Are We Abusing Social Media?

I remember receiving my first cell phone in the 6th grade and only having two

functionalities, which were call and text. It was also a numbered keyboard that took ten minutes

to send out a text. Today, we have access to everything with the touch of our fingertips and tend

to underestimate how far technology has come. Younger children are exposed to this digital

world at a very young age, which I believe is a huge negative factor. Their minds are consumed

with video games and social media platforms that disengage them from being social. Based on

the statistics provided in the article from PewResearch Center, the majority of teens have a

cellphone. I can assure you that it’s not just any cell phone but a smartphone.

I have a younger brother who is twelve years old, who has been using an iPhone since the age of nine. I believe that this early exposure to technology truly prevents kids from being real kids. Since none of this existed when I was growing up, I was constantly outside with friends. Whether it was a snowball fights, riding bikes, playing dodgeball, or running through sprinklers I was always outdoors. Even with a desk top computer and quite a few CDs with games, I was using it once in a blue moon. I have observed that this younger generation is hiding behind computer screens and is becoming more and more antisocial. I hope that this course displays all of the positive aspects of social media and how it can benefit me in my future career. There are countless paths in which social media can help us grow. I believe that the technology we have today is an incredible tool if used correctly.