Social Media and the Creation of Self: Identity Development in Youth

While it is commonly believed that the extremely available access to media is only harmful to children and teens, that is not always the case. Until it is abused, the Internet and Televison provide incredibly valuable resources to people of all age.

• With the invention of the Internet there is a much easier access to information for teens, which in turn allows students to access information that is not readily available to them via books and libraries; instead they can use the Internet to access databases provided by libraries and educational foundations.
• The internet does provide immense entertainment for today’s world, but it is still a viable source of information for all different types of needs.
• With the introduction of television information such as the news has become extremely accessible to a society “on the go.”
• Many people use both the Internet and television in order to stay connected with friends and the world.

In our society, there is an immense need to stay connected with the world, and be informed about what is happening outside of our particular personal bubble. With that in mind, social media use has drastically increased over the last few years with adolescents and has become not just a way to keep up to date with current events or interact with friends in the United States, but also to connect with others on a global scale. Social networking has become immensely popular all over the world, with Facebook reporting 845 active million users worldwide and this number continues to increase.

Adolescents are exposed to countless mixed messages through television and advertisements. These messages can lead to teenagers being unsure of themselves and having negative interactions with their peers. Internet addiction and cyber bulling pose a threat to many adolescents. If left untreated, the future of many teenagers will be jeopardized, and it can lead to dangerous and at times fatal consequences. Fortunately, there are ways to treat and prevent addiction and cyber bulling, as well as reduce the amount of television watched per day. These methods hope to provide a better future for teens and their exposure to the media.