I read an article from Newport Academy discussing the odds and ends of social media. This article was appropriately titled “Effect of Social Media on Teenagers” and it dug deeper into both the positive and negative outcomes of said topic. It began by comparing and contrasting how Social Media, while contributing to the declining mental health in teenagers, also had become a safe space for marginalized groups, people who crave acceptance, and LGBTQ+ individuals. It followed this by analyzing how Teens have faced declining mental health, secrecy from their family, and common depression symptoms. It then began a new section focusing on why social media has become detrimental, primary factors that are causing this, and smaller categories such as body image, specific hazards, identity, friendships, addictive qualities, treatment, and often asked questions.
This article has helped me explore my topic in a multitude of ways. It has allowed me to continue working on my thesis by introducing new subtopics, allowing me to look deeper into my research than ever before. This is occurring because this article in particular contains a multitude of subtopics that I never would have thought to discuss. It seems simple but I was so focused on the negative parts of social media that I forgot that this is an unbiased research paper and I should cover both sides of the figurative coin. I also never thought to bring up family secrecy. So much of what teenagers do nowadays is unknown by their parents and it it an interesting thing to bring up. And that is barely scratching he surface. Overall, this is a very well thought out article and i can’t wait to include it.