On Pins, Posts & Needles

2/21/2016

“Our social tools are not an improvement to modern society, they are a challenge to it.” ~Clay Shirky

Instructions: Briefly explain whether social media is harming the mental health of teenagers.

INCLUDE: First initial AND last name AND class period.

Respond in no more than 10 sentences and no less than five. You must also reply to a classmate's post. You cannot post identical comments on different classmates' posts. Posting shallow comments such as "I agree" or "I disagree" will not earn you a passing grade. Make sure your posts address the reply that you are responding to.

Be sure to--

Be clear about your position
Provide specific support for your argument
Use rhetorical devices and other grammar elements
Write EPIC Content-Engaging, Powerful, Informative, Creative

CAUTION!! Do NOT embarrass me, yourself, your class, the English department, the school or your parents with tasteless, meaningless comments. This is for a grade.

Due: Thurs., Feb. 26, 2015 11:59 p.m. CST

R. Meekins 2nd Period

2/21/2016 08:59:19 pm

Social media is harming the mental health of teenagers, it causes them to have depression and other illnesses. People post rude and disgusting things about each other all the time and they soon start to believe that it's okay or even normal. The people on the other side being effected start to believe the things that are being said and can cause anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts. Teenagers are constantly obsessing over what people think about them. They get so consumed in social media and peoples opinions that they don't realize those things don't matter.

K. Brown

2/22/2016 05:31:51 am

You make a valid claim but it's not really the social media. Snapcgat doesn't bully you, instagran doesn't post mean comments by itself. It is the users who do, so really social media isn't harming. It is used as a way of harming in the wrong hands.

Anthony Cain

2/25/2016 08:05:33 pm

I agree wholeheartedly with that statement, social networks are messing with people minds. People anywhere from preteens to adults are affected by either envy or hatred. If you see someone with something you want or they may be doing better than you in life you become envious and all that envy eventually turns into hatred. Social networks are basically leading killers of self esteem and confidence. But in reality only superficial and self conscious people worry about the material things in life and don't realize when we leave this world the material don't leave they stay on this earth to rotten.

K.Brown 1st

2/22/2016 05:29:53 am

Social Media is being misused, you cannot blame the social media that is actually there. However you can blame those who are immature and misuse it. The purpose of these social medias may be a bit weird in a sense but they're not to post harmful messages and spout nonsense. Its like feeding a homeless over and over with the same cat food until one day it wants more then that. Now a days social media is being used to post fights and bully others into submissive states. Then people start to look down on the social media itself, when it was clearly the users fault. Yet there are some people who stay with the bandwagon.

J. Perez 1st period

2/25/2016 08:51:00 pm

The users are the ones at fault not the website or app. How can we blame a lifeless creation for the actions of others.People influence people not social media.

J Wolfe 1st

2/22/2016 07:50:55 am

Social media is harming the mental health of teenagers by setting standards too high to reach. Social media makes teens try to be perfect all the time and bash people who are not. Social media turns innocent kids into savages. Social media is the cause of cyber bullying, which kills. Social media also makes people not focus on important issues, instead it makes you focus on dumb trends. Social media is not used in the way it was intended. It went from being used to share info with people, to be used for far more immature use, which it shouldn't. We should focus on building mental health and character, not breaking it down.

K Covarrubias (2nd)

2/24/2016 10:50:40 am

I agree everyone starts worrying about whats new, and trying to impress others that even forget the real importance.

R. Meekins 2nd period

2/24/2016 09:44:47 pm

I agree, teenagers try and become something they're not instead of accepting themselves the way they are. It poisons the minds of teenagers thinking they have to look or act a certain way. However, I do not think social media kills, I think that the people who are using it incorrectly are causing these mental illnesses.

jalen baker 2nd

2/25/2016 07:59:04 pm

Its true kids now and days try to do anything to fit in. Most times they start actictin different. Social media isn't destroying kids it will actually help them if they use it right

WCrawford 2nd

2/25/2016 09:57:35 am

I disagree with you because you can't blame the app or social media. If you comform to the standards being set or if you let people bully you on social media you should not have an account on that app, go home and read a book or go outside. It shows that you are not intuned with your self or that you really believe what people are saying about you, to you etc. With that being said i don't feel socail media is harming the mental health of teens.

