essay on uses and abuses of social media

Essay on Social Media for School Students and Children

500+ words essay on social media.

Social media is a tool that is becoming quite popular these days because of its user-friendly features. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and more are giving people a chance to connect with each other across distances. In other words, the whole world is at our fingertips all thanks to social media. The youth is especially one of the most dominant users of social media. All this makes you wonder that something so powerful and with such a massive reach cannot be all good. Like how there are always two sides to a coin, the same goes for social media. Subsequently, different people have different opinions on this debatable topic. So, in this essay on Social Media, we will see the advantages and disadvantages of social media.

Advantages of Social Media

When we look at the positive aspect of social media, we find numerous advantages. The most important being a great device for education . All the information one requires is just a click away. Students can educate themselves on various topics using social media.

Moreover, live lectures are now possible because of social media. You can attend a lecture happening in America while sitting in India.

Furthermore, as more and more people are distancing themselves from newspapers, they are depending on social media for news. You are always updated on the latest happenings of the world through it. A person becomes more socially aware of the issues of the world.

In addition, it strengthens bonds with your loved ones. Distance is not a barrier anymore because of social media. For instance, you can easily communicate with your friends and relatives overseas.

Most importantly, it also provides a great platform for young budding artists to showcase their talent for free. You can get great opportunities for employment through social media too.

Another advantage definitely benefits companies who wish to promote their brands. Social media has become a hub for advertising and offers you great opportunities for connecting with the customer.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Disadvantages of Social Media

Despite having such unique advantages, social media is considered to be one of the most harmful elements of society. If the use of social media is not monitored, it can lead to grave consequences.

Thus, the sharing on social media especially by children must be monitored at all times. Next up is the addition of social media which is quite common amongst the youth.

This addiction hampers with the academic performance of a student as they waste their time on social media instead of studying. Social media also creates communal rifts. Fake news is spread with the use of it, which poisons the mind of peace-loving citizens.

In short, surely social media has both advantages and disadvantages. But, it all depends on the user at the end. The youth must particularly create a balance between their academic performances, physical activities, and social media. Excess use of anything is harmful and the same thing applies to social media. Therefore, we must strive to live a satisfying life with the right balance.

FAQs on Social Media

Q.1 Is social media beneficial? If yes, then how?

A.1 Social media is quite beneficial. Social Media offers information, news, educational material, a platform for talented youth and brands.

Q.2 What is a disadvantage of Social Media?

A.2 Social media invades your privacy. It makes you addicted and causes health problems. It also results in cyberbullying and scams as well as communal hatred.

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Feb 15, 2023

6 Example Essays on Social Media | Advantages, Effects, and Outlines

Got an essay assignment about the effects of social media we got you covered check out our examples and outlines below.

Social media has become one of our society's most prominent ways of communication and information sharing in a very short time. It has changed how we communicate and has given us a platform to express our views and opinions and connect with others. It keeps us informed about the world around us. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn have brought individuals from all over the world together, breaking down geographical borders and fostering a genuinely global community.

However, social media comes with its difficulties. With the rise of misinformation, cyberbullying, and privacy problems, it's critical to utilize these platforms properly and be aware of the risks. Students in the academic world are frequently assigned essays about the impact of social media on numerous elements of our lives, such as relationships, politics, and culture. These essays necessitate a thorough comprehension of the subject matter, critical thinking, and the ability to synthesize and convey information clearly and succinctly.

But where do you begin? It can be challenging to know where to start with so much information available. Jenni.ai comes in handy here. Jenni.ai is an AI application built exclusively for students to help them write essays more quickly and easily. Jenni.ai provides students with inspiration and assistance on how to approach their essays with its enormous database of sample essays on a variety of themes, including social media. Jenni.ai is the solution you've been looking for if you're experiencing writer's block or need assistance getting started.

So, whether you're a student looking to better your essay writing skills or want to remain up to date on the latest social media advancements, Jenni.ai is here to help. Jenni.ai is the ideal tool for helping you write your finest essay ever, thanks to its simple design, an extensive database of example essays, and cutting-edge AI technology. So, why delay? Sign up for a free trial of Jenni.ai today and begin exploring the worlds of social networking and essay writing!

Want to learn how to write an argumentative essay? Check out these inspiring examples!

We will provide various examples of social media essays so you may get a feel for the genre.

6 Examples of Social Media Essays

Here are 6 examples of Social Media Essays:

The Impact of Social Media on Relationships and Communication

Introduction:.

The way we share information and build relationships has evolved as a direct result of the prevalence of social media in our daily lives. The influence of social media on interpersonal connections and conversation is a hot topic. Although social media has many positive effects, such as bringing people together regardless of physical proximity and making communication quicker and more accessible, it also has a dark side that can affect interpersonal connections and dialogue.

Positive Effects:

Connecting People Across Distances

One of social media's most significant benefits is its ability to connect individuals across long distances. People can use social media platforms to interact and stay in touch with friends and family far away. People can now maintain intimate relationships with those they care about, even when physically separated.

Improved Communication Speed and Efficiency

Additionally, the proliferation of social media sites has accelerated and simplified communication. Thanks to instant messaging, users can have short, timely conversations rather than lengthy ones via email. Furthermore, social media facilitates group communication, such as with classmates or employees, by providing a unified forum for such activities.

Negative Effects:

Decreased Face-to-Face Communication

The decline in in-person interaction is one of social media's most pernicious consequences on interpersonal connections and dialogue. People's reliance on digital communication over in-person contact has increased along with the popularity of social media. Face-to-face interaction has suffered as a result, which has adverse effects on interpersonal relationships and the development of social skills.

Decreased Emotional Intimacy

Another adverse effect of social media on relationships and communication is decreased emotional intimacy. Digital communication lacks the nonverbal cues and facial expressions critical in building emotional connections with others. This can make it more difficult for people to develop close and meaningful relationships, leading to increased loneliness and isolation.

Increased Conflict and Miscommunication

Finally, social media can also lead to increased conflict and miscommunication. The anonymity and distance provided by digital communication can lead to misunderstandings and hurtful comments that might not have been made face-to-face. Additionally, social media can provide a platform for cyberbullying , which can have severe consequences for the victim's mental health and well-being.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the impact of social media on relationships and communication is a complex issue with both positive and negative effects. While social media platforms offer many benefits, such as connecting people across distances and enabling faster and more accessible communication, they also have a dark side that can negatively affect relationships and communication. It is up to individuals to use social media responsibly and to prioritize in-person communication in their relationships and interactions with others.

The Role of Social Media in the Spread of Misinformation and Fake News

Social media has revolutionized the way information is shared and disseminated. However, the ease and speed at which data can be spread on social media also make it a powerful tool for spreading misinformation and fake news. Misinformation and fake news can seriously affect public opinion, influence political decisions, and even cause harm to individuals and communities.

The Pervasiveness of Misinformation and Fake News on Social Media

Misinformation and fake news are prevalent on social media platforms, where they can spread quickly and reach a large audience. This is partly due to the way social media algorithms work, which prioritizes content likely to generate engagement, such as sensational or controversial stories. As a result, false information can spread rapidly and be widely shared before it is fact-checked or debunked.

The Influence of Social Media on Public Opinion

Social media can significantly impact public opinion, as people are likelier to believe the information they see shared by their friends and followers. This can lead to a self-reinforcing cycle, where misinformation and fake news are spread and reinforced, even in the face of evidence to the contrary.

The Challenge of Correcting Misinformation and Fake News

Correcting misinformation and fake news on social media can be a challenging task. This is partly due to the speed at which false information can spread and the difficulty of reaching the same audience exposed to the wrong information in the first place. Additionally, some individuals may be resistant to accepting correction, primarily if the incorrect information supports their beliefs or biases.

In conclusion, the function of social media in disseminating misinformation and fake news is complex and urgent. While social media has revolutionized the sharing of information, it has also made it simpler for false information to propagate and be widely believed. Individuals must be accountable for the information they share and consume, and social media firms must take measures to prevent the spread of disinformation and fake news on their platforms.

The Effects of Social Media on Mental Health and Well-Being

Social media has become an integral part of modern life, with billions of people around the world using platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to stay connected with others and access information. However, while social media has many benefits, it can also negatively affect mental health and well-being.

Comparison and Low Self-Esteem

One of the key ways that social media can affect mental health is by promoting feelings of comparison and low self-esteem. People often present a curated version of their lives on social media, highlighting their successes and hiding their struggles. This can lead others to compare themselves unfavorably, leading to feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem.

Cyberbullying and Online Harassment

Another way that social media can negatively impact mental health is through cyberbullying and online harassment. Social media provides a platform for anonymous individuals to harass and abuse others, leading to feelings of anxiety, fear, and depression.

Social Isolation

Despite its name, social media can also contribute to feelings of isolation. At the same time, people may have many online friends but need more meaningful in-person connections and support. This can lead to feelings of loneliness and depression.

Addiction and Overuse

Finally, social media can be addictive, leading to overuse and negatively impacting mental health and well-being. People may spend hours each day scrolling through their feeds, neglecting other important areas of their lives, such as work, family, and self-care.

In sum, social media has positive and negative consequences on one's psychological and emotional well-being. Realizing this, and taking measures like reducing one's social media use, reaching out to loved ones for help, and prioritizing one's well-being, are crucial. In addition, it's vital that social media giants take ownership of their platforms and actively encourage excellent mental health and well-being.

The Use of Social Media in Political Activism and Social Movements

Social media has recently become increasingly crucial in political action and social movements. Platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram have given people new ways to express themselves, organize protests, and raise awareness about social and political issues.

Raising Awareness and Mobilizing Action

One of the most important uses of social media in political activity and social movements has been to raise awareness about important issues and mobilize action. Hashtags such as #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter, for example, have brought attention to sexual harassment and racial injustice, respectively. Similarly, social media has been used to organize protests and other political actions, allowing people to band together and express themselves on a bigger scale.

Connecting with like-minded individuals

A second method in that social media has been utilized in political activity and social movements is to unite like-minded individuals. Through social media, individuals can join online groups, share knowledge and resources, and work with others to accomplish shared objectives. This has been especially significant for geographically scattered individuals or those without access to traditional means of political organizing.

Challenges and Limitations

As a vehicle for political action and social movements, social media has faced many obstacles and restrictions despite its many advantages. For instance, the propagation of misinformation and fake news on social media can impede attempts to disseminate accurate and reliable information. In addition, social media corporations have been condemned for censorship and insufficient protection of user rights.

In conclusion, social media has emerged as a potent instrument for political activism and social movements, giving voice to previously unheard communities and galvanizing support for change. Social media presents many opportunities for communication and collaboration. Still, users and institutions must be conscious of the risks and limitations of these tools to promote their responsible and productive usage.

The Potential Privacy Concerns Raised by Social Media Use and Data Collection Practices

With billions of users each day on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, social media has ingrained itself into every aspect of our lives. While these platforms offer a straightforward method to communicate with others and exchange information, they also raise significant concerns over data collecting and privacy. This article will examine the possible privacy issues posed by social media use and data-gathering techniques.

Data Collection and Sharing

The gathering and sharing of personal data are significant privacy issues brought up by social media use. Social networking sites gather user data, including details about their relationships, hobbies, and routines. This information is made available to third-party businesses for various uses, such as marketing and advertising. This can lead to serious concerns about who has access to and uses our personal information.

Lack of Control Over Personal Information

The absence of user control over personal information is a significant privacy issue brought up by social media usage. Social media makes it challenging to limit who has access to and how data is utilized once it has been posted. Sensitive information may end up being extensively disseminated and may be used maliciously as a result.

Personalized Marketing

Social media companies utilize the information they gather about users to target them with adverts relevant to their interests and usage patterns. Although this could be useful, it might also cause consumers to worry about their privacy since they might feel that their personal information is being used without their permission. Furthermore, there are issues with the integrity of the data being used to target users and the possibility of prejudice based on individual traits.

Government Surveillance

Using social media might spark worries about government surveillance. There are significant concerns regarding privacy and free expression when governments in some nations utilize social media platforms to follow and monitor residents.

