Imagine your daughter has just turned 15 and she comes to you with tears in her eyes. “I don’t look like this picture on Facebook,” she says. “I’m not good enough” and that statement is then followed by a sadness that’ll never seem to fade. For many young people in America that is a harsh reality. This paper examines that harsh reality caused by the effects of media. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were already many breakthroughs being made. Although most were truly accomplishments for the world and did a handful of good things, some of them may be causing a lot of harm for the new generation. In the 20th century, when most of our grandparents, teachers, and even parents were already living a senior life, generation z was just being thought of and conceived (during the end). With our era, also came many new inventions. The first color TV was approved in 1950 around the time many of now-young adult’s grandparents were born and some may say it was a great advancement for the human race, but is this “advancement” now a threat to generation z? Another “advancement”, truly the heart of generation z, is social media (created in 1997). Social media sites are websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking. You can spend a huge amount of time online looking at pictures of others whenever, or wherever, you want (Kendyl M. Klein, 2013). In addition, Keren Eyal, Dale Kunkel, Erica N. Biely and Keli L. Finnerty states that television takes up more of young people’s time than anything else (2007). There is so much exposure from these mediums and many of the outcomes aren’t good. How does social media and television psychologically affect generation z and centennial in modern day America? Social media and television are both major contributors to depression, violence, and early signs of sexual behavior in the lives of generation z and centennial in modern day America.
The Science Teacher (2016), states that receiving likes on social media sends endorphins to a teen’s brain that are the same as the one’s activated when eating chocolate or winning money. It’s evidence that social media is actually affecting the brains of teens. "When the teens saw their own photos with a large number of likes, we saw activity across a wide variety of regions in the brain,” according to The Science Teacher (2016). Just receiving “likes”, possibly even from strangers, on social media “posts” can send adrenaline to a person’s brain. Social media websites are like a drug to adolescents, especially when they need something to boost their sense of acceptance. Nearly 73% of all Internet-using youth use a social networking site (The Prevention Researcher, 2010). There are many popular ones such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Facebook includes sending private “messages” from one user to another without being seen by anyone else, posting pictures of anything that others can “like” and comment on, and becoming virtual friends with almost anyone in the world with just a click of a button. Instagram consists of mostly pictures. The users posts pictures for others to view, “like” and comment on. Many celebrities and models are often featured all over social media sites and they’re presented as what the rest of us should look like. These websites often promote the thin-ideal, instructing how to attain thin bodies instead of bigger ones. They constantly advocate dieting, exercising, and body contouring surgeries (Yamamiyan et al., 2005), distorting the idea of what beauty is. Around the ages 12-20, many young women and even men are still developing their sense of self-worth and identity. Unintentionally, we grasp to the elements around us in order to form ourselves. We compare ourselves to the people we see online and on television and, in result, can cause depression. Grabe, Shibley Hyde, and Ward states that body dissatisfaction is one of the most consistent risk factors for eating disorders and depression (2008). With media constantly telling young people how they should look, they become dissatisfied with themselves, leading to the bigger problem. There are also “secret societies” that exist just by using a special keyword on social media sites. These societies allow teens to talk about harming themselves and discuss suicidal thoughts. Not only are they given a platform to do it, but it could influence other young adults into participating. Additionally, with more than half (63%) of adolescents using the internet at least once everyday (as cited in The Prevention Researcher, 2010), the problem of social media influence isn’t a small one. The risk of depression due to social media is widespread and detrimental, but that’s not the only problem.
Television is an agent to helping adolescents with many social and developmental changes in their lives, including their sexual identity and romantic or sexual relationships (Eyal, Kunkel, Biely and Finnerty, 2007). The mass media is a contributing element to a young person’s sexual development. Adolescents who use social media a lot also are at risk for exposure to sexually explicit material (Jain, 2012). Specifically, sexualization is very frequent among popular teen programming (Eyal et al.). Sexualization is making something sexual in character or quality, especially relating to men and women (the sexual messages displayed on TV shows, movies, etc). On almost all television programs and movies profusely viewed by teens, you will see sexual behavior whether upfront or suggestive. For example, on the teen hit show “Glee”, many relationships and sexual orientations are recurringly explored. It revolves around the lives of a group of teens in their high school glee club and aside from the music, the main focus is their relationships with each other and who they “hook up” with. The show features lots of dialogue about sex, kissing, and even sexual orientation. There are multiple LGBT characters showcased throughout the series. According to Meyer and Wood, gay sexualities being shown on programming impacts the sexuality of upcoming adults (2013) . The sexualities on television do, in fact, impact what soon-to-be adults may feel or believe about sexualities including their own. Adolescents are influenced by others’ sexual behavior and even by who people are attracted to. Seeing someone with the same sex may interest an adolescent, whose identity is still forming, into exploring that same possibility. In this decade, certain things that weren’t presented on television before are now very common which explains why this generation has the biggest problem. Eyal et al. also expresses that the information given about sexual matters builds the base for viewers’ beliefs and attitudes towards sex. Because television is an agent in helping young people find solutions to the new situations they have not yet dealt with, much of what television programming shows and promotes becomes what generation z decides to follow. Much like growing up and watching your mother and/or father, trying to follow in their footsteps; doing what they do. Furthermore, the exposure to sexual content is linked to adolescent’s sexual behavior and early initiation of sexual intercourse (Eyal et al., 2007). The suggestive talk about sex and sexually explicit scenes featured on television increases an adolescent’s sexuality and interest in engaging in sexual intercourse. Eyal et al. also states that the heavier exposure to sexual content for 12-17 year olds speeds up their initiation of sexual intercourse and other sexual activities (2007). Instead of waiting to become adults, adolescents are eager to jump into sex because of the televised sexual content that is so popular among the age group. According to Jackson, Brown, and Purdun, the media can instruct people on how to think and behave and even develop new methods of such (2008). This proves media changes the way people think and behave. Therefore, teens can become sexually active and even choose their sexual orientation based on the content of televised programming that they view.
