The Effects of Facebook on Adolescent Social Behavior

Introduction

Social behaviour is what people perform in their daily lives as they relate to others; they learn such sequences by watching how different individuals act around them. Interactive media, in this case, Facebook, have developed in popularity considerably over the past decade; thus, it has become part of mutual practices for many societies. Currently, teenagers are the most prolific users of the mentioned platform because it allows them to chat through instant messaging, share information and photos, interrelate with family and friends, and create profiles. Consequently, 7.5 million minors as young as 13 have profile pages in the media mentioned (Miller 432). For this reason, a consideration of the effects of this intermedium on adolescent social behaviour is warranted.

Positive Effects of Facebook on Adolescent Social Behavior

Social acceptance and approval by close friends and peer groups are essential to developing self-esteem and self-confidence in the adolescent’s social behaviour. In this regard, the mentioned group can be incredibly thoughtful with how their aristocrats regard them; as a result, they are highly preoccupied with the feedback from their age-set peers, which is mainly negative. A large part of the communication by teenagers transpires through Facebook; the reason therein is that it gives them sufficient opportunity to learn how to present themselves by optimizing and adjusting their online profile in a manner that occasions positive reactions through likes and comments below their photos and messages. The bright response stimulates self-regard and self-satisfaction, which are crucial in developing idealistic behaviour.

Based on the poised reactions, it can be argued that Facebook promotes positive adolescent social behaviour; for example, teenagers are more likely to use the platform to build relationships, reconnect with old ones, and maintain existing ones. Arguably, this idealistic association demonstrates a constructive correlation between shared connectedness. The point is that the site stimulates one to reveal personal information or self-disclosure; consequently, it increases the quality of existing friendships. The mentioned group also demonstrates more frequent and favourable interactions with others due to online communication, which improves the quality of mutual connection (Pastorino and Doyle-Portillo 387). Thus, by engaging in hypermedia, the youth can learn to mould their character to be more independent and confident as to have a composed presence online, a concept which they ultimately transfer to their daily life.

Additionally, using Facebook also helps adolescents channel more collective support, strengthen their general relations, and widen their public networks. Interacting on the platform lowers the feeling of loneliness among the group in question; consequently, it contributes to their subjective well-being. More so, the system operates in a manner that compensates for some weak social skills of a teenager; it allows them to fulfil the desires for identity exploration, friendship generation, and shared relations (Kim 365). The increased sense of belongingness and increased self-esteem also promote psychological prosperity, which, in turn, leads to positive public behaviour. The youths also benefit from online support lacking in traditional associations, particularly those often marginalized, such as those who may feel socially reticent, physically unattractive, or living with a disability.

Negative Effects of Facebook on Adolescent Social Behavior

Conversely, Facebook threatens adolescent social behaviour because its dependence and prolonged exposures make them susceptible to various forms of online harassment, such as cyberbullying. Consequently, it can produce detrimental effects, including substance abuse, loneliness, anxiety, and depression. The mentioned situation is likely due to anonymity that is possible on Facebook; the consequence of it to the victim can even include suicide (Rosen 150). The risks are of particular concern given the lack of privacy, susceptibility to peer pressure, and limited capacity for site regulation (Kim 373). For this reason, it creates a negative relationship of mutual connectedness among the group in question. Although the platform provides more convenience for the way teenagers interact, it affects the quality of their shared networks; it makes it simpler and quicker to contact people while easier to meet new ones; nonetheless, it provides them with less conflict resolution and interpersonal skills. Thus, it reduces the composition of public interaction for the modern generations.

Furthermore, the frequent use of Facebook leads to less face-to-face interaction; social relations skills require daily practice, particularly for adolescent social behaviour; the reason therein is that it is challenging to build essential communal behaviour, such as compassion and empathy, by spending more time online than in person. Psychological and societal well-being, such as self-control, normalcy, and cooperative success, are crucial factors in human behaviour; however, the high usage of the site reduces these dynamics in the group in question. It then means that a higher amount of usage leads to lower happiness and sophisticated levels of technostress, affecting teenagers’ conduct and personal life towards others (Bhatia et al. 749).

Moreover, the use of Facebook may also cause depression, which may involve symptoms of anxiety and sadness. The mentioned condition may transpire when the adolescents fail to receive the acceptance and contact they crave from their counterparts on the platform; the consequence of the despair may be social isolation, which could result in adverse risk-taking behaviours. In this regard, the interactions and images that transpire on the site can include and involve alcohol and drugs; status updates concerning such activities or pictures of other youngsters engaging in them lead their counterparts to think that they are acceptable. Consequently, they may ultimately participate in such acts (Miller 432). In brief, those with substance abuse problems may find it difficult to recover or maintain sobriety when they see the mentioned contents.

Another everyday activity among teenagers on Facebook is sexting; it is sending sexually explicit messages or revealing pictures of oneself to another group or individual; arguably, engaging in it has adverse side effects, and the consequence can be a life-long change in social behaviour. For example, minors who participate in it are more likely than others to find it acceptable, and they can justify the practice to the point that they do not perceive it as a wrong deed. Some other results on social behaviour include the following ones: a change in personality (such as anger), altering the appearance to try to fit in, spending a lot of time alone and withdrawing from family, and developing low self-esteem.

Conclusion

In summary, adolescent social behaviour experiences both positive and negative social effects from Facebook; nonetheless, it can be argued that the latter outweighs the former. The site enables interactions that have the impact of triggering undesirable behaviours among teenagers; the reason therein is that it can erode self-esteem, lead to internet addiction, increase sedentary conduct by encouraging more screen time, reduce investment in meaningful activities, and detract face-to-face relationships. More so, while the mentioned group uses the platform to create and connect with friends, they also confront sleep deprivation, toxic comparisons, and cyberbullying. Thus, having teenagers on Facebook all day long damages their offline social behaviour.

Works Cited

Bhatia, Sanjiv K., Krishn K, Mishra, Shailesh Tiwari, and Vivek Kumar S. eds. Advances in Computer and Computational Sciences: Proceedings of ICCCCS 2016, Volume 1. Springer Singapore, 2017.

Kim, Harris H. “The Impact of Online Social Networking on Adolescent Social Behavior and Psychological Well-Being (WB): A Population-Level Analysis of Korean School-Aged Children.” International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, vol. 22, no. 3, 2016, pp. 364–376.

Miller, Toby. The Routledge Companion to Adolescent Social Behavior in Global Popular Culture. Routledge, 2014.

Pastorino, Ellen, and Susann Doyle-Portillo. What Is Psychology: Adolescent Social Behavior? Cengage Learning, 2012.

Rosen, Larry D., Nancy Cheever, and Mark Carrier L. eds. The Wiley Handbook of Psychology, Technology and Society. Wiley-Blackwell, 2015.