The issue that I chose to write my essay on is the harmfulness of social networks. I found this subject very interesting because of the fact of how popular social networks have become in the last few years. I think this topic is significant because over the last couple of years, we have had many suicides caused by social networks.” However, I don’t agree with this because it is not the actual social networks that are causing the suicides; it is the people behind the social networking. To be honest, social networks can be harmful for reasons such as bullying, but they can also be very helpful as far as keeping friends and family in touch and updated on each other’s lives. Let’s face it; it’s a lot easier to go check Facebook and see how someone is instead of actually sitting down, picking up the phone, and calling them. That’s why it is so hard for me to form my opinion on this subject because even though social networks can be harmful, they can also be used for good.
Kids who are bullied are likely to experience anxiety, depression, loneliness, unhappiness, and poor sleep,” explains Jennifer N. Caudle, DO, an AOA board-certified family physician and director of Family Medicine at Sinai Hospital’s Internal Medicine Division in Baltimore. The issue is worsened by the fact that the negative effects of bullying often go unnoticed, as many victims feel the need to conceal the fact that they are being bullied due to embarrassment or fear of further bullying. More often than not, victims respond passively to bullying, acting anxious and appearing less confident. They may become quieter in class, and as a result, bullying can become a hindrance to their academic success. Therefore, bullying is a problem that, if left unattended, can become a significant hurdle in a child’s development.”
While most of the time when we think about bullying, we tend to only think about the victim. We, as a society, tend to forget about the bully. Dr. Caudle also notes that one must not forget about the bullies themselves. Often, bullying is a cry for help and can usually be traced back to a time when the bully was, in fact, a victim of this type of behavior. Thus, creating a safe environment where one’s child feels comfortable enough to talk about being bullied can help put a stop to bullying before it ever starts. We, as a society, should try to reach out to the bullies, talk to them, and see what is really going on because a lot of the time, the bully is doing it strictly for attention. They think that by bullying the “weaker,” “smaller,” or not as “cool” kid, they are making themselves cooler, which isn’t true. They may also like that negative attention, even though it is bad attention; it is still attention, which may be all they are looking for. Most bullies are neglected at home, so when they get in trouble at school, it forces their parents to get involved, which is what they are looking for. I think if most bullies were just talked to, we would find out that they aren’t as tough as they seem to be. Social networking has both its ups and downs, but I find it more useful than harmful.
I feel like anything in life, social networks can be good in moderation. It is not social networks that are bad; it is the people behind the computer screen that harm others. Most of the media tries to portray social networks as being harmful with bullying, but let’s be honest, you can bully outside of social networks. I have done lots of research, and all the research that I have done shows that social networks on their own are not bad. They can be very good if used correctly. I spoke to one of my friends on the subject, and they gave me a very good example to think about. They said that social networks are like cars; when used correctly, they can be a very helpful and useful thing, but when they are used incorrectly, they can be very bad and cause pain. If a person wanted to hurt someone, they could very easily do it with a car, and the same goes with social networks. If a person wants to cause pain, they can, but if not, then they are not harmful. I can make my own decision on this subject, and I hope in this essay, I have provided you with some ideas to think about when you are making your decision on if you feel social networks are harmful or not.