K. Allen 2nd pd

2/25/2016 08:51:26 pm

I disagree with you because you cannot blame social media for what is misinterpreted. Social media was made for mature people, who understands that living up to standards on social media is ridiculous, and it makes no sense.

L. Allen

2/23/2016 07:23:39 pm

Social media isnt harmful, its the people that use social it. Social media its self isn't harming teenagers mental health, its the rude comments and pictures that harm the mental health of teenagers which can lead to depression and or suicidal thoughts.

I. Larkin

2/25/2016 09:49:23 am

I agree with your arguemwnt, the app or website itself cannot bully you yet the people who use it.

WCrawford 2nd

2/25/2016 10:00:06 am

I agree with you facebook, twitter, snapchat, etc. can not harm you the people that use the app in that way does

Gabrielle Sharp 2nd

2/25/2016 07:31:07 pm

If we just irradiated the people who post the mean comments ,as she said, then the realm of social meaning would be a much safter place. Without them, social media would be the positive place that it was intended to be in the first place.

H. Aleman

2/25/2016 09:05:57 pm

I agree, an app cannot hurt you. Is only the people who misuse the app

J Wolfe 1st Period

2/26/2016 01:35:10 pm

I agree with the fact that it is the people that make social media a sometimes bad place, but social media cites should do more to regulate these problems.

Kimberly Covarrubias (2nd)

2/24/2016 10:46:55 am

Social media is not harming the mental health of teenagers its just being misuse. On the contrary it should be on our beneficial because it makes communication between people easier. What really harms teenagers is everyone that takes advantage and post rude comments, and send mean messages knowing that they wouldn't even do that in person.

Lawrence

2/25/2016 09:14:57 am

Good passage but I disagree because if there is a way to misuse this than it shouldn be a thing

Lawrence Francis

2/25/2016 09:13:47 am

I believe it is harming teenagers because it is honestly a waste of time and teenagers are our future. Saying this I want America to at least cut out some of the because they are becoming more and nore popular by date and soon that will be all that matters

J. Maple

2/25/2016 09:36:25 am

I kind of disagree with your statement. I don't believe all social media is a waste of time. It's very beneficial because it's a way to connect to people conveniently. If an organization was trying to get donations, they could spread the word through social media to let people know. Technology is the future and social media is a part of it. There will always be bad people and there's no stopping that.

Emanuel Sandoval 2nd

2/25/2016 09:45:24 am

I agree, because in class i see people on their phone, chacking instagram. All of a sudden after class they ask "i dont get the concept" after they blantly werent paying attention. This shows how social media has become a drug to people and is considered harming .

LTucker (2nd period)

2/25/2016 07:06:25 pm

I disagree with what you are saying, social media is not harming any teenagers, the only thing that is hurting teenagers is how they are getting treated on social media. However, i do agree with you on how social media has become too overpowering with our generation because it is the only thing that teenagers can think about these days.

N. Watkins 1st period

2/25/2016 09:17:15 am

Social media causes teenagers not to be social offline. They can be so use to typing things instead of saying things which effects their ability to have a normal conversation. Social media places a cage over your brain because the internet only tells you what it wants you to know. Most teenagers put social media before education, and this is detrimental to your mental health because your basically putting your brain in a storage room and replacing it with social media information.

Zayid A. 2nd Period

2/25/2016 07:41:31 pm

I agree with the statement that says social media effects their ability to have a normal conversation. Kids are so used to texting online and on social media, that when there in public they are socially awkward. They aren't used to interacting with someone face to face.

J. Maple pd 2

2/25/2016 09:28:54 am

Social media is not really harming teenager's mental health. It actually causes them to be creative in some aspects, even if it is to just get likes and followers. And if it does cause mental illnesses like depression, it's because of the people that use it out of spite. Social media is a way to connect and communicate, which is a good thing. So if social media causes mental health issues, it's because of the people that use it, not the actual site/app.

Emanuel Sandoval 2nd

2/25/2016 09:42:06 am

The internet has introduced social media as a resourcesful tool. But is it really, kids in class on snapchat, or instagram posting new photo. These are distractions that the social media have brought on society, its like a drug, some people are on social media ALL THE TIME. This is not good along with youtube being very entertaining and addicting

I.larkin

2/25/2016 09:53:38 am

The Internet nor social media is not harmful to teenager's mental health or life, yet its the peoplr who use it. Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, etc cannot bully you, they are not people yet, their users can post mean things about you that could depress you or lead a weak minded person into suicidal pathways. In a society in which we live in today, cyber bully incidents are occurring more frequently now since we are a society all of technology. One simple thing you can do to avoid all of this, unplug... Log out... Or put down.

