ENG059: Analyzing Social Media's Influence on Maldivian Youth

This essay analyzes the multifaceted influence of social media on the youth of the Maldives. It begins by defining social media and highlighting its prevalence among young Maldivians, citing statistics on internet usage. The essay then delves into the advantages, such as increased access to information, enhanced connectivity, and opportunities for social activism and entrepreneurship. It also acknowledges the role of social media during the pandemic, particularly in promoting businesses. However, the essay also explores the disadvantages, including relationship issues, privacy concerns, the spread of misinformation, and various health problems like depression and anxiety, along with the promotion of unhealthy habits. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of responsible social media usage, including time management, protecting personal information, and avoiding harmful content. The essay uses references from Templer, Shabir, and Mageto to support its arguments.

Assessment 2: Analytic Essay
SOCIAL MEDIA HAS INFLUENCED
THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF MALDIVES
AISHATH ZUHA (76181)
ENG059

Assessment 2: Analytic Essay
SOCIAL MEDIA HAS INFLUENCED THE YOUNG
PEOPLE OF MALDIVES
INTRODUCTION
Computer based technology that clear the way for sharing ideas, thoughts, and information
through the building of virtual networks and communities are called the Social Media.
Historically newspapers were the most common type of the media, but today cell phones and
other multimedia devices have taken over all the forms of communication and information
through social media. Today most people including the youth of Maldives depends on the social
media for information about everything. Which resulted in playing an important role in building
and shaping of young people in today’s society.
As Templer (2019) argues, “The Maldives has one the highest internet use rates in the world,
along with very high use of both Twitter and Facebook” (p.33). Now that social media has
become the mainstream, youth are no longer relying essentially on human interaction but shifting
toward the social media interaction.
ADVANTAGES
There are variety of positive impacts that social media has on young people of Maldives. This
includes that they are able to access the web and learn about variety of things that they have
come across online such as an article they saw on the news or online. The consequence of this

Assessment 2: Analytic Essay
would result in learning new information and increasing self knowledge. Moreover social media
helps youth to stay connected to each other even if they are thousand miles away, and it keeps
them up to date with what’s going on around the world and so on.
As we can see some of the youths are interested in nobles causes, and social media has become
an easy way of helping people in need. There is lot of communities available in social media for
social work. Youth can join those communities and can discuss the issues with the communities
and find a way to help them. Although they donate for needy people and share it through social
media and bring it to attention of others as well. That’s why social media becomes an easy and
quick way to help people.
In the middle of the world pandemic the social media has become much more useful to youth of
Maldives compared to before, in promoting and advertising field. They have developed many
useful talents during this huge crisis of the world. From preparing and selling different kind of
food to selling different kind of plants, youth has been actively promoting and advertising these
things all over the social media. Some even have made those new talents they found in this
pandemic through social media as their career as well.
DISADVANTAGES
The rise in the use of social media by the youth has several threats and consequence. These
threats and consequences include relationship issues, privacy concerns such as sharing lot of
information, posting of false information about themselves or others. Also being a victim of
varieties of health problems including psychological and physical problems.

Assessment 2: Analytic Essay
Even though social media is meant to improvise connections they are also one of the major
reasons to lose of connections within family. Most of the time spending on social media cause to
spend less time with family. This turns to lead to conflict between parents and neglecting family
relationships.
Mageto (2017) says, “social platforms also encourage the spread of wrong information and news
majorly aimed at tainting other people’s names or other groups of interest such as political or
religious groups” (p.3). lots of youth are being seen to interact in political issues inside social
media. Also providing false information and provoking other groups has become a common
routine in today’s society. Which later on turns to fights and enmity between groups and parties.
There is extensive range of mental and health problems known to be associated with spending
too much time on social media. Mental problems such as Depression and anxiety are known to
be caused due to negative interaction through social media. Youth are vulnerable to their
feelings. And social media can affect their feelings. Young people are seem to compare
themselves to others and feeling like they do not measure up. When a person compares his or her
life to the positive measures of someone else’s life, it probably seems that other people’s lives
are better and easier. Which will make them unhappy.
Also youth who spend most of the time spending on social media are at high risk of developing
obesity and bad habits. Advertising and posts shared in social media propel the idea of bad habits
being “cool” and this has caused young people to pick up their first cigarette as early as thirteen
years old.

Assessment 2: Analytic Essay
CONCLUSION
To sum up everything that has been stated so far we know that social media has not been just a
platform but for youth it has become a part of their life. From being able to earn a life to the
extent of losing life, social media is capable of doing both. So the wiser would be to use it in the
appropriate way it should, such as having a time limit to engage in it, not providing too much
personal information and by not interacting in things which might cause harm to ourself.

Assessment 2: Analytic Essay
REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY
Templer, R. B. (2019). Youth Vulnerability In The Maldives. Male’: United nations development
Programme in the Maldives.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://
www.aidsdatahub.org/sites/default/files/resource/undp-youth-vulnerability-maldives-
2019.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiwot63-
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MCZq
Shabir, G., Hameed, Y. M. Y., Safdar, G., & Gilani, S. M. F. S. (2014). The impact of social
media on youth: A case study of Bahawalpur City. Asian Journal of Social Sciences &
Humanities, 3(4). Pakistan: The Islamic university of Bahawalpur & Jordan: Middle East
University.
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Mageto, J. (2017). Impact of social Media on the youth.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://
www.aidsdatahub.org/sites/default/files/resource/undp-youth-vulnerability-maldives-
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__uAhXadn0KHXFyCWMQFjANegQIChAC&usg=AOvVaw0vfM5uSMGPtg6xHb3b
MCZq