Impact Of Social Media On The Life And Communication Of Teens And Youths In Canada

Social Media and Its Characteristics

Write about the Introduction to Anthropology for Teens and Youths in Canada.

Social Media has been recognized as the most recent form of media and possesses several characteristics. Social Networking sites tend to provide a platform for discourse on significant burning issues which have been unable to receive to receive adequate degree of recognition in today’s scenario. The domain of social media has comprised several facilities on similar channels such as communicating, texting, sharing of image content along with various audio and video sharing or direct communication. However, the usage of social media has been increasing gradually with elevated rate across the world (Nixon, 2014). Academics along with several anthropology researchers have showed immense rate of interest and inclination towards the psychological impact of social media on teenagers and youths as various observations have been exploring the effects of social media services in recent times (Slonje, Smith & FriséN, 2013). The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of social media on the way teenagers and young adults in Canada tend to establish communication with each other. The paper aims to evaluate the influences of social media on teenagers and new generation and their life cycle, trends, educational as well as political awareness and social life in Canada.

Social Networking Sites (SNSs) such as Facebook, Twitter, My Space and Instagram have been gaining substantial rate of recognition among teenagers and young adult generation, primarily because of its rapid advancement towards information as well as communication technology (ICT) which has facilitated the accessibility of advanced technologies in the most promising way (Sampasa-Kanyinga & Lewis, 2015). The rate of incidence of social media and popularity of social networking sites which significantly have been offering new avenues and opportunities to people in order to access health-related awareness and to reach people without any geographical constraints. However, several observations have evaluated the detrimental impact of social media usage among children of 12-13 years as well as young adults. Similar observations have been drawn in other articles as well whereby they explore the way youth in recent times have been seeking health and other information online through websites and other social media channels (Livingston et al., 2014).

Sampasa-Kanyinga and Lewis, (2015) have explicitly revealed the detrimental impact of persistent usage of social media sites on the psychological condition among post-secondary students. Though, an insignificant rate of awareness concerning the relation between social media and mental health conditions among middle and high school students as well as university students or the linkage between unaccomplished need for mental health support along with the usage of SNSs on these age groups (Sampasa-Kanyinga & Lewis, 2015). The primary aim of the authors lied on the revelation of the association between the usage of social networking sites and mental health concerns such as the unattained need for support, self-rated mental health as well as the evaluation based on psychological suffering and rate of suicidal ideation among the teenagers and young generations living Canada (Sampasa-Kanyinga & Lewis, 2015). However, the findings have revealed that around 25.2% of students have reportedly been showing considerable rate of indulgence for over 2 hours every day whereas 54.3% reported of using social media for 2 hours or less on regular basis and a less significant proportion of 20.5% have shown sporadic or lack of interest towards the increasing popularity of social media.

Impact of Social Media on Teens and Youths in Canada

The findings generated through the authors have effectively underpinned the usage of SNSs as an area of opportunity for reaching the teenage and young adult group with health requirements. It has further been stated that the Ottawa Public Health in  recent times have initiated a distinctive public health social media marketing campaign regarded as “have THAT talk” which is regarded as educational video series implemented in order to provide encouragement within the parents to shed light on areas concerning psychic and suicidal prevention within the discussion with their children (Sampasa-Kanyinga & Lewis, 2015). 

The primary aim of Livingston et al., (2014) has been to develop the expansiveness of social media intervention influence of teenage and youth generation population in Canada. However in opposition to the previous observation the authors have intended to concentrate on the usage of social media usage which facilitates the enhancement level of the attitudes of youth as well as young adults concerning psychological health factors. The findings of the observation which provided assessment of the possibilities of social media usage in British Columbia, Canada further regarded as ‘In One Voice’ which elevated the rate of mental health knowledge along with the enhanced behavioural patterns concerning attitudes associated to the psychological health concerns among young adults and new generations (Livingston et al., 2014). The authors further evaluated the ways in which youths and teenagers in recent times have been revealing increasing rate of inclination towards seeking health awareness through websites and other social media networks. However, it has been revealed that enhanced degree of attitudes towards psychological health issues have been observed among the youth population who have been persistently following a brief social media campaign. Furthermore, it stated by Livingston et al., (2014) that this campaign proved to be incompetent in providing effective tools and mechanisms which the youths of recent times require which would further enable them to aid someone who may have been undergoing complexities concerning psychological health challenges and further encourage them to be involved in constructive behaviours associated to mental health conditions.

The increasing rate of online health communities along with patient blogs and portals reveal that several individuals who show active engagement in social media as patients. However the authors, Velden and El Emam explicitly demonstrated the degree to which teenagers in recent times have been showing immense inclination towards the articulacy of social media and tend to show high rate of concern regarding confidentiality of the users but further tend to expose a considerable degree of personal knowledge and information (Van Der Velden & El Emam, 2013). However, the authors have drawn similarities to other articles regarding the lack of availability of adequate information regarding the ways in which social media intervention tend to manage individualistic health information and awareness on social media. The primary purpose of the authors lied on the understanding of the way teenagers with poor health conditions have been deal with the privacy concerns on social media networking sites. Even though a pervasive inclination of teenagers towards social networking sites has been witnessed, it has been noted that major section of teenage patients prefers to conceal their personal details related to health conditions (Van Der Velden & El Emam, 2013). Facebook, being recognized as one of the active social networking sites comprise teenage and young age group who tend to show high rate of interest in illustrating their social life rather than developing a discourse of ailment or diagnosis. Thus it has been noted that social media plays a decisive role in the social life of teenage groups and young generation and further facilitates the young generation suffering from ailment to develop a regular life like the other section of the age group. However, Van Der Velden & El Emam, (2013) have significantly thrown light on the way social media acts as a contributing role on the social life of teenage patients. However, it has been noted that the online privacy behaviour of teenage patients is regarded as an expression of their need for self-recognition as well as self-protection.