In conclusion, social media use raises significant concerns regarding data collecting and privacy. While these platforms make it easy to interact with people and exchange information, they also gather a lot of personal information, which raises questions about who may access it and how it will be used. Users should be aware of these privacy issues and take precautions to safeguard their personal information, such as exercising caution when choosing what details to disclose on social media and keeping their information sharing with other firms to a minimum.

The Ethical and Privacy Concerns Surrounding Social Media Use And Data Collection

Our use of social media to communicate with loved ones, acquire information, and even conduct business has become a crucial part of our everyday lives. The extensive use of social media does, however, raise some ethical and privacy issues that must be resolved. The influence of social media use and data collecting on user rights, the accountability of social media businesses, and the need for improved regulation are all topics that will be covered in this article.

Effect on Individual Privacy:

Social networking sites gather tons of personal data from their users, including delicate information like search history, location data, and even health data. Each user's detailed profile may be created with this data and sold to advertising or used for other reasons. Concerns regarding the privacy of personal information might arise because social media businesses can use this data to target users with customized adverts.

Additionally, individuals might need to know how much their personal information is being gathered and exploited. Data breaches or the unauthorized sharing of personal information with other parties may result in instances where sensitive information is exposed. Users should be aware of the privacy rules of social media firms and take precautions to secure their data.

Responsibility of Social Media Companies:

Social media firms should ensure that they responsibly and ethically gather and use user information. This entails establishing strong security measures to safeguard sensitive information and ensuring users are informed of what information is being collected and how it is used.

Many social media businesses, nevertheless, have come under fire for not upholding these obligations. For instance, the Cambridge Analytica incident highlighted how Facebook users' personal information was exploited for political objectives without their knowledge. This demonstrates the necessity of social media corporations being held responsible for their deeds and ensuring that they are safeguarding the security and privacy of their users.

Better Regulation Is Needed

There is a need for tighter regulation in this field, given the effect, social media has on individual privacy as well as the obligations of social media firms. The creation of laws and regulations that ensure social media companies are gathering and using user information ethically and responsibly, as well as making sure users are aware of their rights and have the ability to control the information that is being collected about them, are all part of this.

Additionally, legislation should ensure that social media businesses are held responsible for their behavior, for example, by levying fines for data breaches or the unauthorized use of personal data. This will provide social media businesses with a significant incentive to prioritize their users' privacy and security and ensure they are upholding their obligations.

In conclusion, social media has fundamentally changed how we engage and communicate with one another, but this increased convenience also raises several ethical and privacy issues. Essential concerns that need to be addressed include the effect of social media on individual privacy, the accountability of social media businesses, and the requirement for greater regulation to safeguard user rights. We can make everyone's online experience safer and more secure by looking more closely at these issues.

In conclusion, social media is a complex and multifaceted topic that has recently captured the world's attention. With its ever-growing influence on our lives, it's no surprise that it has become a popular subject for students to explore in their writing. Whether you are writing an argumentative essay on the impact of social media on privacy, a persuasive essay on the role of social media in politics, or a descriptive essay on the changes social media has brought to the way we communicate, there are countless angles to approach this subject.

However, writing a comprehensive and well-researched essay on social media can be daunting. It requires a thorough understanding of the topic and the ability to articulate your ideas clearly and concisely. This is where Jenni.ai comes in. Our AI-powered tool is designed to help students like you save time and energy and focus on what truly matters - your education. With Jenni.ai , you'll have access to a wealth of examples and receive personalized writing suggestions and feedback.

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A Sample Essay On The Uses and Abuses of Social Media

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Argumentative Essay on Social Media

Nowadays, social media has become an integral part of our lives, shaping how we communicate, gather information, and interact with the world around us. However, its pervasive influence has sparked heated debates regarding its impact on society, mental health, privacy, and more. Crafting an argumentative essay on social media requires a nuanced understanding of its complexities and a balanced exploration of its pros and cons.

Understanding the Controversy of Argumentative Essay on Social Media

Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok have revolutionized how we connect with others, share our thoughts, and consume content. On the one hand, proponents argue that social media fosters global connectivity, facilitates activism, and provides a platform for marginalized voices to be heard. It has also revolutionized marketing, allowing businesses to reach a broader audience and engage with consumers in real-time. On the other hand, critics raise concerns about the negative effects of social media, including addiction, cyberbullying, privacy breaches, and the spread of misinformation. The addictive nature of social media can lead to decreased productivity, poor mental health, and feelings of inadequacy fueled by comparing oneself to curated online personas. Moreover, the echo chambers created by algorithm-driven content feeds can exacerbate polarization and contribute to the spread of fake news and conspiracy theories.

Crafting Your Argument for Argumentative Essay on Social Media

When writing an argumentative essay on social media, it is essential to choose a specific aspect of the topic to focus on. Here are some potential areas of exploration:

• Impact on Mental Health: Examine research studies and personal anecdotes to argue whether social media has a positive or negative impact on mental well-being. Consider factors such as addiction, anxiety, depression, body image issues, and self-esteem.
• Influence on Relationships: Evaluate how social media affects interpersonal relationships, including romantic partnerships, friendships, and familial bonds. Discuss topics such as communication patterns, jealousy, trust issues, and the blurring of boundaries between public and private life.
• Role in Politics and Activism: Explore the ways in which social media platforms shape political discourse, activism, and social movements. Discuss the power of hashtags, viral campaigns, and online petitions in mobilizing communities and effecting change.
• Privacy and Data Security: Analyze the implications of sharing personal information on social media platforms and the risks associated with data breaches and online surveillance. Consider the ethical dilemmas surrounding data collection, targeted advertising, and algorithmic manipulation.
• Solutions and Regulation: Propose potential solutions to address the negative aspects of social media, such as implementing stricter privacy regulations, promoting digital literacy and critical thinking skills, or advocating for responsible platform design.

Building Your Argument

Regardless of the chosen topic, a compelling argumentative essay on social media should be supported by credible evidence, including research studies, expert opinions, and real-life examples. Use statistics, case studies, and quotes from reputable sources to strengthen your claims and counterarguments.

Additionally, consider the perspectives of various stakeholders, including users, policymakers, tech companies, and advocacy groups. Acknowledge the complexity of the issue and demonstrate empathy towards different viewpoints while advocating for your position.

Creating an argumentative essay on social media requires careful research, critical thinking, and persuasive writing skills. By exploring the multifaceted nature of social media’s impact on society, you can contribute to a deeper understanding of this complex and evolving phenomenon. Whether you’re advocating for greater regulation, promoting digital well-being, or highlighting the positive aspects of social media, your essay has the power to provoke thought, spark dialogue, and inspire positive change in how we engage with technology.

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The Structure of Argumentative Essay on Social Media

To present your arguments effectively, you must follow a well-structured essay format. Here’s a classic structure that works for most argumentative essays:

1. Introduction

The introduction is your opportunity to grab the reader’s attention. Start with a compelling hook related to technology and state the issue you’ll be discussing. Provide some context and background information, and conclude with a clear thesis statement that outlines your stance on the topic.

The body of your essay is where you present your arguments and evidence. Divide this section into several paragraphs, each focusing on a single point. Remember to use topic sentences to guide the reader through your essay. Let’s take the example of discussing the impact of social media on society:

• Paragraph 1: Social Media and Communication   Discuss how social media has revolutionized communication and connection among people.
• Paragraph 2: Social Media as Platform of self-expression and activity Explore the potential negative effects of excessive social media use on mental well-being.
• Paragraph 3: Educational Benefit Address the positive impacts of social media on education.

3. Counterarguments and Refutation 

To strengthen your essay, acknowledge opposing viewpoints and provide a counterargument. After presenting the counterargument, offer a compelling refutation to demonstrate the weaknesses in the opposing view.

4. Conclusion

Summarize your main points, restate your thesis, and leave the reader with a compelling closing thought. Encourage them to think critically about the topic.

Argumentative Essay on Social Media Sample

Do you know that there are more social media accounts than people? A plethora of people use social media platforms nowadays, and many of them create more than one account. Despite their popularity, there has been an argument about whether social media platforms have positive or negative impacts on teenagers’ lives. I strongly believe that they will surely have positive impacts on teenagers by fostering connectivity and communication, giving them a platform for self-expression, and offering them educational benefits.

First, social media fosters connectivity and facilitates communication among teenagers. Platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok allow them to stay in touch with friends, share experiences, and build supportive communities. Through messaging apps and group chats, teenagers can easily collaborate on school projects, discuss shared interests, and seek advice from peers, fostering a sense of belonging and camaraderie.

Secondly, social media serves as a platform for self-expression and creativity. Teenagers can showcase their talents, whether it’s through posting artwork, sharing original music, or expressing themselves through fashion and style. Platforms like YouTube provide opportunities for aspiring content creators to produce and share videos, gaining recognition and support from a global audience. This avenue for creative expression not only boosts confidence but also encourages teens to explore their passions and talents.

Thirdly, social media offers educational benefits by providing access to vast amounts of information and resources. Platforms like Twitter and Facebook serve as channels for sharing news articles, educational videos, and academic research, allowing teenagers to stay informed about current events and expand their knowledge on various subjects. Additionally, platforms like LinkedIn provide networking opportunities and career advice, helping teenagers explore future educational and career pathways.

However, it’s important to acknowledge the negative impact social media can have on some teenagers’ lives. Excessive use of social media has been linked to issues such as cyberbullying, poor mental health, and decreased self-esteem. However, it’s crucial to recognize that the negative impact of social media can be mitigated through responsible use and education. By promoting digital literacy and teaching teenagers how to navigate social media safely, parents, educators, and policymakers can help mitigate the negative effects while maximizing the positive opportunities that social media platforms offer.

In conclusion, social media platforms have a lot of positive impacts on teenagers’ lives. They provide opportunities for connectivity, self-expression, and education. By fostering responsible use and digital literacy, society can harness the potential of social media to empower and enrich the lives of teenagers while minimizing its detrimental effects.

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• Social Media Essay

Essay on Social Media

Social media is the communal interaction among people in which they create, share or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities. It has become the basic need and quality of human beings to be social. The spectacular developments in communications and innovative and astonishing entertainment have given access to information and the ability to provide a voice for people who would never have been heard. The current generation is fortunate enough to witness some of the most amazing technological developments ever in history. It has become the rage of this age. 

What are Some of the Most Widely used Social Media Platforms?

Simply put, let us understand the factors that have contributed to the popularity and widespread use of social media platforms in recent years. Many observers believe that the number of "active users" has something to do with the situation. This factor has a significant impact on the growth of the organization, its attractiveness, and its participation.

These applications serve as the building blocks for a large number of other applications as well. Currently, Facebook is the most popular social networking site on the planet, with more than 2.7 billion active monthly members worldwide. Each social media platform owned by the same company, including Facebook (the company's most popular forum), WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram, has more than 1 billion monthly active users.

In addition, as the number of people who use social media continues to grow, it becomes increasingly clear how important social media has become in today's society.

Monograph on Social Media Use - An Introduction

People always want to connect themselves with society in some or another way. In earlier days, the modes of communication were limited. People socialized with others in their tracks. Earlier, socializing was narrowed to visiting each other’s places, having big gatherings, meetings in clubs, parks, and other public areas.

Now the time has changed. People have minimized their social life because of hectic life and increase in geographical distance and economic concerns. With the arrival of technology, social networking websites and applications have heralded a revolution in the world. It has indeed brought people from all over the globe closer by creating, sharing, or exchanging information and ideas in virtual communities and networks. These social networking sites are based on web-based technologies and create highly interactive platforms. It has gained momentum globally because of its better features, access, frequency, immediacy, usability, and permanence. It has been recognized so widely, and its usage has increased so incredibly today that it has moved from desktop computers to laptops to mobile phones. The platform is undoubtedly easily obtainable and accessible.

Today, every person is addicted to social media, and that too at a glaring speed. Some important social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, etc., have provided us with the prospect to connect with people and foster better relationships with friends and acquaintances with whom we cannot meet personally and share the happenings of our lives. Some tools like YouTube, Instagram, Whatsapp, etc., have provided the platform to share pictures and videos with friends and relatives living in distant places.

B2B social, reviews, and travel sites in social media have made it easy and exciting for people to shop and discuss with friends and others about what they are buying. Some sites offer collective buying offers to give consumers a fun-filled shopping experience. 

