University Essay: Does Social Media Negatively Affect People's Health?

This essay investigates the multifaceted impact of social media on people's health, examining both the positive and negative consequences of its use. The essay argues that while social media provides access to health information and facilitates communication, it also poses risks, particularly for vulnerable groups. The author discusses how social media serves as a health information tool for both young and elderly adults, providing evidence of its role in sharing health-related knowledge and reducing social isolation. However, the essay also addresses the negative impacts, such as the increase in suicide-related behaviors and the spread of negative sentiments. The conclusion emphasizes the need for strategies for proper social media usage to promote health information sharing and address the challenges faced by users, ultimately advocating for a balanced perspective that recognizes both the benefits and the risks associated with social media's influence on health.

Running head: DOES SOCIAL MEDIA NEGATIVELY AFFECT PEOPLE’S HEALTH
DOES SOCIAL MEDIA NEGATIVELY AFFECT PEOPLE’S HEALTH
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

1
DOES SOCIAL MEDIA NEGATIVELY AFFECTS PEOPLE’S HEALTH
Does Social Media Negatively Affect People’s Health
Reason 3 Evidence/ Rebuttal +
Source
The internet with many pro-
suicide sites and chat rooms are
posing risks for susceptible groups
by influencing decisions to kill
themselves by committing suicide.
However, in order to allow a
smooth functioning of the user-
centric way of moderation as well
as prevention, majority of the
social media sites must accept and
implement effective methods for
users
Expert Quotation
“Of 719 individuals aged 14 to 24
years, 79% reported being
exposed to suicide-related content
through family, friends, and
traditional news media such as
newspapers, and 59% found such
content through Internet sources.”
Luxton, D.D., June, J.D. and
Fairall, J.M., 2012. Social media
and suicide: a public health
perspective. American journal of
public health, 102(S2), pp.S195-
S200.
Reason 1 Evidence +
Source
Various types of online
social applications for
elderly patients undergoing
orthopaedic surgical
operations or caring for
patients suffering from
intellectual disabilities are
showing great effectiveness.
On the contrary, they do not
feel the necessity to use this
technology personally.
Tennant, B., Stellefson, M.,
Dodd, V., Chaney, B.,
Chaney, D., Paige, S. and
Alber, J., 2015. eHealth
literacy and Web 2.0 health
information seeking
behaviors among baby
boomers and older
adults. Journal of medical
Internet research, 17(3),
p.e70.
Reason 2 Evidence +
Source
Social media usage has
increased predominantly in
youths who tend to make
their social identity.
On the other hand,
increased social use is
giving rise to critical
disorders in youths for
excessive social media
usage.
Hausmann, J.S.,
Touloumtzis, C., White,
M.T., Colbert, J.A. and
Gooding, H.C., 2017.
Adolescent and young adult
use of social media for
health and its
implications. Journal of
Adolescent Health, 60(6),
pp.714-719.
Reason 3/Counter-
Argument
Social media is increasing
suicide related behaviours
in youths
Reason 2
Social media serving as
health information tool
for young adults
Reason 1
Aged populaces gaining
health related knowledge
through social media
usage
THESIS STATEMENT: Social media usage is offering profound
health-related knowledge and serving as useful health information tool
for both young and elderly adults.

2
DOES SOCIAL MEDIA NEGATIVELY AFFECTS PEOPLE’S HEALTH
The rise of social media indicates that individuals as a global population are getting
more connected than imagined in the history of time. However, the heavy dependence of
individuals on social media is showing detrimental impact on mental health (Hausmann et al.
2017). Moreover, social media is seen as an important tool for gathering health information
amongst youths and aged people. In this essay, I will argue that social media usage offers
profound health-related knowledge and serves as a useful health information tool for young
and elderly adults.”
To date, not much is thought about the impacts of changes in design of social media
applications for aged people which is likely because of the innovation of the idea and
language obstacles. Another reason is related to their ambivalent attitude towards these types
of know-how. On one hand, they recognize that these technologies can upkeep their liberated
lifestyle; whereas on the other hand, they do not feel the necessity to use this technology
personally. On the contrary, Leist (2013) claims that social media can be utilized in order to
share relevant information related to healthcare for example, suggestions about cancer
diagnosis and treatment. Furthermore, various types of online social applications for elderly
patients who are undergoing orthopaedic surgical operations or suffering from intellectual
disabilities are showing great effectiveness. In addition to this, Chopik (2016) claims that
increased level of social media usage by elder adults above 58 years are offering choices to
them for reducing observed social isolation. Moreover, researcher have claimed that social
technology provides health benefits through a reduction of social isolation and is consistent
with literatures speaking on technology use and health among elder adults. These literatures
mention that several types of technology are precisely planned to support aging like the
emergency help organizations, vital signs checking and fall detection methods. These

