tends to get depressed comparing other’s life with their own’s

Counterargument: People gets positive vibes from other’s positivity and tends to develop teir
own lives
Rebuttal: the perfection in the sense of an elegant life style or luxury cannot be a role model of
the society.
Counterargument 1: helps in getting connected and have news around the world
Support 1: in the era of communication, social media plays a great role to communicate news
Support 2: connecting with people often helps to drive out depression
Rebuttal: these benefits often acts as negative as news are often manipulated and faked.
Concluding Sentence: Despite the benefits, the social media impacts the human life negatively to
a large extent due to the above mentioned problems.
First Body Paragraph (Affirmative: Paragraph 2)

Introduction Sentence (Affirmative Argument 1): posses a threat to actual socializing
Support 1a (affirmative): often spread false news
Sub-point 1: (Allen et al. 2014) manipulates people and influences them
Sub-point2: (Allen et al 2014) faking perfection and luxury
Support 1b (affirmative): affects the mental health of people
Sub-point 1: (Vishranti and Prafulla 2016) negative effect on students as it creates an illusion
Sub-point 2: (Vishrant and Prafula 2016) the tendency of imitate what the others post.
Depression if cannot be accomplished.
Counterargument (negative): helps in connecting with families and friends living in other places
Sub-point 1: (Baurah 2012) is an effective tool for communication

Sub-point 2: (Baurah 2012) people remains well informed
Rebuttal (affirmative)(guy 2012; Baurrah 2012): despite the benefits o staying connected, the
communication tools are often used negatively.
Concluding Sentence (Summarizes paragraph): social media is indeed an effective tol of
communication and sharing of knowledge. However, this tool has been manipulated by many in
order to influence others according to a set idea that one wishes people to idealize.
Second Body Paragraph (Affirmative: Paragraph 3)
Introduction Sentence (Affirmative Argument 2): though social media is primarily a tool of
communication, it does not Foster communication. Subsides it rather.

Support 2a (affirmative): people do not go out and socialise or have family time
Sub-point 1: ( Allen et al. 2014) people avoid gathering and face to face communication
Sub-point2: (allen et al. 2014) glued to mobile
Support 2b (affirmative): conflicts
Sub-point 1: (Citation: Surname year, page) body shaming
Sub-point 2: (Surname/s year, page) urge for luxury
Counterargument (negative): introvert people find it more comfortable to chat over texting app
Sub-point 1: (Citation: Surname year, page) comfort zone
Sub-point 2: (Surname/s year, page) private life unhampered.

Rebuttal(Surname/s year, page) (affirmative): creating the world a narrow sphere.
Support 1A: (Surname/s year, page) (optional) restricts actual communication
Support 1B: (Surname/s year, page) (optional) makes people unsocial
Third body paragraph
Introduction Sentence (Affirmative Argument 3): Mental health issue
Support 3a (affirmative): depression
Sub-point 1: (Apple et al. 2019) a compulsion to imitate others
Sub-point2: (Apple et al. 2019) trying to match with other’s life style
Support 3b (affirmative): fear of missing out
Sub-point 1: (Hetz 2015) insecurity
Sub-point 2: (Hetz 2015) social aloofness

Counterargument (negative): enhances the scope for marketing
Sub-point 1: (Hanyasha 2016) improves brand equity
Sub-point 2: (Hanyasha 2016) gets to know the preferences of customers
Rebuttal (affirmative): though there are benfits, the fake projection of perfection isan illusion
that causes mental disturbances
Concluding Sentence (Summarizes paragraph): thus, from the perspective of both social issues
and mental health issues, social media is affecting us negatively.

Fourth Body Paragraph (Negative: Paragraph 5)

Introduction Sentence: though the social media has the above mentioned flaws, there are some
benefits as well
Counterargument 1: helps in academic learning
Support 1A: (Guy 2012) the web-based technologies that support the social architecture of a
community
Support 1B: (Guy 2012) student gather and engage the information they need in study
Counterargument 2: students engage themselves in more texting and other activities
Support 2A: (allen et al. 2014) distracts students
Rebuttal 1: However, though there arenegative effect is duly helps in gaining knowledge and
stay connected for updates
Support 1A: (Guy 2012) students can socialize within themselves

Support 1B: (Guy 2012) can engage in learning activities like blogging
Concluding Sentence: in the respect of gaining knowledge and updates regarding education,
social media is really helpful.
Introduction Sentence: the social media is ruining our lives
Affirmative argument 1: is not actually social
Support 1A: people stays glued in the social media and have forgotten the actual essence of
socializing.
Support 1b: People give less time on face to face interactions with family and friends.
Counterargument: The social media helps in socializing in the way that it helps in connecting
friends and families living far and apart.