Social Media and Its Significance

Every person's daily routine involves some kind of social media interaction. Anyone, anywhere, at any time, can connect with you through social media as long as you have access to the internet.

While everyone was confined to their homes, unable to speak with anybody other than family and friends, it is critical to communicate with friends and family during Covid-19 to avoid being isolated. The outbreak resulted in social media being an essential tool for individuals to make entertaining videos and engage in social media challenges and activities, which helped keep people busy during these challenging circumstances.

As a result of the quick rise and extension of digital marketing, social media has played an essential part in this expansion. It's also a fantastic resource for finding information on a wide variety of topics. People may learn a great deal and stay up to date with the newest news worldwide by utilizing this. But there is always a drawback to every good that comes with it, no matter how beneficial. As a consequence, the following are some of the most significant advantages and disadvantages of social media in today's fast-paced society.

Benefits of Social Media

Social media sites are erasing differences in age and class. It has assumed a different dimension altogether through interactive sharing. It has now become a medium of mass reach at a minimum cost. Today, one can benefit from social sharing to build a reputation and bring in career opportunities. 

They target a broad audience, making it a valuable and effective tool for society. 

 It reaches people even in remote areas, and the information is spread like fire. 

Distance is no more a limitation because of social media. You are constantly updated with the latest news and happenings in the society and environment through social media websites.

Sites and blogs like Orkut, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and many more have become tools for people to connect across the globe. People can attend live talks or live sessions, or lectures happening anywhere in the world while staying at home. 

Teachers and professors can teach on different topics from remote places. 

You can now identify great possibilities for a job through multiple social media sites like LinkedIn, Google, Naukri, and job search. 

Social media enables companies to use these sites as a network to generate awareness about their product, promote their brand, and increase their sales. It saves the cost of marketing and advertising. 

These networking sites on social media provide a comprehensive platform for young aspiring artists to showcase their passion and skills.

Political leaders use the platform of social media for spreading social communication to mass. These days, the political candidates are also communicating with the voters through social media.

Nowadays, a person’s fame or popularity is determined by the number of links he has created with these social media sites. 

It is an excellent educational tool.

It has the potential to increase public awareness of a range of societal issues.

Due to the speed with which data is transmitted over the internet, consumers can stay current on the latest developments.

Social media can be used to disseminate information to the media.

Additionally, there are some social benefits, such as communicating with long-distance family and friends.

It has the potential to open up incredible career opportunities online.

We believe that social media has a lot of positive effects, but we also recognize that, like anything else, it has some negative ones. Keep reading to gather an idea on the same.

Disadvantages of Social Media

However, social media has caused addiction to users. Despite huge benefits, it has some unfavorable consequences.

Users of social media are becoming victims of fraudulent and online scams that seem to be genuine.

It opens up a possibility for hackers to commit fraud and launch virus attacks.

The productivity of people is getting hampered due to extreme usage and indulgence in these social media sites.

Harmful and disrespectful comments and reviews from employees about the company hamper its image tremendously. 

Students, too, are exceedingly active on social media sites these days, limiting them from outdoor activities. 

Students indulge in disputes because of these social media, and sometimes school has to resolve the conflicts.

Some sites are used to express personal anger or dispute, due to which a lot of chaos and confusion is created.

Investigate whether it is possible to cheat on tests.

As a result, students' grades and performance have suffered.

Users are more vulnerable to cybersecurity threats such as hacking, data theft, spamming, and other similar crimes due to a lack of privacy.

Social media has both benefits and drawbacks. Using it productively can be a tool of immense help, but over usage can become a silent enemy. Thus, we as users have to learn to balance and not control ourselves by this technology.

FAQs on Social Media Essay

Q1. What do you Understand by Social Media?

Social media is the communal interaction among people in which they create, share or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities.

Q2. How has Social Media benefited Society?

Social media has incredibly benefited society. It has erased the age and class barrier. Social media sites target a wide audience. People can connect with each other from any corner of the world. Distance is no more a limitation. Teachers and students are connecting through social media tools. People find jobs, shop and share reviews and discuss with others. It is a comprehensive platform for people to showcase their talents and passion.

Q3. What are the disadvantages of Social Media?

The disadvantages of social media are that youth is getting hooked to it inappropriately. People are falling into prey to fraudulent and illegal activities. Too much indulgence in social media is hampering the productivity of people. 

Q4. How has Social Media brought a Change in Human’s Lives?

In earlier days, humans did not have too many means of communication. This was the reason why they did not socialize much. Even if they did, their socialization was narrowed to meeting their own relatives or friends in a close circle. People could not explore much about what was happening around the globe. The job seekers were restricted to finding jobs through someone or a newspaper. Now, technology has brought a revolution in the lives of people. Distance is no more a constraint for communication. People can communicate with anyone from anywhere in the world. The entire information about what is happening across the globe is available at the touch of our fingertips. Job seekers have not only widened their horizon of finding jobs but also given interviews on social media platforms. Social media has made the lives of people much simpler, easier, and faster.

Q5. In what ways does social media influence our lives?

The emergence of social media has had a considerable influence on people's lives. Using social media in one's everyday life allows one to communicate, interact, and be sociable while also learning about current events, creating a variety of meals, educating oneself, traveling to any place, and taking advantage of many other perks.

Q6. Which social networking sites are the most well-known?

There are several social media platforms where you may utilize Youtube Messenger. These include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Whatsapp, and Pinterest.

Q7. Does social media have a role in our overall well-being?

Social media sites have the following roles in our overall well-being.

Social media addiction may cause physical and psychological harm to the person using it excessively, including eye strain, social disengagement, and disturbed sleep.

If you spend too much time fighting and disagreeing, this might harm your health in the long run.

In terms of emotional relationships, social media may be a great way to meet new people and keep in contact with individuals you already know. Building relationships with others is beneficial.

Social media is a veritable informational treasure trove when it comes to staying healthy. This has several benefits. Doubtful information might be just as damaging as not thoroughly investigating it.

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The Struggle for Human Attention: Between the Abuse of Social Media and Digital Wellbeing

Santiago giraldo-luque.

1 Communication and Journalism Department, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona, Spain; [email protected] (S.G.-L.); [email protected] (P.N.A.A.)

Pedro Nicolás Aldana Afanador

Cristina fernández-rovira.

2 Communication Department, University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia, 08500 Barcelona, Spain

Human attention has become an object of study that defines both the design of interfaces and the production of emotions in a digital economy ecosystem. Guided by the control of users’ attention, the consumption figures for digital environments, mainly social media, show that addictive use is associated with multiple psychological, social, and physical development problems. The study presented develops a theoretical proposal regarding attention. In the first part, the research analyzes how attention has been studied and how it behaves using three disciplines: neurophysiology, neuropsychology, and economics. In the second part, considering this general framework, the study uses categories of the three disciplines to explain the functioning of social media, with special emphasis on their interactive, attractive, and addictive design. Finally, the article presents, as a practical example of the exposed theory, the main results of two case studies that describe social media consumption among young people. The research shows the relevance of the theoretical study of attention as a key element by which to understand the logics that dominate the interactive design of social media. It also uses a multidisciplinary perspective. The addictive behaviors identified in the two examples support the theoretical proposals and open research lines oriented to the measurement and understanding of the attention given to social media.

1. Introduction

The concentration of attention on social media determines a field of analysis oriented to the understanding of consumption focused on digital attention. This line of research also includes strategies that large digital platforms use to capture users’ attention and data, two of the most valuable goods in digitized society. The capacity of the interfaces to generate interactions and clicks is crucial in the current economic system in which the object of study is inserted. It is important to discover how this addictive design works. This understanding constitutes a social need nowadays, when we see how the digital behavior of more than 5 billion users of social media can be monitored [ 1 ]. Moreover, digital attention is concentrated in only five companies: Facebook Inc (California, United States), Alphabet (California, United States), Tencent (Shenzhen, China), ByteDance (Beijing, China), and Sina Corporation (Beijing, China).

Attention, understood as the time of consumption, is valuable data, as it serves to predict and guide future behavior. Therefore, capturing the user’s attention is the main objective of digital platforms and defines the field of action of the economy of attention. It is “an economic project that reflects the mutation of a new capitalism” [ 2 ] centered on the domination and control of the cognitive production of the platform users and which can be defined as the management of the scarce resource of human attention.

The attention economy outlook calls for the need to approach the dynamics of human attention study. Thus, this article presents the attention research development, followed by a conceptual approach to attention using three disciplines: neurophysiology, neuropsychology, and economy. It also describes how the disciplinary elements presented are associated with the design and consumption of social media. Finally, the article shows the results of two case studies to illustrate the effectiveness of the mechanisms used by social media to capture human attention, as a complement to the theoretical approach.

According to Filley, “the representation of attention in the brain is thus widespread, consistent with its essential role in human mental life” [ 3 ]. Recent studies have shown that young people spend an average of 5.5 h per day connected to social media [ 4 ]. This is almost a third of the daily active hours of any person. If attention is on social media, it is important to understand why.

1.1. The Attention Research Development

Epistemologically, attention is a multidisciplinary term that groups together diverse processes. To clarify what human attention is and how it works, we start by understanding the research development of the concept. Then, we observe it from the point of view of neurophysiology, neuropsychology, and economics to reveal its operation within the individual emotional and sensory system, as well as its development within social science.

1.1.1. Brief History of the Attention Research Development

Attention has been studied by fields such as optics, biology, neurophysiology, neurosciences, psychology, communication, pedagogy, and economics. The attention research was born in the 19th century, but “before this time, philosophers had typically considered attention within the context of apperception (the mechanism by which new ideas became associated with existing ideas)” [ 5 ]. One of the first researchers to use the concept was Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, who “suggested that attention determines what will and will not be apperceived” [ 5 ].

Psychology developed a study of attention that can be presented in three stages. The first phase, promoted by James, Helmholtz, Müller, Pillsbury, Tichener, and Wundt, applied an introspective method of the human mind. Wundt, one of the founding fathers of structuralism, “wrote of the wide field of awareness (which he called the Blickfeld) within which lay the more limited focus of attention (the Blickpunkt) (…) He also speculated that attention is a function of the frontal lobes of the brain” [ 5 ]. At the same time, William James [ 6 ] characterized attention from perception, distinction, and remembrance, highlighting its selective function as well as the motivation and interest associated with it. James argued that the individual only becomes aware of the stimuli that are attractive to him.

Hermann von Helmholtz’s experiments announced that an “observer who is steadily gazing at a fixation mark can, at the same time, concentrate attention on any given part of the visual field” [ 7 ]. An alternative pioneering study by Titchener [ 8 ] conceptualized attention as an attribute that makes the contents reach greater clarity in consciousness. Thus, the authors of this first phase state that attention is important, although it is a limited capacity.

The second stage brings together the research carried out related to attention by the Behavioral and Gestalt Schools. For these schools, the first studies lacked methodical and experimental elements, which called into question their objectivity. According to Watson and Skinner, the concept of attention was unscientific, and they debated whether it should enter the psychology studies [ 9 ]. However, for Berlyne [ 10 ] attention remained an object of study in the field and was characterized as alertness. Therefore, attention was not only limited to a selection but was linked to alertness. Moreover, Berlyne proposed that alerting depended on the form and intensity of the stimulus, but at the same time on its collative properties: complexity, novelty, incongruity, and surprise [ 10 ], relationships that link attention to the Ascending Reticular Activation System (ARAS).

Thanks to the reflexology studies of Pavlov [ 11 ], Bechterev [ 12 ], and Sechenov [ 13 ], attention is considered a behavior similar to the orienting reflex or response. It is a physiological behavior that leads to analyzing the individual response to different stimuli and to observing the electrophysiological, vascular, and motor changes. Razran [ 14 ] defined it as the first organic reaction to a stimulus that generates a change. Thus, the second stage shows the relevance of studying the composition of the received stimuli for their selection and effectiveness and the attention as a gateway to human behavior.