Orlando andrade

2/25/2016 09:58:26 am

Social media is made for us to communicae with friends and family but for others its a place to bully people and others are on soccial media all the time its an addiction that they have to be constantly checking what some one has posted instead of being out with friends and family its distracting them from the good things in life.

C.Cordero 2nd period

2/25/2016 03:46:26 pm

Social media is not harmful at all to teenagers mental health or life. It is the people that use it and take advantage of them. Social media was made so you can socialize with new people through the internet and it is a resourceful tool. However, social media causes people to be unsocialized in reality and that makes teenagers not pay attention in class, so they are not getting their education

LTucker (2nd period)

2/25/2016 06:50:28 pm

Social media itself is not harming teenagers mental health, but what is harming them is how other people use these social media pages. If you were to see your friend and they were completely destroyed inside, the chances of them feeling that way because of how someone responded to them on social media would be far greater than the chances of them having something going on in their life's. With this being said, social media is in no way harmful to the mentality that teenagers have. The only thing that can be harmful to someone is the person behind the screen who has caused all of the misery inside.

Gabrielle Sharp 2nd period

2/25/2016 07:13:09 pm

There are many studies about how social media promotes cyber bullying or depression. But before you jump to conclusions social media you have to ask yourself whether it's the social media or the people behind the screen using it. Social media itself doesn't post the rude comments or "exposing" people, it's the people. So until the social media posts the damaging posts the affect your mental health and not the people, then I see nothing wrong with it .

C Malone 2nd

2/25/2016 08:27:58 pm

I agree, social media is not it's own person, anybody can make an account and harm other people.

Zayid A. 2nd Period

2/25/2016 07:31:57 pm

It depends on how much they use it. The teenagers that over use it and make a big part of their life, are being mentally affected in a bad way, because they crave it and need it all the time. On the other hand, the teenagers that rarely use it, are not effected by it in a negative way. It also depends on how they use it, It can be positive, if used properly. If it is used to make friends and look up educational things, it can be positive. If it is being used by a teenager to only talk about people, and there on it 24/7; it is bad.

Estevan Salas 1st

2/25/2016 09:26:02 pm

Yes. I agreee

C Malone 2nd

2/25/2016 08:26:42 pm

No, I do not believe social media is harmful to teens. It's all about the person and how they choose to take things. If you feel a certain need to be socially accepted on social media, you probably shouldn't be on it. Mental health is not purely based of social media itself, rather than the ignorant people on social media.

S bowers

2/25/2016 08:44:22 pm

It's not social media's fault at al, it's the people. In my opinion your whole statement is spot on. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Estevan Salas 1st

2/25/2016 09:25:42 pm

Although i disagree you still maje valid points

D.Hearne

2/25/2016 09:42:48 pm

Its's not always people wanting to be socially accepted. There are those who go on social media and pick on the innocent and the weak because they have nothing better to do or they think its funny.

s bowers

2/25/2016 08:42:23 pm

Social media is not necessarily harmful. The harm comes from people misusing the differnt platforms. Instagram was made to post pictures and dm your friends, but that doesn't stop cyber bullies. Is it instagrams fault somebody decided to cause havoc on someone else's life? So, it's not social media it's the users.

Karyna Garcia 1st perod

2/25/2016 08:43:35 pm

My opinion on social media is that it is neutral. Too much of good is a bad thing. Being on the internet may cause mental health issues. Not because of the website, but because of the things people post. Although, it is not the actual social medias fault, it still a huge problem we face to this day. People are able to post anything the choose to, and because of that, there are a lot of bullied children out there. I'm not sure if social media for sure causes mental issues, but I do know the internet can be a scary place..

C.villanueva

2/25/2016 09:09:45 pm

I agree with karyna. The things people post on social media is harming us mentally.

g suarez

2/25/2016 11:10:24 pm

I agree with Karyna. Most issues does not come from the media platform itself but the people on it. Most people dont think about the things they post and end up with issues resulting from it.