3
DOES SOCIAL MEDIA NEGATIVELY AFFECTS PEOPLE’S HEALTH
technologies are from time to time viewed as Smart Home technology. Certainly, aged
populations are gradually being able to distinguish the welfares of technology utilization for
social associations. The improved ability of aged people in using social media is also
facilitating the level of communication for them (Primack et al. 2017). These research show
that social media is providing aged individuals with supreme empowerment with high level
of control and self-efficacy.
Primack et al. (2017) have claimed that both young and aged adults suppose that
while social media is serving as an appropriate health-information technology, there is a need
for greater level of training for effective use of health-related purposes. On the other side,
negative sentiments from the users which show self-perceived deteriorated health conditions
might spread negative spirits through social media. Similar views hare shared by Tennant et
al. (2017), stating that increased social use is giving rise to critical disorders in young adults.
Nonetheless, increasing level of social media usage is transforming healthcare through
diverse approaches. In the view of Hausmannn et al. (2017), young adults initiate sharing of
information vis-à-vis health on social media to set up strong connections with healthcare
teams. Comprehensive research shows that mental state is the mostly searched health subject
among young adults. Additionally, it is claimed that social media usage has increased
predominantly in youths who tend to make their social identity. Such an instant and effective
assistance was not possible to attain previously. According to studies, nearly 90% of youths
in the United States are active users of various social networking sites, whereby the major
proportion of users tend to use these once in a day.
In contrast to social media’s health information contributions, the internet has many
pro-suicide sites and chat rooms that are posing risks for vulnerable groups by influencing
decisions to kill them by committing suicide. Furthermore, since the Internet tends to remove
spatial barriers of communication between individuals, the arrival of pro-suicide social media

4
DOES SOCIAL MEDIA NEGATIVELY AFFECTS PEOPLE’S HEALTH
sites show the potential to pose new risks to vulnerable groups. In order to decrease these
risks, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s official website is representing an innovative
websites in which stories of suicide survivors are publicized through graphical representation
of the users’ ego and character (Luxton, June and Fairall 2012). Moreover, to allow a smooth
functioning of the user-centric way of moderation as well as prevention, majority of the
social media sites must accept and implement effective methods for users in order to report
malicious sites and activities of other users.
Conclusion
To conclude, even though the increasing use of social media tends to pose risk to
youths, it is playing a more significant role in offering profound health related information
and insights to not only the young generation but also to the aged population across the
world. Thus, it is important to focus on the positive contribution of social media and realize
that is does not pose negative impacts on all people’s health conditions. The effectiveness and
usefulness of social media’s contribution must not be overlooked. The more improved ability
of aged people in using social media will facilitate the level of communication for them in a
much better way as expected. As a result, effective strategies for proper usage of social media
are important for successful sharing health information for both aged and young adults. Also,
to improve its contributions for overcoming challenges faced by aged social media users
there must be strategies to refine the excellence of online health information on social media.

5
DOES SOCIAL MEDIA NEGATIVELY AFFECTS PEOPLE’S HEALTH
References
Chopik, W.J., 2016. The benefits of social technology use among older adults are mediated
by reduced loneliness. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 19(9), pp.551-
556.
Hausmann, J.S., Touloumtzis, C., White, M.T., Colbert, J.A. and Gooding, H.C., 2017.
Adolescent and young adult use of social media for health and its implications. Journal of
Adolescent Health, 60(6), pp.714-719.
Leist, A.K., 2013. Social media use of older adults: a mini-review. Gerontology, 59(4),
pp.378-384.
Luxton, D.D., June, J.D. and Fairall, J.M., 2012. Social media and suicide: a public health
perspective. American journal of public health, 102(S2), pp.S195-S200.
Primack, B.A., Shensa, A., Sidani, J.E., Whaite, E.O., yi Lin, L., Rosen, D., Colditz, J.B.,
Radovic, A. and Miller, E., 2017. Social media use and perceived social isolation among
young adults in the US. American journal of preventive medicine, 53(1), pp.1-8.
Tennant, B., Stellefson, M., Dodd, V., Chaney, B., Chaney, D., Paige, S. and Alber, J., 2015.
eHealth literacy and Web 2.0 health information seeking behaviors among baby boomers and
older adults. Journal of medical Internet research, 17(3), p.e70.