The third phase of research on attention is formed by cognitive psychology and the contribution of neurosciences. As a result of information processing theory, as formulated by Claude Shannon [ 15 ], academic efforts are oriented towards understanding the process of cognition. In this way, the first information processing models in which attention is considered an information filtering mechanism are consolidated: Broadbent’s filter model [ 16 ], Treisman’s Attenuation model [ 17 ], the Deutsch and Deutsch model [ 18 ], and Norman’s model [ 19 ]. Subsequently, other models that consider attention as in charge of distribution and carrying out different tasks are presented: Kahneman’s model [ 20 ] and the Norman and Bobrow model [ 21 ]. The last stage studies the relationship of the visual field in a particular way; it investigates the brain’s response with more specific and effective forms of measurement and explores the divided function of attention.

The stages propose a classification of research into three major fields. The first one is selective attention, which identifies attention as a process of the selection of stimuli. The second one is divided attention, which studies the response capacity of the subject to several simultaneous tasks. The third one is sustained attention, which examines the ability to retain attention for an amount of time, which is called concentration.

The attention research development is broad and diverse, due to the multiple implications of the processes involved in it. The most advanced techniques for studying and monitoring brain activity make it possible to better understand the physiological functioning of attention and how it relates to other executive functions of the human being.

1.1.2. Attention in the Field of Neurophysiology

Neurophysiology defines attention as the ability to focus selectively on an object or task, and it is essential for a series of actions of the brain that link different cognitive functions. Similarly, it is understood as an activity increase in a certain brain area involved in the processing of a stimulus. Some researchers propose that attention is “the interface between the vast amount of stimulation provided by our complex environment and the more limited set of information of which we are aware” [ 22 ], taking the perspective of a “selection machine”. Additionally, “attention has been largely linked to the voluntary and effortful control of action” [ 22 ], which determines that the term leads to the “generation of voluntary behavior” in the individual, relating it to the concept of arousal (brain activation that includes the rhythm of brain processes) and states of consciousness.

“Researchers in the field agree that attention is not a unitary term. Rather, we can fractionate attention into subsystems of more circumscribed function and anatomy” [ 23 ]. Thus, the neuroscientific understanding of attention is chosen from the integrative Attention System theory proposed by Posner and collaborators [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ]. “This theory states that the variety of attentional manifestations is produced by separate but related attentional systems” [ 27 ]. The model is formed by the alerting network, the posterior attention network (orienting response), and the anterior attention network (executive function).

The first network, called alerting, “involves a change in the internal state in preparation for perceiving a stimulus. The alert state is critical for optimal performance in tasks involving higher cognitive functions” [ 23 ]. It determines the changes in the individual state of consciousness and allows a direct link to the arousal in order to be traced. The neuroanatomical functioning of the first network is located at the locus coeruleus and in the right frontal and parietal cortex [ 23 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 ]. The presence of norepinephrine, which acts as a neuromodulator, is also necessary [ 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ].

The second one is called the orienting network and “concerns the selection of information from a sensory input” [ 23 ]. The orienting network helps to prioritize sensory information and leads individuals to keep their focus on the object or action they perform. The network discriminates the relevance of the stimulus and provides the skill to maintain interest in what has captured the subject’s attention. Likewise, it allows splitting the attention into two or more activities when necessary, although one stimulus will always be predominant.

From the neuroanatomical point of view, the orientation network is mainly found in the superior parietal lobe, in the superior temporoparietal junction [ 36 ], in the superior colliculus, and in the frontal ocular fields [ 37 , 38 ], and its predominant neuromodulator is acetylcholine. As is anatomically evident, in the second network the visual element predominates since the selection of the stimuli evidences the Theory of Biased Competition [ 39 ], which “sees attention as arising out of a winner-take-all competition within various levels of sensory and association systems” [ 40 ].

Finally, the last network is called the executive. Through it, the neural system sharpens the brain to focus attention on the object or action performed, which limits the ability to react to other stimuli. This function leads to concentration or the ability to sustain attention for a length of time. “Executive control of attention involves more complex mental operations both to monitor and resolve conflicts between computations occurring in different brain areas. Executive control is most needed in situations involving planning or decision-making, error detections, novel or not well-learned responses, difficult or dangerous conditions, and in overcoming habitual actions” [ 23 ]. The neuroanatomical location of the third network is the Anterior Cingulate Cortex [ 41 , 42 ], the lateral ventral prefrontal cortex, and the basal ganglia. The predominant neuromodulator of the executive network is dopamine.

Attentional networks have two processing mechanisms. The first one, top-down, “represents the selection processes intended for particular goals, which produces greater neuronal activation of the relevant sensory input to discriminate the stimulus of interest from those not relevant in order to achieve the goal” [ 43 ]. The second, bottom-up, “is associated with the processes that take action when attention is directed to a particular stimulus because certain characteristics of the stimulus excel, such as its infrequency, novelty, intensity or contextual relevance” [ 43 ].

The brain contains complexities and attention is one of them. “At its most fundamental level, attention is represented in the human brain as a widespread collection of interconnected structures that has been called the attentional matrix” [ 3 ]. Many challenges concerning executive functions are related to issues of attention. Hence, attention is “a complex neurobehavioral capacity without which the expression of all other higher functions of the human brain is impossible” [ 3 ].

1.1.3. Attention in the Field of Neuropsychology

Neuropsychological studies of attention endorse its complexity. According to Ribot, it is difficult “to distinguish where it begins and where it ends” [ 44 ]. Styles, in turn, affirms that “attention is a term that comprehends diverse psychological phenomena” [ 45 ]. Despite its complexity, Tudela proposes a conceptual approach to attention as “a central mechanism of limited capacity whose primary function is to control and guide the conscious activity in accordance with a specific objective” [ 46 ]. García Sevilla extends this idea, proposing that attention is “a mechanism that launches a series of processes or operations thanks to which (…) we are more receptive to events in the environment and allows us to perform numerous tasks more efficiently” [ 47 ].

In the same way, García Sevilla states that there are three types of processes involved in the attentional mechanism: selection, distribution, and sustaining [ 47 ]. Selection is the most common of them and allows one to respond to a specific stimulus in the environment even though there are more of them. Bonnet [ 48 ], Broadbent [ 16 ], and James [ 6 ] articulate attention from this selective perspective. Furthermore, the distribution process helps the individual to respond to multiple stimuli, an approach to what today is known as multitasking. This is proposed by Boujon and Quaireau [ 49 ], in addition to Sternberg [ 50 ], who researches the development of different tasks at the same time, together with Block [ 51 ] and Burt and Kemp [ 52 ], who suggest the Time Estimation Paradigm, which consists of exploring the expected time for a specific task.

The last process is sustaining, which leads to focused attention, commonly known as concentration. This process is responsible for maintaining as long as possible the attention to the stimulus assigned by the subject. Some authors have linked this concept with cognitive psychology and learning, as illustrated by Rabiner and Coie [ 53 ]. Willcutt and Pennington [ 54 ] have linked it with the process of learning to read, Valencia and Andrade [ 55 ] with behavior control, Berthiaume [ 56 ] with reading comprehension, and Barkley and Murphy [ 57 ] with the study of problem-solving.

Additionally, neuropsychology proposes three moments to describe the functioning of attention: the interest (attention capture), sustaining, and the finalization of the attentional process. The first two are similar to the functions of the attentional networks described before (selection, distribution, and sustaining). However, as a possible cause of the termination of the attentional activity, the subject may present fatigue or tiredness due to the action performed. Additionally, the finalization of the attention may be produced by the fact that the activity is monotonous or creates boredom. Nevertheless, there may be a spontaneous recovery [ 47 ] when, despite the sustained attention loss, the neuropsychological system refocuses on a stimulus [ 11 , 58 , 59 ].

Broadbent [ 16 ], Treisman [ 17 ], and Styles [ 45 ] analyze the three moments of attention and their multisystemic characteristics, as well as defining attention as a limited capacity. Although the individual wants to attend to all the stimuli received, it is imperative to focus on one of them. Regardless of how much the function is divided, the response and efficacy shall not be the same [ 60 ]. This is one of the fundamental principles of attention economy.

Another relevant factor is the stimuli magnitude, which is proportional to the individual response [ 16 , 61 , 62 ]. At the same time, if a stimulus is new, it generates a greater impact or intensity than a repetitive one. This is a phenomenon called habituation, and it is formed by the frequency with which the same stimulus is received and the rate of its appearance, which generates a loss of interest in the subject and a decrease in neural sensitivity to its response.

Attention might be overwhelmed by the channel’s oversaturation of stimuli. This causes, on the one hand, the subject to not focus on the main stimuli of interest, causing a loss of information due to inattention or dispersion. On the other hand, it can provoke distraction, leading to the termination of the attentional function.

Attention plays a fundamental role as a selective action of environmental stimuli, which makes neurophysiology and neuropsychology of great value for the states of consciousness, behavior, and individual actions.

1.1.4. Attention in the Field of Economy

The struggle to engage attention with economic intentions began in the third decade of the 19th century with the emergence of the mass press [ 63 ], although attention as an object of study of economic science began with the change in society introduced by computers in the late sixties of the 20th century [ 64 ].

Attention became an object of study when Herbert Simon [ 65 ] identified information as a future consumer good that competes for the attention of individuals. Attention becomes a commodity with the evolution of technological society. Simon pointed out “a need to allocate that attention—as a scarce good—efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it” [ 65 ]. The contest for the attention and action of the consumer on the inputs or received stimuli transformed the ways to access the user, since attention is a finite and limited human capacity and resource [ 45 ].

However, in the study of the attention economy, the changes go beyond the Information Society. Authors such as Franck argue that “information is the still-physical aspect of the trans-physical economy of attention” and what is fundamental about attention is the essence of being conscious [ 66 ]. Because of the massification of the internet and mobile devices, the digitization of life has been the perfect scenario for the attention economy due to the increasing number of information stimuli that people can receive [ 67 , 68 ]. Besides this, the digital universe includes the possibility of accurately measuring the attention of users (or consumers).

Study of the attention economy has progressed in this way since the end of the 20th century, when Shapiro and Varian [ 67 ] identified web search engines as tools that allow classifying the information that people value, as will be carried out in a sophisticated way by monitoring algorithms [ 63 ]. In consequence, this introduces the personalization of the product [ 69 ], which implies a transformation regarding the massive and dispersed commercial and communication exchange [ 2 ].

As an economic resource, attention has been presented with four characteristics:

• It appears in a market in which products are sold and bought under the laws of supply and demand.
• It is scarce and has defined limits [ 16 , 17 , 45 ].
• It is finite [ 47 ].
• It implies a benefit increase to the most relevant actors; hence, the more attention engaged, the easier it is to grow it [ 69 ].

The previous context defines the attention time as a crucial variable [ 70 ] so that the cultural industries compete to capture the longest possible attention time from users. This is in social media, where a greater concentration of user or consumer attention is produced. This is the privileged place where knowledge, physical abilities, feelings, and attention are speculated [ 71 , 72 ].

Commercial competition for attention has been characterized as oligopolistic [ 73 ] and concentrated [ 66 , 74 , 75 ], since the technological elites and their platforms act as monopolies of attention. Indeed, the new media set aside the exchange of information for money, typical of the traditional economy, and made the capturing of attention the center of their business [ 74 ], as a commodity that is transformed into consumer data [ 76 ].

At the same time, the attention economy assumes that technological evolution, attractive interface designs, and sophisticated notification mechanisms allow the control of human attention. Social media activates attraction through emotional experiences [ 77 ], guarantees engagement with the platform and lengthens consumption time [ 47 ], and controls the moments of individual attention [ 78 , 79 ] of billions of users.

In the critical study of social media as control platforms, it has been highlighted that the information technology industry is the “most standardized and most centralized form of attentional control in human history (…) The attention economy incentivizes the design of technologies that grab our attention. In so doing, it privileges our impulses over our intentions” [ 80 ], something that transcends social media and that can be seen in media that is full of sensationalist bait, called clickbait.

From the economic field, the concept of attention is a rising value within cognitive capitalism [ 66 ]. Today, the maximum possible amount of information stimuli is received to compete for the cognitive resources of the individual. According to Franck [ 74 ], it is the most successful business model in the 21st century, thanks to media financed by advertising. Peirano [ 81 ] qualifies it as destructive because of the cognitive manipulation that it entails.