Social Media and Mental Health

The past decade has witnessed a substantial growth in internet usage and has become a fundamental part of the daily life which aids to contribute global communication and acts as a provision to forms of recreation. Social media usage has been gaining immense significance among the adolescents as well as the emergent adult age group (Anderson, Steen & Stavropoulos, 2017). The authors Anderson, Steen and Stavropoulos have explicitly evaluated the high degree of internet usage that has resulted to a form of obsession among this age group which has been considered as a primary focus of global investigation and has been regarded as an “Internet Gaming Disorder” that has been anticipated as a condition that necessitate extensive research by the American Psychiatric Association (Anderson, Steen & Stavropoulos, 2017). In the total of around 29 observations, a significant tendency towards social media usage has been revealed among the new young generation or the adolescents whereby these rates of tendencies have been conceptualized into individual, contextual as well as activity-centric factors. Furthermore, the findings revealed by the authors have stated that individualistic factors which are universally being investigated have established vital associations with young adult Problematic Internet Use (PIU). Though the observation based on IU-PIU has primarily concentrated on the severe impact of internet usage on young adults and adolescents, there has been witnessed a gap on the effect of relative and activity-related predictors (Anderson, Steen & Stavropoulos, 2017). Thus a more comprehensive observation on relative as well as activity-centric factors is required to attain a significant understanding of the problematic internet usage and internet usage in the lives of adolescents and emerging adults and further need to associate an inclusive model which will aid to other prospective studies in similar domain.

Researchers, Hinduja and Patchin have developed an intriguing observation on the acts of cyber bullying or other forms of internet crimes which has been playing a decisive role in the mental health condition of teenage and other emerging adults that has occurred due to their high inclination towards online communication and social media association in Canada. Furthermore, the researchers have explicitly distinguished a range of negative implications for both the victims as well as the criminals. As over the past decade internet has been competitively advantageous through the elevated usage of social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram along with other dating sites such as Tinder (Hinduja & Patchin, 2013). This has been resulting the emerging adult generation to be exposed to certain acts of interpersonal atrocities, ill-treatment and harassments which has been regarded as ‘cyber bullying”. Such acts as per the opinion of the authors not only pose upsetting and demeaning contents in the messages but further pose certain rates of threats and aggression to the age group that has been targeted. The primary concern of the researchers lied on the factors to which peers, parents as well as teachers show great degree of decisiveness towards the acts of cyber bullying of emerging adults of Ontario, Canada.  However, in order to explore such queries, the researchers evaluated certain data through random sampling that comprised of emerging adults of around thirty different schools pertaining one large school district. Findings reveal that acts related to social media violence has an integrated association with the perceptions of peer groups possessing similar characteristics along with the tendency of sanction by adults (Hinduja & Patchin, 2013). However, the authors have significantly provided substantial information related to the vitality of parents and educators to keep such scandalous acts in utmost consideration as the new generation show lower rate of affinity to be involved in cyber bullying or social media violence.

This study has established the significant role of social media or newly emerging social networking sites in the lives of teenagers and new generations. However, it is significant to note that Velden and El Emam have explicitly illustrated the significance of the elevating usage of social media among the young adult and teenage groups suffering from ailments or disorders and further shown certain monolithic view of privacy. Other researchers in their works have been of similar opinions of the adverse effects of social media in the lives of adolescents and emerging adult groups. However, Livingston along with other researchers have shed light on central role of social media intervention which has been enhancing the rate of health awareness and understanding of teenagers and the newly developing youth generation in Canada. 

References

Anderson, E. L., Steen, E., & Stavropoulos, V. (2017). Internet use and Problematic Internet Use: A systematic review of longitudinal research trends in adolescence and emergent adulthood. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 22(4), 430-454. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2016.1227716

Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2013). Social influences on cyberbullying behaviors among middle and high school students. Journal of youth and adolescence, 42(5), 711-722. DOI 10.1007/s10964-012-9902-4

Livingston, J. D., Cianfrone, M., Korf-Uzan, K., & Coniglio, C. (2014). Another time point, a different story: one year effects of a social media intervention on the attitudes of young people towards mental health issues. Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 49(6), 985-990. doi:10.1007/s00127-013-0815-7

Nixon, C. L. (2014). Current perspectives: the impact of cyberbullying on adolescent health. Adolescent health, medicine and therapeutics, 5, 143.

Sampasa-Kanyinga, H., & Lewis, R. F. (2015). Frequent use of social networking sites is associated with poor psychological functioning among children and adolescents. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 18(7), 380-385. DOI: 10.1089/cyber.2015.0055

Slonje, R., Smith, P. K., & FriséN, A. (2013). The nature of cyberbullying, and strategies for prevention. Computers in human behavior, 29(1), 26-32.

Van Der Velden, M., & El Emam, K. (2013). “Not all my friends need to know”: a qualitative study of teenage patients, privacy, and social media. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 20(1), 16-24. https://doi.org/10.1136/amiajnl-2012-000949