Extreme violence in the minds of generation z is also linked to social media and television. Jane Anderson states that repeatedly viewing violent television shows and movies can make a teenage boy significantly increase in aggressive behavior (2010). The images of violent acts, murder, fighting, etc., increases the aggressive side in teenage boys. These images put them on edge; it is true that what you take into your mind will soon affect you. The images may even be interesting to some and have them thinking that this form of behavior is worth depicting. For others, the edge is just enough to make them moody and cranky, or aggressive and violent. The problem is bound to happen since, according to Sidney Eve Matrix, we have become so consumed by television we will now put off other important things just to catch that show we want to watch (2014). The chance of being exposed to the violence isn’t slight because we consume so much of it. Those teen boys that become more aggressive are seeing the aggression shown by main male characters on television and thinking that this is the acceptable form of behavior. The other reasons for this aggression may be a bit more subconscious. The concepts that you choose to put on your mind remains there and makes lasting impressions in an identical way as the lessons you learn in school and even things like learning to tie shoes and speak. Also, an article by Ray Bendici states that social media is often utilized to bully, make threats, and even express thoughts about killing (2016). This is actually violent behavior as well. Although, online people do and say things they wouldn’t in person (Zickuhr, 2016), some are bound to take it further if taken too far. As reported by Anderson, when boys were exposed to more violent videos over time their emotional reactivity decreased (2010). Excessive exposure from violent content decreases their ability to feel sad or guilty and replaces that with a violent mindset.
Now, social media and television are also links to bad habits and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) being passed more frequently, and even easily, amongst generation z. According to Khosrovani and Desai, the widespread use of social media opens doors for easy access finding sexual partners (2016). The convenience of going online and having access to anything, also increases young adults’ ways of finding someone to engage in sexual activities with. Khosrovani and Desai also found that in recent years, there has been a spread of STD’s linked to social media use. They go on to concur that social media has made it easier than ever before to have sex and practice risky sexual behavior which increases STDs and HIV (2016). With all the instant messaging, advertisement on social media sites, and sexually suggestive posts, people have found it almost impossible not to engage in sex and link up with different people to have sex with. Khosrovani et al. cites that based on investigation, young adults who found sex partners online were at a higher risk for getting STDs than those who didn’t use social media for those means (2016). Those who get sexual partners online will most likely get an STD. Adolescents meet these people they find online and for many, they are meeting a complete stranger; unaware of their sex history and even health. Being able to access individuals from all over the world increases the scale for spreading STDs. Also, smoking cigarettes is a bad habit that could be caused by the increase of television for adolescents. Jackson, Brown, and Pardun states that cigarette smoking is portrayed frequently as a positive thing by actors on popular adolescent shows and movies. They also prove that adolescents (specifically 12-14 year olds) with bedroom televisions are more likely to initiate smoking cigarettes than those without one (2008). Because they are exposed to smoking as a positive action, adolescents are likely to engage in it themselves.
In closing, in order to gain a better understanding of how social media and television affects the brains of today’s adolescents, it’s necessary to research all psychological matters linked to both social media and television. They both, indeed, are agents to depression, violence, and early sexual behavior in the lives of generation z and centennial in America today. As well as having a riskier sex life. It is clear that the negative outcomes from using social media can have detrimental effects on personal, social, and mental aspects of users’ lives (Banyai, Zsila, Kiraly, Maraz, Elekes, and Griffiths, 2017). From social media acting as a drug for adolescents, sending endorphins to their brains when shown signs of approval and making them miserable when they aren’t seen as desirable. Social media and television push forth the thin ideal which makes the adolescent feel as though they are not good enough in their own body. These unrealistic ideas of beauty, in result, make them depressed. The violence that television promotes also decreases teens’ emotional reactivity, replacing it with aggression. These aggressive minds, caused by the violent programming, then turn into violence. In today’s time, many television shows popular among teens feature sexual scenes that insinuate sexual behavior as the norm. They promote kissing, relationships (both sexual and romantic), and other sexually explicit content. Adolescents that are exposed to this are at a greater risk for risky sexual behavior and even STDs. Social media and television are such a big part of our world today, but that are actually harming us in ways we should take heed to immediately. If you, generation z, ever want to understand how social media and television is affecting you, just pay attention the next time you get depressed that your body doesn’t look like Beyonce’s, get intrigued by the idea of owning a gun after seeing 21 Savage with one, or pick up bad habits you learned from your favorite television shows