2. Materials and Methods

The article uses a theoretical and historical approach to explain the concept and functioning of human attention. This approach comprises three perspectives: neurophysiology, neuropsychology, and economics. For this purpose, the academic literature corresponding to these three disciplines in relation to attention has been critically reviewed, as is evidenced in the references list (with more than 100 items analyzed). Once the characteristics of the functioning of human attention have been explained, the authors proceed to relate them to the functioning of social media also from a theoretical perspective based on the existing literature. Thus, the authors construct and propose a theoretical model that describes the interactive design of social media based on the characteristics of attention previously explored.

The theoretical model described is subjected to a first empirical verification with the inclusion of two examples that show the utilization of the theoretical proposal. In addition, the application of the model to the examples linked to the use of social media is complemented by other similar studies which prove the validity of the theoretical model presented.

This article offers a theoretical starting point for future empirical research on the phenomenon of human attention in social media and the problems arising from the abuse of the currently dominant digital platforms.

3. Social Media, Interfaces, and the Control of Attention

The conceptualization of attention from economics, neurophysiology, and neuropsychology makes it possible to establish a relationship between the functioning of attention and the exercise of digital consumption. Therefore, some of the design and operational characteristics of social media can be identified to define them as a sophisticated form of control of individual attention [ 63 , 80 ]. The four mechanisms and their effects on human attention are summarized in Table 1 :

Mechanisms of social media operation and effects on human attention.

3.1. Notifications as Systematic Impulses

Surprise, novelty [ 10 ], and repetition [ 82 ] are typical behaviors of the notification system of social media [ 83 ]. Notifications are systematic impulses that saturate the attentional network due to the information overabundance they represent. This saturation produces a state of overalert in the individual. Thus, the notification acts as a digital stimulus [ 67 ] for the alerting system [ 84 ], changing the neurophysiological state of the individual [ 23 ]. It acts as a distractor and leads to problems of self-control and self-discipline [ 85 ].

Likewise, the information received as sensory input in the form of personalized notification [ 65 ] directly impacts the emotional system of the individual, associated with the second and third network of the Attention System theory [ 23 , 25 ], determining the priority of actions [ 65 ]. The emotional intensity of social media notifications [ 86 ] works because it is linked to psychological characteristics such as social appreciation, self-image, acceptance, social comparison, and recognition [ 87 , 88 ]. By affecting the main psychological emotions, notifications also generate anxiety in individuals who use social media [ 89 ]. This feeds both the anxiety of knowing what is behind the notification itself and the desire to obtain it [ 90 ], which generates disappointment or even depression in its absence [ 91 ].

The above duality can be expressed in terms of the Posner framework [ 24 ] by locating the bottom-up and top-down attention mechanisms. In the first case (bottom-up), the stimulus stands out by its characteristics, and the user wants to know what the notification contains. In the second case (top-down), the individual expects the notification stimulus to be associated with the achievement or fulfillment of goals [ 43 ], such as recognition, acceptance, or personal self-image.

Lastly, notifications capture attention because they are repetitive but novel. Repetition [ 47 ] does not represent, in this case, a problem for attention, since it generates surprising new emotions every time [ 68 ]. The user may crave a notification, but it remains uncertain until taking the selective action of paying attention to it. Although most notifications are not relevant [ 92 ], they are designed to be noticed as new, unique, and changing [ 93 ]. One of the reasons for individuals to be “Always On” [ 94 ] is the novelty of the notification acting on the ARAS.

3.2. Social Media Messages and Posts

The structural functioning of social media apps is described as fundamental to promote addiction in users [ 77 , 95 ]. The messages or publications received through the platforms can be described as data of an audiovisual nature, which are easily sent and consumed due to their short, fast, dynamic, and changing structure. Their structure and diverse, surprising, and constant functioning generate attention breaks in the subject [ 10 ] and produce the phenomenon of attentional dispersion, depending on uninterrupted activity, affecting sustained attention.

The structure of the message has three characteristics that determine the high attention levels of the subject. In the first place, messages are associated with audiovisual language [ 96 , 97 ], pointing to emotions, the most impulsive framework of attention.

Secondly, messages are short and dynamic, which fit the scarce attention aspect [ 47 , 48 ]. For this reason, attention travels from one message to another within the platform and in each message, which functions as a new informational impulse renewing the cycle of attention. This is a characteristic that makes constant the sustaining of attention. Once the user has accessed the platform through the notification, an initial moment or capture of attention, the individual remains in the interface for a long time, which is the sustaining and permanence moment [ 47 ]. Then, the user receives a new notification when tries to leave the platform (a moment of completion), which leads to new infinite and automate service cycles. It is the competition for the market of user’s time [ 70 ] dominated by the oligopolies of attention [ 73 ].

Finally, to ensure attention and avoid fatigue by the repetition of the platform, social media constantly change the communication interface with the user. It is, thus, novel and surprising. It regains attention with renewed stimuli [ 10 , 82 ].

3.3. The Fear of Missing Out (FoMO)

The attention-grabbing power of social media [ 66 ] has generated the feeling that, if users do not constantly check their platforms, they will lose something important in their lives. Different studies identify the fear of missing out (FoMO) [ 98 , 99 ]. This is related to the impact of social media on user’s attention and its capture, even in addictive and psychologically problematic ways, which cause anxiety and stress.

FoMO can be understood from a neurophysiological perspective as the information flow and interaction that captures the attention coming from the activation of the filiation sensory mechanisms [ 10 , 47 ]. The relationship generated between the subject and social media, which is deeply dependent, produces psychological pathologies.

Simultaneously, attention also functions through involuntary electrochemical reactions that occur on received stimuli [ 100 ]. The FoMO is determined by the action of social media that feed the need for its use and that issues constant notifications maintaining and reinforcing user anxiety: “something is happening, and I might be missing it”.

3.4. Intermittent and Variable Rewards

The anxiety of receiving a signal of social approval determines the emotional functionality in terms of attention, of the intermittent and variable rewards [ 2 ]. Just as in a slot machine, the user inserts a coin, operates a button or a lever and craves a reward. The waiting time provokes a high level of uncertainty about the expected reward and, at the same time, generates a distance between the expected and received reward [ 101 ]. The uncertainty design is inherent to the interfaces and behavior of social media.

The communication interfaces design systems of social media, which act as the likes/rewards conjunction, construct reinforcements for behavioral stimuli, meaning promotion, and guidance for the actions of individuals. This action–reaction mechanism promoted by the system of likes and the intensely interactive design of social media converts the attention given into action or behavior of the individual and generates, with repetition and constant feedback, the systemic gratification itself of the platform, an addiction.

Addicted to the possible affirmative answer [ 102 , 103 ], users consume social media with the anxiety of reaching the jackpot [ 104 , 105 ], fueled by the values of individual recognition, selfishness, and popularity of the consumer society of the 21st century [ 74 ].

4. Confirmation of the Social Media Design Efficiency

The theoretical development can be empirically verified with two social media consumption case studies investigated in 2019 and 2020. The first research is summarized in the monitoring of the social media usage executed on a group of 25 university students (19–21 years old) in December 2019. It consisted of the observation and elaboration of weekly reports of the most common smartphone applications usage time. The study found that the average time spent on the mobile phone is 4 h and 26 min per day, of which 85% of the time was dedicated to social media [ 4 ]. In the study, complemented by the realization of four focus groups developed with the 25 participants, some of the theoretically recognized social media attentional effects were verified, such as FoMO, anxiety, attention dispersion, and addictive behavior.

As said by the participants regarding social media, “you always need to be connected… to know what is happening. It is like a vital necessity. In social media you feel as if you were part of something, if you leave, it is as if you stop being part of it”. This statement exemplifies a direct relationship with mechanisms such as FoMO or the anxiety of connecting to social media [ 98 , 99 , 102 , 103 ]. Another student mentioned that “we feel alone if we are outside the social media, I think that everyone is afraid of being nobody”, and thus assumed the psychological universe of the emotional stimuli of social media consumption [ 22 , 23 ]. Meanwhile, another participant pointed out that “the vitality, the lights, the colors, everything is striking. It attracts us, we have everything in that place, on our mobile and, especially on social media”. The last statement describes the alerting system—notifications—that attracts the attention of platform users [ 10 , 82 , 84 ]. At the same time, it confirms the consolidation of interaction and information in social media [ 66 , 75 ].

The consumption of the social media is identified as addictive [ 103 ] by young people: “sometimes you access for one thing and end up doing many others without realizing it, you lose the sense of time… we are addicted and we are becoming even more dependent”, one statement that coincides with the neurophysiological and neuropsychological attention types previously described concerning social media [ 47 ].

Similarly, some of the young people monitored stated that “sometimes you don’t even know what you see, but you feel the need to be there, on the screen, just scrolling”, which serves to show the operation of the message structure and the design of the platform [ 47 , 65 ], as well as the effectiveness of notifications to sustain prolonged attention for a long time on social media.

The second research was based on a survey carried out between February and May 2020 with 740 people in Spain ( n = 740, with a mean age of 23.1 years). It showed that the average use of social media is 5.1 h per day, which is equivalent to almost 36 h per week. The survey was carried out among a population with different levels of education (22.8% had completed secondary school, 52.5% were undergraduates, 11.4% did vocational education, and 13.4% were postgraduates. They all declared to have access to the internet with a smartphone). The results are similar to other academic articles that show the long-time consumption of social media [ 106 , 107 ].

Furthermore, the results reveal that 55.8% of the sample considers that social media are addictive. Other participants consider social media as socialization tools (52.97%) or related to bullying (20.41%), as well as a source of social recognition (15.14%). Social media are also considered to generate feelings of saturation (14.46%) and have a high component of irrationality (5.14%).

The self-declaration data of the respondents show the activation of the attention processes defined in the theoretical perspective. Although these are preliminary investigations to measure and quantify attention, it is demonstrated that the design of social media is aimed at dominating the user’s attention, with satisfactory results for the platforms.

5. Conclusions

Attention can become a key element in understanding the consumption system of social media, despite its epistemological complexity. The article offers a theoretical approach to the concept of human attention using three different perspectives—neurophysiology, neuropsychology, and economy—which is a novel contribution. In the same way, the research connects the design of social media with its effects on human digital wellbeing. The article contributes to understanding the neurophysiological and neuropsychological basis of the concept, which helps to better structure the voluntary and involuntary organic functioning of attention economy.

Thanks to the theoretical construction of attention, the conceptual approach reveals the effects that social media consumption has on human attention. If attention is conceived as the gateway for the other processes of the human being to operate, the excessive consumption of social media is a threat that generates a series of repercussions for the physical and mental health. Social media—with its infinite and automated capacity of generation and reproduction of stimuli—condition the neurophysiological and neuropsychological systems and alter the behaviors of the subjects, both in their individuality and in their socio-affective development.

Sensory notification instruments work strategically on the emotions of the users and reproduce the cycle of capturing attention. The personalized mechanisms represent an electrochemical activation pattern within the neurophysiological and neuropsychological functions. Similarly, the effects on the massive capture of attention through platforms’ attractive designs—which act directly on the emotional system—determine the generation of a new profitable system of commodities that targets the capitalist exploitation of the cognitive and creative resources of users on a few platforms.

Some practical implications stem from the above, especially in terms of bringing two issues to the attention of citizens. On the one hand, it is necessary to raise awareness of the dangers of abuse in the consumption of social media for individuals, but above all thinking about the future of people’s digital welfare. On the other hand, it is fundamental to point out the economic oligopolies that control our attention and from which addictive technology is derived. This leads us to think about the need to establish self-regulation codes or good practices, as well as legislation that guarantees digital rights as human rights.

The theoretical approach of the article, however, has some limitations. The results of the cases presented to complement the explanation confirm the need to build longitudinal studies of social media consumption to gain a better understanding of the phenomenon. Likewise, it is important to develop a greater empirical approach, especially in a qualitative way, to explore in more detail the problem of the excessive use of social media and its problematic effects on human attention and digital wellbeing.

Although the study presents in a novel way the union of three perspectives, the concept of attention is much more complex and can be explored from other points of view not contemplated in this research.

