The Impact of Social Media on the Contemporary Generation.

The Impact of Social Media on the Contemporary Generation
Social media has gained astounding worldwide growth and popularity that has, in turn, led to getting the attention of many researchers across the world. As time goes by, many generations are consistently embracing the changes that have resulted from the social network, and while young adults and teenagers are the most fanatic users of the sites. Online social networks impact the lives of the young people greatly. The use of social platforms such as blogs, Facebook or Twitter has come with a lot of implications. Although social media has both negative and positive implications for the contemporary generation, the benefits of social media platforms outnumber the consequences.
It has been impossible to ignore the fact that social networks play a crucial role in the lives of teenagers. I had a chance to interact with the youth who are aggressive with technology by interacting with ten students to gather few responses from their point of view. To my responses seven out of the ten said they spent most of their time online searching for information and interacting with friends most at times on Facebook. It was established that one out of the seven minutes that are spent online by most of these youths is spent on Facebook. As a matter of fact, the youth admits that spending all this time on social media assists them to be more updated with what is happening across the globe. It also helps them stay connected and interact with each other even if they are miles apart (Noor et al., 39). As a result, the youths have been able to form strong relationships even after finishing school and moving to different locations, and they have been able to remain connected all through life. According to Bennett, a student at GGC, I interacted with, social media has given the student a platform in which they can create groups based on their interests and disciplines. This allows them to have better connections and opportunities shared by the members. When interacting with Bennett, I had no doubt in my mind that social media is something that every youth needs. Bennett had made it appear like social media has become a lifestyle that makes their lives efficient and easier.
Teens are sharing more information about themselves on the social media sites as compared to how teenagers have done in the past. Teen social media users do not express a high level of concern about access of by third parties their data. A survey by Pew Research Center indicates that only 9% are concerned. Also, teen Twitter use has grown significantly, whereby 24% of online teens use Twitter, from 16% in the year 2011. 59% of the youth report that they benefit from social media by discussing educational topics. This shows that the youths are greatly using social media to their benefit, while the majority of them are not concerned with privacy issues arising from its use (Chan et al., 246).
As far as Bennett is concerned, social media has no negative impacts. In fact the youth needs social media in order to have it easier in this modern life. Technology has become a very important aspect of the modern life, and the youth should lead the way in embracing its uses. Social media has expounded the social boundaries, and even made education easier for the youth.
Considering a survey on the negative impacts of social media, it was unveiled that social media creates social isolation. Since the youth spends a lot of hours on these sites, they do not have time for face to face interactions. It was established that social isolation is likely to lead a host of physical, psychological, emotional and mental problems, which will include depression, anxiety and somatic complaints among many other complications. Another outcome of our survey was that social networking led to poor spelling and grammar among the young people. Young people, especially children, are more at risk. Social media can have negative impacts on the children through cyber-bullying and unwanted exposure. In most cases, young people use social media without realizing the consequences. There are even cases where young people have gone to an extent of committing suicide just as a result of the negative things that have been posted about them on the internet. The contemporary society is confronted with other continually growing problems, of social media and electronics. I was again surprised by the outcome of the survey. Something that was considered as a treasure has now become the cause of obesity, inadequate communication, lack of concentration and creating a less intellectual society. Video games, the internet, cell phones, and have all taken the youth by storm and converted them into unqualified and unimaginative dull robots (Noor et al., 16).
Social media has a positive impact in the lives of the youth. This fact was established by engaging in a vigorous discussion with the youth. With the emergence of social media, there are both disadvantages and benefits in the way in which communication is impacted. The question here is whether the disadvantages surpass the benefits. I do believe that social media is more beneficial to the world. Just as it the case with anything, there are those who are keen to ensure they use social media in doing things which it is not intended for. For instance, the inmates in the prisons have access to social media and networking by allowing them to stay connected to what is going on the outside world. Televisions have eventually become obsolete with Twitter, Facebook and other sites providing the news at faster rates. In most cases, the youths get news through social media before they even capture the same news from televisions. In this case, the youths always have their phones while travelling and in lecture rooms, unlike televisions that they have to get in their houses before they watch the news. In fact, the news stations and the newspapers have got their Twitter and Facebook accounts that are used to provide the new stories as soon as they unfold.
Social media platforms can be accessed through cellphones, tablets and computers, and this facilitates access at all times of a day. The ease and convenience of access have led to network and social media addictions. Anyone who has a Twitter, Facebook or Instagram account must have come from a user who is logged in throughout the day. Some users have the tendency to post everything they are doing at any time of the day. This can be dangerous. The use of social media is all about being responsible, regulating yourself, and constraining children from abusing it. I felt educated at the end of the session, with one thing in mind, that social media is clearly beneficial.

Works Cited
Chan, Kara, and Wei Fang. “Use of the Internet and Traditional Media among Young People.” Young Consumers 8.4 (2007): 244-256.
Noor, Al-Deen H. S, and John A. Hendricks. Social Media: Usage and Impact. Lanham, Md: Lexington Books, 2012. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&q=Noor%2C+Al-Deen+H.+S%2C+and+John+A.+Hendricks.+Social+Media%3A+Usage+and+Impact.+Lanham%2C+Md%3A+Lexington+Books%2C+2012.+&btnG=&as_sdt=1%2C5&as_sdtp= (This source is a book)