The study also leads to future research. As mentioned before, more longitudinal analyses are needed. Although valuable data can be obtained from surveys or from qualitative approaches, research on social media; mobile devices; and their use, problems, or users’ motivations requires new methodological approaches to better understand the level, time, and attention paid to specific content. These methodological advances, such as information collected through brain monitoring with encephalography or eye-tracking techniques, will help us to understand the effects that social media use has on people’s attention. However, there is a need to qualitatively investigate the underlaying reasons for the intensive use of social media. Finally, another important line of future research is to confirm the public health impacts of the problematic use and concentration of human attention on social media.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, S.G.-L., P.N.A.A., and C.F.-R.; formal analysis, S.G.-L., P.N.A.A., and C.F.-R.; investigation, S.G.-L., P.N.A.A., and C.F.-R.; resources, S.G.-L., P.N.A.A., and C.F.-R.; writing—original draft preparation, S.G.-L., P.N.A.A., and C.F.-R.; writing—review and editing, S.G.-L., P.N.A.A., and C.F.-R.; visualization, S.G.-L., P.N.A.A., and C.F.-R.; supervision, S.G.-L., P.N.A.A., and C.F.-R. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

This research was funded by Social Observatory of La Caixa Foundation.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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Misinformation, manipulation, and abuse on social media in the era of COVID-19

• Published: 22 November 2020
• Volume 3 , pages 271–277, ( 2020 )

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• Emilio Ferrara 1 ,
• Stefano Cresci 2 &
• Luca Luceri 3  

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The COVID-19 pandemic represented an unprecedented setting for the spread of online misinformation, manipulation, and abuse, with the potential to cause dramatic real-world consequences. The aim of this special issue was to collect contributions investigating issues such as the emergence of infodemics, misinformation, conspiracy theories, automation, and online harassment on the onset of the coronavirus outbreak. Articles in this collection adopt a diverse range of methods and techniques, and focus on the study of the narratives that fueled conspiracy theories, on the diffusion patterns of COVID-19 misinformation, on the global news sentiment, on hate speech and social bot interference, and on multimodal Chinese propaganda. The diversity of the methodological and scientific approaches undertaken in the aforementioned articles demonstrates the interdisciplinarity of these issues. In turn, these crucial endeavors might anticipate a growing trend of studies where diverse theories, models, and techniques will be combined to tackle the different aspects of online misinformation, manipulation, and abuse.

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Introduction

Malicious and abusive behaviors on social media have elicited massive concerns for the negative repercussions that online activity can have on personal and collective life. The spread of false information [ 8 , 14 , 19 ] and propaganda [ 10 ], the rise of AI-manipulated multimedia [ 3 ], the presence of AI-powered automated accounts [ 9 , 12 ], and the emergence of various forms of harmful content are just a few of the several perils that social media users can—even unconsciously—encounter in the online ecosystem. In times of crisis, these issues can only get more pressing, with increased threats for everyday social media users [ 20 ]. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic makes no exception and, due to dramatically increased information needs, represents the ideal setting for the emergence of infodemics —situations characterized by the undisciplined spread of information, including a multitude of low-credibility, fake, misleading, and unverified information [ 24 ]. In addition, malicious actors thrive on these wild situations and aim to take advantage of the resulting chaos. In such high-stakes scenarios, the downstream effects of misinformation exposure or information landscape manipulation can manifest in attitudes and behaviors with potentially dramatic public health consequences [ 4 , 21 ].

By affecting the very fabric of our socio-technical systems, these problems are intrinsically interdisciplinary and require joint efforts to investigate and address both the technical (e.g., how to thwart automated accounts and the spread of low-quality information, how to develop algorithms for detecting deception, automation, and manipulation), as well as the socio-cultural aspects (e.g., why do people believe in and share false news, how do interference campaigns evolve over time) [ 7 , 15 ]. Fortunately, in the case of COVID-19, several open datasets were promptly made available to foster research on the aforementioned matters [ 1 , 2 , 6 , 16 ]. Such assets bootstrapped the first wave of studies on the interplay between a global pandemic and online deception, manipulation, and automation.

Contributions

In light of the previous considerations, the purpose of this special issue was to collect contributions proposing models, methods, empirical findings, and intervention strategies to investigate and tackle the abuse of social media along several dimensions that include (but are not limited to) infodemics, misinformation, automation, online harassment, false information, and conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 outbreak. In particular, to protect the integrity of online discussions on social media, we aimed to stimulate contributions along two interlaced lines. On one hand, we solicited contributions to enhance the understanding on how health misinformation spreads, on the role of social media actors that play a pivotal part in the diffusion of inaccurate information, and on the impact of their interactions with organic users. On the other hand, we sought to stimulate research on the downstream effects of misinformation and manipulation on user perception of, and reaction to, the wave of questionable information they are exposed to, and on possible strategies to curb the spread of false narratives. From ten submissions, we selected seven high-quality articles that provide important contributions for curbing the spread of misinformation, manipulation, and abuse on social media. In the following, we briefly summarize each of the accepted articles.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been plagued by the pervasive spread of a large number of rumors and conspiracy theories, which even led to dramatic real-world consequences. “Conspiracy in the Time of Corona: Automatic Detection of Emerging COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories in Social Media and the News” by Shahsavari, Holur, Wang, Tangherlini, and Roychowdhury grounds on a machine learning approach to automatically discover and investigate the narrative frameworks supporting such rumors and conspiracy theories [ 17 ]. Authors uncover how the various narrative frameworks rely on the alignment of otherwise disparate domains of knowledge, and how they attach to the broader reporting on the pandemic. These alignments and attachments are useful for identifying areas in the news that are particularly vulnerable to reinterpretation by conspiracy theorists. Moreover, identifying the narrative frameworks that provide the generative basis for these stories may also contribute to devise methods for disrupting their spread.

The widespread diffusion of rumors and conspiracy theories during the outbreak has also been analyzed in “Partisan Public Health: How Does Political Ideology Influence Support for COVID-19 Related Misinformation?” by Nicholas Havey. The author investigates how political leaning influences the participation in the discourse of six COVID-19 misinformation narratives: 5G activating the virus, Bill Gates using the virus to implement a global surveillance project, the “Deep State” causing the virus, bleach, and other disinfectants as ingestible protection against the virus, hydroxychloroquine being a valid treatment for the virus, and the Chinese Communist party intentionally creating the virus [ 13 ]. Results show that conservative users dominated most of these discussions and pushed diverse conspiracy theories. The study further highlights how political and informational polarization might affect the adherence to health recommendations and can, thus, have dire consequences for public health.

Network based on the web-page URLs shared on Twitter from January 16, 2020 to April 15, 2020 [ 18 ]. Each node represents a web-page URL, while connections indicate links among web-pages. The purple nodes represent traditional news sources, the orange nodes indicate the low-quality and misinformation news sources, and the green nodes represent authoritative health sources. The edges take the color of the source, while the node size is based on the degree

“Understanding High and Low Quality URL Sharing on COVID-19 Twitter Streams” by Singh, Bode, Budak, Kawintiranon, Padden, and Vraga investigate URL sharing patterns during the pandemic, for different categories of websites [ 18 ]. Specifically, authors categorize URLs as either related to traditional news outlets, authoritative health sources, or low-quality and misinformation news sources. Then, they build networks of shared URLs (see Fig. 1 ). They find that both authoritative health sources and low-quality/misinformation ones are shared much less than traditional news sources. However, COVID-19 misinformation is shared at a higher rate than news from authoritative health sources. Moreover, the COVID-19 misinformation network appears to be dense (i.e., tightly connected) and disassortative. These results can pave the way for future intervention strategies aimed at fragmenting networks responsible for the spread of misinformation.

The relationship between news sentiment and real-world events is a long-studied matter that has serious repercussions for agenda setting and (mis-)information spreading. In “Around the world in 60 days: An exploratory study of impact of COVID-19 on online global news sentiment” , Chakraborty and Bose explore this relationship for a large set of worldwide news articles published during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 5 ]. They apply unsupervised and transfer learning-based sentiment analysis techniques and they explore correlations between news sentiment scores and the global and local numbers of infected people and deaths. Specific case studies are also conducted for countries, such as China, the US, Italy, and India. Results of the study contribute to identify the key drivers for negative news sentiment during an infodemic, as well as the communication strategies that were used to curb negative sentiment.

Farrell, Gorrell, and Bontcheva investigate one of the most damaging sides of online malicious content: online abuse and hate speech. In “Vindication, Virtue and Vitriol: A study of online engagement and abuse toward British MPs during the COVID-19 Pandemic” , they adopt a mixed methods approach to analyze citizen engagement towards British MPs online communications during the pandemic [ 11 ]. Among their findings is that certain pressing topics, such as financial concerns, attract the highest levels of engagement, although not necessarily negative. Instead, other topics such as criticism of authorities and subjects like racism and inequality tend to attract higher levels of abuse, depending on factors such as ideology, authority, and affect.

Yet, another aspect of online manipulation—that is, automation and social bot interference—is tackled by Uyheng and Carley in their article “Bots and online hate during the COVID-19 pandemic: Case studies in the United States and the Philippines”  [ 22 ]. Using a combination of machine learning and network science, the authors investigate the interplay between the use of social media automation and the spread of hateful messages. They find that the use of social bots yields more results when targeting dense and isolated communities. While the majority of extant literature frames hate speech as a linguistic phenomenon and, similarly, social bots as an algorithmic one, Uyheng and Carley adopt a more holistic approach by proposing a unified framework that accounts for disinformation, automation, and hate speech as interlinked processes, generating insights by examining their interplay. The study also reflects on the value of taking a global approach to computational social science, particularly in the context of a worldwide pandemic and infodemic, with its universal yet also distinct and unequal impacts on societies.

It has now become clear that text is not the only way to convey online misinformation and propaganda [ 10 ]. Instead, images such as those used for memes are being increasingly weaponized for this purpose. Based on this evidence, Wang, Lee, Wu, and Shen investigate US-targeted Chinese COVID propaganda, which happens to rely heavily on text images [ 23 ]. In their article “Influencing Overseas Chinese by Tweets: Text-Images as the Key Tactic of Chinese Propaganda” , they tracked thousands of Twitter accounts involved in the #USAVirus propaganda campaign. A large percentage ( \(\simeq 38\%\) ) of those accounts was later suspended by Twitter, as part of their efforts for contrasting information operations. Footnote 1 Authors studied the behavior and content production of suspended accounts. They also experimented with different statistical and machine learning models for understanding which account characteristics mostly determined their suspension by Twitter, finding that the repeated use of text images played a crucial part.

Overall, the great interest around the COVID-19 infodemic and, more broadly, about research themes such as online manipulation, automation, and abuse, combined with the growing risks of future infodemics, make this special issue a timely endeavor that will contribute to the future development of this crucial area. Given the recent advances and breadth of the topic, as well as the level of interest in related events that followed this special issue—such as dedicated panels, webinars, conferences, workshops, and other special issues in journals—we are confident that the articles selected in this collection will be both highly informative and thought provoking for readers. The diversity of the methodological and scientific approaches undertaken in the aforementioned articles demonstrates the interdisciplinarity of these issues, which demand renewed and joint efforts from different computer science fields, as well as from other related disciplines such as the social, political, and psychological sciences. To this regard, the articles in this collection testify and anticipate a growing trend of interdisciplinary studies where diverse theories, models, and techniques will be combined to tackle the different aspects at the core of online misinformation, manipulation, and abuse.

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Ferrara, E., Cresci, S. & Luceri, L. Misinformation, manipulation, and abuse on social media in the era of COVID-19. J Comput Soc Sc 3 , 271–277 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42001-020-00094-5

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Social media is one of the greatest inventions of modern technology. It is a virtual platform of connectivity. At present, there are so many social media in virtual platforms. These are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Imo, WhatsApp etc. These are social networking services and internet-based social networks.  These are the latest apps for globalization.   These are the best medium of communication. These allow us to share our ideas, feelings, interests and activities with people.  We can make contact with our near and dear ones instantly by using social media.  We can write comments on our own and our member's status, photos, videos etc. We get many news and information from social media. Sometimes it gives us joy. It also refreshes our minds. We can make new friends by using social media.  I t plays a significant role in trade and commerce. At present, social media-based e-commerce has become very popular all over the world. It allows customers to buy things without going to market.  Every social network has abuses. Social media is no exception. It has some abuses.  It is doing a lot of harm to the teenagers.  Young people are so much addicted to social media. So their study is greatly hampered. Overuse of social media makes eyesight weak and a waste of time.  Sometimes bad people commit crimes by using social media. Besides these negative aspects, social media has brought a great change in modern civilization.

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250 Words Essay on Uses and Abuses of Internet

Introduction.

The internet, a revolutionary invention of the 20th century, has transformed our lives in profound ways. It has become an indispensable tool in various sectors, including education, business, communication, and entertainment. However, like any tool, it can be used both for constructive and destructive purposes.

Uses of Internet

The internet has democratized access to information, breaking down geographical barriers. It has made education more accessible, with countless resources and online learning platforms available at our fingertips. It has also revolutionized communication, enabling instant interaction across the globe. The internet has made business operations more efficient, from online banking to e-commerce. It has also provided a platform for creative expression and entertainment, with platforms like YouTube and Spotify.

Abuses of Internet

However, the internet’s misuse is a growing concern. Cyberbullying, identity theft, and online harassment are rampant, causing psychological harm to individuals. The internet has also facilitated the spread of misinformation and fake news, leading to societal discord and distrust. Additionally, it has given rise to internet addiction, affecting individuals’ mental health and productivity. The proliferation of explicit content is another issue, impacting the moral fabric of society.

In conclusion, while the internet has myriad benefits, its misuse can lead to serious consequences. It is crucial to use this tool responsibly, promoting digital literacy and ethical online behavior. As we stride further into the digital age, we must strike a balance between leveraging the internet’s potential and mitigating its pitfalls.

500 Words Essay on Uses and Abuses of Internet

The advent of the internet has revolutionized the world, bringing about profound changes in the way we live, learn, and work. It has become an integral part of our lives, providing us with a plethora of information and services at our fingertips. However, like any other invention, the internet also has its share of uses and abuses. This essay explores the beneficial aspects of the internet and its potential pitfalls.

Uses of the Internet

The internet’s most significant advantage is its ability to connect people globally. It has made communication faster, cheaper, and more efficient, breaking down geographical barriers. Through email, social media, video conferencing, and instant messaging, we can interact with anyone, anywhere, at any time.

Moreover, the internet has transformed the business landscape. E-commerce has opened up new markets, enabling businesses to reach customers globally. It has also made financial transactions more straightforward and faster through online banking and digital payments.

Abuses of the Internet

Despite its advantages, the internet is not without its downsides. One of the most prevalent abuses is cybercrime. This encompasses a wide range of malicious activities, from identity theft and fraud to cyberstalking and cyberbullying. The anonymity that the internet provides can be exploited by unscrupulous individuals to harm others.

Additionally, the internet can be a source of addiction. Excessive use of social media, online gaming, or other digital activities can lead to internet addiction, negatively impacting mental health and personal relationships.

In conclusion, the internet is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it offers immense benefits, facilitating communication, education, and business. On the other hand, it can be a tool for harm, enabling cybercrime, the spread of misinformation, and addiction. As users, it is incumbent upon us to use the internet responsibly. We must be vigilant in protecting ourselves from its potential abuses while harnessing its vast potential for our benefit. As the internet continues to evolve, so too must our understanding and regulation of its use and abuse.

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The Uses and Abuses of Technologies and Medias Essay

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Works cited.

Smartphone have various pedagogical advantages that can be leveraged by the education system. For instance, educational institutions have embraced technology through the development of social media platforms that facilitate discussion forums between the students and the instructors. Such discussions can be constructively developed to help the students to attain course objectives faster and more effectively. However, recent trends in the use of smartphones have seen more students bringing the devices to class and using them during their classes. Technology has become uncontrollable because the students spend most of their time on social media, and it is a distraction in class.

Furthermore, the use of smartphones to access various social media platforms have also led to an increase in cases of cyber-bullying. For instance, students may use their smartphones to critic the dressing code of one of their classmates or even ill-talk their teacher while in class. These are some of the issues that are threatening the performance of the students because they are sources of distraction, rather than an advantage to the education system. It follows that parents, teachers, and the authorities in the education system must look into the development of a feasible way to eliminate the use of smartphones and social media during the class time. Children at school need to be discouraged against cyber-bullying, sending malicious text messages to their peers, and sharing inappropriate videos and images during class time.

Growth in technology has seen many teenagers being lured into the use of social media platforms, and the addictive nature of the platforms is associated with negative effects. Some of the issues highlighted by researchers on the issue include an increase in cyber-bullying cases, lower performance in school, and erosion in the social skills of the teenagers. This paper focuses on the effects of smartphones on students when they are used during class time. Teachers have repeatedly reported cases of students being addicted to their phones to a level that they cannot concentrate in class. While some of the proposed solutions are viable, it is apparent that there is a need to develop more comprehensive solutions that consider the needs of the students. Students should particularly have the chance to access the internet through their smartphones at all times, but it is imperative to control the type of information accessed during class time.

Critics claim that it is not necessary to teach students how to use their smartphones because they already know when and how to use them. It is apparent that most teenagers have a higher prowess in using smartphones when considering the ability to text faster and to use various texting skills that pass messages faster to their peers. This implies that the students using smartphones in class spend very little time sending various messages, and this would typically serve as a way to keep the classes interesting by breaking the monotony of the long lectures and notes taking. However, a study conducted at the Boston College revealed that when students are allowed to send random text messages through social media platforms in class, they are likely to lose concentration, and they end up missing some of the major points introduced by the instructors (Kowalski par. 2).

This results in lower grades for the students who are constantly texting in class. The study at also proposed that while it is not possible or ethical to force students to keep their smartphones away from the classroom, it is possible to train them to use the smartphones more effectively. The solution lies in the development of a platform where the students can only send texts that are related to the subject matter in class (Bik and Goldstein 1). This implies that they have to be attentive to find interesting facts or opinions to post on their social media platforms. The study clearly highlighted the fact that using this approach increases the performance of the students because the smartphones do not act as sources of distraction; rather, they provide a platform for the students to ask relevant questions and make some appropriate observations about the lessons.

The contemporary world has seen the global society embracing technology fully, and the use of smartphones is particularly one of the most popular ways of spreading and accessing information. Banning smartphones in schools is, therefore, an injustice to the students because it limits their ability to connect with the rest of the world in information sharing. However, it is apparent that using smartphones is one of the major distractions in class, and it is likely to result in the lowering of the performance levels of the students (Warnich and Gordon 44).

Since the classrooms are designed to provide information relevant to the curriculum, it is imperative for the administrative functions in schools to banning the use of smartphones in class, unless authorized by the teachers. Studies have revealed that one of the primary characteristics of smartphones is the ability to multitask; hence, the users have all their attention drawn from the instructors in class when they use their phones. Studies have also shown that excessive use of smartphones and the associated social networks might have a negative effect on the psychological development of the students (Thomas et al. 296). For instance, when teenagers are forced to keep away from their smartphones, they portray withdrawal symptoms that are associated with boredom and agitation. Banning smartphones from the classrooms will ultimately train the teenagers to stay without using them for hours; hence, it is a rehabilitative solution.

While most people believe that everyone should have the freedom to access information through the internet, it is important to develop a system that monitors the use of smartphones in class. It would not be ethical to ban smartphones in schools, but an alternative to banning them in class is the development of a system that monitors the usage of smartphones in class. For instance, some students may need to search for more information about the topics introduced during a particular lesson, while others may only use their smartphones to access various social media platforms that are not helpful for their learning (Baker et al. 276). The monitoring system should be designed to flag the students using their smartphones to access irrelevant information on social media during class time. Such students should be punished by being forced to switch their phones off or being banned from bringing them to class for several days. This negative reinforcement of behavior would be quite instrumental in nurturing the use of smartphones to access relevant information among the students. Since parents and teachers are aware of the negative and positive effects of using smartphones, it is important to train their children to use the devices to access the appropriate information at the right time (Thoman and O’Bannon 13). They should focus on leveraging the pedagogical advantages of smartphones, rather than allowing them to lower the performance of the students, which will subsequently result in lower competitive power in the employment market.

The use of smartphones in class is one of the major issues that teachers in the modern world have to deal with. It is a source of distraction for the students, and it is likely to lower their performance significantly. One of the alternative strategies to eliminate the issue is to completely ban bringing smartphones to school, but this would only lead to an injustice to the students because it would deny them the opportunity to connect to the world through various online information channels. It would be best to monitor the use of smartphones or to ban them in class, but not in school. Some critics also believe that students should have the freedom to use their cell phones because it only takes a few minutes from their class time, but studies have shown that it erodes their concentration. A better approach would be training the students to use the smartphones to share information about the topics in class. The most viable approach toward solving the issue is to eliminate the chances of accessing irrelevant information through smartphone while in class. Technology can be used to provide a platform where certain social media platforms are blocked within the classrooms to discourage the use of smartphones during lessons.

Baker, William, et al. “On the Use of Cell Phones and Other Electronic Devices in the Classroom: Evidence from a Survey of Faculty and Students.” Journal of Education for Business, vol. 87, no. 5, 2012, pp. 275-289.

Bik, Holly, and Miriam Goldstein. “An Introduction to Social Media for Scientists.” PLoS Biol, vol. 11, no. 4, 2013, pp. 1.

Kowalski, Kathiann. When Smartphones go to School . 25 Nov. 2008, www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/when-smartphones-go-school. Accessed 7 December 2016.

Thomas, Kevin, et al. “Cell Phones in the Classroom: Teachers’ Perspectives of Inclusion, Benefits, and Barriers.” Computers in the Schools, vol. 30, no. 4, 2013, pp. 295-308.

Thomas, Kevin, and Blanche O’Bannon. “Cell Phones in the Classroom: Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions.” Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, vol. 301, no. 1, 2013, pp. 11-20.

Warnich, Pieter, and Clare Gordon. “The Integration of Cell Phone Technology and Poll Everywhere as Teaching and Learning Tools into the School History Classroom.” Yesterday and Today, vol. 13, no. 1, 2015, pp. 40-66.

• Online Meeting Rooms and Events
• Electronics Use and Impact on Children's Health
• Cyberbullying and Suicide
• The Effects of Cyberbullying on Health
• Cyberbullying and Bullying: Similarities
• Visual Communications and Technological Inventions
• Sciences and Technology Role in History
• Information Technology, Its Role, Pros and Cons
• Enterprise Profitability and Information Technologies
• IT Companies and Their Business Opportunities
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• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2020, September 3). The Uses and Abuses of Technologies and Medias. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-uses-and-abuses-of-technologies-and-medias/

"The Uses and Abuses of Technologies and Medias." IvyPanda , 3 Sept. 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/the-uses-and-abuses-of-technologies-and-medias/.

IvyPanda . (2020) 'The Uses and Abuses of Technologies and Medias'. 3 September.

IvyPanda . 2020. "The Uses and Abuses of Technologies and Medias." September 3, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-uses-and-abuses-of-technologies-and-medias/.

1. IvyPanda . "The Uses and Abuses of Technologies and Medias." September 3, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-uses-and-abuses-of-technologies-and-medias/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "The Uses and Abuses of Technologies and Medias." September 3, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-uses-and-abuses-of-technologies-and-medias/.

Use and abuse of social media by adolescents: A study in Mexico

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Kids’ mental health is in crisis. Here’s what psychologists are doing to help

Research is focused on child and teen mental health, exploring why they are struggling and what can be done to help them

Vol. 54 No. 1 Print version: page 63

• Mental Health

[ This article is part of the 2023 Trends Report ]

The Covid -19 pandemic era ushered in a new set of challenges for youth in the United States, leading to a mental health crisis as declared by the United States surgeon general just over a year ago. But U.S. children and teens have been suffering for far longer.

In the 10 years leading up to the pandemic, feelings of persistent sadness and hopelessness—as well as suicidal thoughts and behaviors—increased by about 40% among young people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System .

“We’re seeing really high rates of suicide and depression, and this has been going on for a while,” said psychologist Kimberly Hoagwood, PhD, a professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine. “It certainly got worse during the pandemic.”

In addition to the social isolation and academic disruption nearly all children and teens faced, many also lost caregivers to Covid -19, had a parent lose their job, or were victims of physical or emotional abuse at home.

All these difficulties, on top of growing concerns about social media, mass violence, natural disasters, climate change, and political polarization—not to mention the normal ups and downs of childhood and adolescence—can feel insurmountable for those who work with kids.

“The idea of a ‘mental health crisis’ is really broad. For providers and parents, the term can be anxiety-provoking,” said Melissa Brymer, PhD, who directs terrorism and disaster programs at the UCLA–Duke University National Center for Child Traumatic Stress. “Part of our role is to highlight specific areas that are critical in this discussion.”

Across the field, psychologists are doing just that. In addition to studying the biological, social, and structural contributors to the current situation, they are developing and disseminating solutions to families, in schools, and at the state level. They’re exploring ways to improve clinical training and capacity and working to restructure policies to support the most vulnerable children and teens.

Psychologists were also behind new mental health recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a group of volunteer health professionals who evaluate evidence on various preventive health services. The task force now recommends regular anxiety screenings for youth ages 8 to 18 and regular depression screenings for adolescents ages 12 to 18.

“I see these trends in children’s mental health problems as being critical, but there are solutions,” Hoagwood said. “If we refocus our efforts toward those solutions, we could see some of these tides turn.”

Sources of stress

Across the United States, more than 200,000 children lost a parent or primary caregiver to Covid -19 (“ Covid -19 Orphanhood,” Imperial College London, 2022). In the face of those losses, families had to curtail mourning rituals and goodbye traditions because of social distancing requirements and other public health measures, Brymer said. Many children are still grieving, sometimes while facing added challenges such as moving to a different home or transferring to a new school with unfamiliar peers.

The CDC also reports that during the pandemic, 29% of U.S. high school students had a parent or caregiver who lost their job, 55% were emotionally abused by a parent or caregiver, and 11% were physically abused ( Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey—United States, January–June 2021 , CDC ).

“Schools are crucial for keeping kids safe and connecting them with services, but the pandemic completely disrupted those kinds of supports,” Brymer said.

Those extreme disruptions didn’t affect all young people equally. Echoing pre- Covid -19 trends, the CDC also found that girls, LGBTQ+ youth, and those who have experienced racism were more likely to have poor mental health during the pandemic, said social psychologist Kathleen Ethier, PhD, director of the CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health.

Contributing factors likely include stigma, discrimination, and online bullying, Ethier said. Female students also report much higher levels of sexual violence than their male peers, which can further harm mental health.

As much hardship as Covid -19 wrought, it’s far from the only factor contributing to the current crisis. Biology also appears to play a role. The age of puberty has been dropping for decades, especially in girls, likely leading to difficulty processing complex feelings and knowing what to do about them ( Eckert-Lind, C., et al., JAMA Pediatrics , Vol. 174, No. 4, 2020 ). In early puberty, regions of the brain linked to emotions and social behavior are developing more quickly than regions responsible for the cognitive control of behavior, such as the prefrontal cortex, Ethier said.

Those developmental changes drive young people to seek attention and approval from their peers . For some, using social media fulfills that need in a healthy way, providing opportunities for connection and validation to youth who may be isolated from peers, geographically or otherwise.

For others, negative messages—including online bullying and unrealistic standards around physical appearance—appear to have a detrimental effect, but more research is needed to understand who is most at risk.

“There is clearly some aspect of young people’s online life that’s contributing [to the mental health crisis], we just don’t know exactly what that is,” said Ethier.

Finally, structural factors that affect millions of U.S. children, including poverty, food insecurity, homelessness, and lack of access to health care and educational opportunities, can lead to stress-response patterns that are known to underlie mental health challenges.

“Even in very young children, prolonged stress can trigger a cycle of emotion-regulation problems, which can in turn lead to anxiety, depression, and behavioral difficulties,” Hoagwood said. “These things are well established, but we’re not doing enough as a field to address them.”

Building capacity in schools

The biggest challenge facing mental health care providers right now, experts say, is a shortage of providers trained to meet the mounting needs of children and adolescents.

“There’s a growing recognition that mental health is just as important as physical health in young people’s development, but that’s happening just as mental health services are under extreme strain,” said clinical psychologist Robin Gurwitch, PhD, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University Medical Center.

Schools, for example, are a key way to reach and help children—but a 2022 Pew Research Center survey found that only about half of U.S. public schools offer mental health assessments and even fewer offer treatment services. Psychologists are now ramping up efforts to better equip schools to support student well-being onsite.

Much of that work involves changing policies at the school or district level to provide more support for all students. For example, school connectedness—the degree to which young people feel that adults and peers at school care about them and are invested in their success—is a key contributor to mental health. Youth who felt connected during middle and high school have fewer problems with substance use, mental health, suicidality, and risky sexual behavior as adults ( Steiner, R. J., et al., Pediatrics , Vol. 144, No. 1, 2019 ).

Through its What Works in Schools program , the CDC funds school districts to make changes that research shows foster school connectedness. Those include improving classroom management, implementing service-learning programs for students in their communities, bringing mentors from the community into schools, and making schools safer and more supportive for LGBTQ+ students.

Psychologists are also building training programs to help teachers and other school staff create supportive classrooms and aid students who are in distress. Classroom Wise (Well-Being Information and Strategies for Educators), developed by the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network and the University of Maryland’s National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH), is a free, flexible online course and resource library that draws on psychological research on social-emotional learning, behavioral regulation, mental health literacy, trauma, and more ( Evidence-Based Components of Classroom Wise (PDF, 205KB), NCSMH, 2021 ).

“We’re using evidence-based practices from child and adolescent mental health but making these strategies readily available for teachers to apply in the classroom,” said clinical psychologist Nancy Lever, PhD, codirector of NCSMH, who helped develop Classroom Wise .

The course incorporates the voices of students and educators and teaches actionable strategies such as how to create rules and routines that make classrooms feel safe and how to model emotional self-regulation. The strategies can be used by anyone who interacts with students, from teachers and administrators to school nurses, coaches, and bus drivers.

“What we need is to build capacity through all of the systems that are part of children’s lives—in families, in schools, in the education of everybody who interacts with children,” said psychologist Ann Masten, PhD, a professor of child development at the University of Minnesota.

Other training efforts focus on the students themselves. Given that preteens and teenagers tend to seek support from their peers before turning to adults, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) created conversation cards to equip kids with basic skills for talking about suicide. The advice, available in English and Spanish, includes how to ask about suicidal thoughts, how to listen without judgment, and when to seek guidance from an adult ( Talking About Suicide With Friends and Peers, NCTSN, 2021 ).

While training people across the school population to spot and address mental health concerns can help reduce the strain on mental health professionals, there will always be a subset of students who need more specialized support.

Telehealth, nearly ubiquitous these days, is one of the best ways to do that. In South Carolina, psychologist Regan Stewart, PhD, and her colleagues colaunched the Telehealth Outreach Program at the Medical University of South Carolina in 2015. Today, nearly every school in the state has telehealth equipment (Wi-Fi and tablets or laptops that kids can use at school or take home) and access to providers (psychology and social work graduate students and clinicians trained in trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy). Students who need services, which are free thanks to grant funding or covered by Medicaid, meet one-on-one with their clinician during the school day or after hours ( American Psychologist , Vol. 75, No. 8, 2020 ).

“We learned a lot about the use of technology during the pandemic,” Ethier said. “At this point, it’s very much a matter of having sufficient resources so more school districts can access those sources of care.”

Expanding the workforce

Limited resources are leaving families low on options, with some young people making multiple trips to the emergency room for mental health-related concerns or spending more than six months on a waiting list for mental health support. That points to a need for more trained emergency responders and psychiatric beds, psychologists say, but also for better upstream screening and prevention to reduce the need for intensive care.

“Just as we need more capacity for psychiatric emergencies in kids, we also need an infusion of knowledge and ordinary strategies to support mental health on the positive side,” Masten said.

In New York, Hoagwood helped launch the state-funded Evidence Based Treatment Dissemination Center in 2006, which offers free training on evidence-based practices for trauma, behavioral and attention problems, anxiety, depression, and more to all mental health professionals who work with children in state-licensed programs, which include foster care, juvenile justice, and school settings, among others. The center provides training on a core set of tools known as PracticeWise ( Chorpita, B. F., & Daleiden E. L., Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology , Vol. 77, No. 3, 2009 ). It also offers tailored training based on requests from community agency leaders and clinicians who provide services to children and their families.

Hoagwood, in collaboration with a consortium of family advocates, state officials, and researchers, also helped build and test a state-approved training model and credentialing program for family and youth peer advocates. The peer advocate programs help expand the mental health workforce while giving families access to peers who have similar lived experience ( Psychiatric Services , Vol. 71, No. 5, 2020).

Youth peer advocates are young adults who have personal experience with systems such as foster care, juvenile justice, or state psychiatric care. They work within care teams to provide basic education and emotional support to other youth, such as giving advice on what questions to ask a new mental health practitioner and explaining the differences between psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers. Youth peer advocates in New York can now receive college credit for their training in peer specialist work.

“Making community health work into a viable career can also increase diversity among mental health workers and help us address structural racism,” Hoagwood said.

Pediatricians are another group that can provide a first line of defense, drawing on their relationships with parents to destigmatize mental health care.

“Pediatricians are in many ways uniquely positioned to help address the mental health crisis in youth,” said Janine A. Rethy, MD, MPH, division chief of community pediatrics at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and an associate professor of pediatrics at Georgetown University School of Medicine. “We have the privilege of building long-term relationships with children and their families over many years,” with at least 12 well-child checkups in just the first three years of a child’s life, followed by annual visits.

During these visits, they can watch for warning signs of social and behavioral problems and screen for maternal depression and other issues in parents, which is now recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (PDF, 660KB) . Several new resources provide guidance for integrating mental health care into pediatric practices, including the Behavioral Health Integration Compendium (PDF, 4.1MB) and the Healthy Steps program . But most pediatricians need more education on mental health issues in order to effectively respond, Rethy said—yet another area where psychologists may be able to help. Psychologists can provide direct consultations and training to pediatricians through the Pediatric Mental Health Care Access program.

“The more we can weave mental health knowledge, capacity, and checkpoints into places where parents feel comfortable—like the doctor’s office and at school—the better,” Masten said. “All professionals who work with young people really need the knowledge that’s being generated by psychologists.”

11 emerging trends for 2023

Scientists reach a wider audience

Psychologists take aim at misinformation

Psychological research becomes more inclusive

EDI roles expand

Worker well-being is in demand

Efforts to improve childrens’ mental health increase

Partnerships accelerate progress

Suicide prevention gets a new lifeline

Some faculty exit academia

Venture capitalists shift focus

Psychologists rebrand the field

Further reading

Science shows how to protect kids’ mental health, but it’s being ignored Prinstein, M., & Ethier, K. A., Scientific American , 2022

How pediatricians can help mitigate the mental health crisis Rethy, J. A., & Chawla, E. M., Contemporary Pediatrics , 2022

Review: Structural racism, children’s mental health service systems, and recommendations for policy and practice change Alvarez, K., et al., Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , 2022

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Why Schools Are Racing to Ban Student Phones

As the new school year starts, a wave of new laws that aim to curb distracted learning is taking effect in Indiana, Louisiana and other states.

By Natasha Singer

Natasha Singer covers technology in schools. She welcomes reader tips at nytimes.com/tips

Cellphones have become a school scourge. More than 70 percent of high school teachers say student phone distraction is a “major problem,” according to a survey this year by Pew Research .

That’s why states are mounting a bipartisan effort to crack down on rampant student cellphone use. So far this year, at least eight states have passed laws, issued orders or adopted rules to curb phone use among students during school hours.

The issue isn’t simply that some children and teenagers compulsively use apps like Snap, TikTok and Instagram during lessons, distracting themselves and their classmates. In many schools, students have also used their phones to bully, sexually exploit and share videos of physical attacks on their peers.

But cellphone restrictions can be difficult for teachers to enforce without schoolwide rules requiring students to place their phones in lockers or other locations.

Now state lawmakers, along with some prominent governors , are pushing for more uniform restrictions in public schools.

How Has Tech Changed Your School Experience?

Teachers, students, parents and school administrators, tell us in the form below about the technology benefits or tech-related school problems that you have observed. We’re interested in beneficial uses of school tech as well as classroom drawbacks like online learning distractions and cyberbullying.

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