Jacob Hurd

2/25/2016 08:44:19 pm

Perhaps the worst thing about this is that teenagers need more sleep than adults do, so night-time social media use could be detrimental to their health. Research has shown that teenagers need 9.5 hours of sleep each night but on average only get 7.5 hours. A lack of sleep can make teenagers tired, irritable, depressed and more likely to catch colds

K. Allen 1st pd

2/25/2016 08:45:54 pm

Lately, there have been a on going debate on if Social Media is harming the minds of teenagers today. No, the Internet is not harmful and we can not blame social media for the affects of teenagers mind. Social media was made to connect with people over the Internet, sadly some teenagers abuse the privilige and start bullying other teenagers. We can not blame social media because it was not made in that intent. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,etc., actually promote non bullying, they have a "report abuse" section, where you can report anyone harrassing you over social media. Social media can not harm your mental health, the only person that is to blame is the teenagers themselves for not putting social media to proper use.

J.Solomon

2/25/2016 09:16:42 pm

This is very true if teens would learn to balance their social media lives between recreational and productive browsing the stereotypes would slowly begin to devolve. Sadly in this day in age teens quite frankly just don't care about the interpretations and prejudice this earns them. Consequently, the world of social media has become a beautiful car with a devastating paint job.

I. Chancellor 2nd period

2/25/2016 11:47:30 pm

As I think about it, the Internet really is not at fault of corrupted teenagers using it. Indeed, it was a place for families and friends that ,were far away , to connect with each other online , than wasting money coming to see them. With all honesty,if some teenagers would know how blessed they really are, to use technology ,then they wouldn't waste the privilege of using it. For instance,when they are bullying someone or fighting with them online ,they are really wasting the privilege to use social media for good and not bad. Because really and truly,somebody in America probably got their electric turned off today and probably can't do their homework. For now on, let's stop blaming social media but the people who use it for bad.

J. Perez 1st period

2/25/2016 08:47:32 pm

Social media is not affecting the mentality of teenagers.The users who are on social media are the ones at fault.They are the ones that distribute hatred,envy and harm, both mental and physical.Most teens conduct self harm on themselves because of something said by a user on social media.Social media itself is nothing but an innocent tool which was originally supposed to be used to share information.The people who use it have turned it into a weapon.People influence people, not a lifeless website that has no voice besides the voices that use it.

J James 1st

2/25/2016 09:11:46 pm

I totally agree with you. This is where the issue of cyber bullying comes at hand.

J.Solomon 1st period

2/25/2016 09:01:18 pm

People whom say social media is a contradicting step in the progression of mankind must realize social media is an entity created by no other than mankind itself. Humans often tend to use this as an excuse for the imperfections in society and the upcoming generations. However, in reality people are delusional allow themselves to be consumed by social media with no regret nor consciousness. In conclusion, in life there are many distractions which tightrope on a grey line between constructive and diminishing, yet mankind must learn to decipher between the two, rather than paint them into a negative image.

H. Aleman 1st period

2/25/2016 09:04:09 pm

Social media truly doesn't harm the mental health of teenagers, its the people using social media that harm each other. Instagram doesn't post mean coments about you, it's the person behind the screen. Despite this, teenagers could probably improve their mental health by giving social media a break.

C.villanueva 2nd

2/25/2016 09:08:22 pm

Social media itself is not ruining teenagers, it's the way they are using it. The post they are making is causing drama and they know they are provoking it. Now a days if you have to say something about someone you make sure the whole world knows it. That isn't what social media is for, therefore it's causing problems between immature teens. Its not just that either, instead of being out and getting exercise their sitting on a couch looking for more gossip. Its ruining this generation.

J James 1st

2/25/2016 09:10:21 pm

Social media is being used for the wrong reasons. Instead of spreading beliefs and ideas, we spread hatred and violence. I think social media has brainwashed teens into believing that everything is ok. They think there is nothing wrong with being a follower and drinking and smoking because they see everyone else on social media do it. Social media is dividing us as people. We are the future of this God given country and we misuse our rights because of social media

Estevan Salas 1st

2/25/2016 09:25:11 pm

Social media should not be blamed for this. People are showing them true selves on social media but it causes problems. You're supposed to represent yourself wjen using social media. Social media isnt hurting the mental health of teenagers, the teenagers were already like that, social media gave them an outlet to express it. You cant control the way someone presents themselves you can just be you and unfollow them

Z. James 1st

2/25/2016 09:27:44 pm

Social media nowadays has kids spending ask their time on electronics. These apps individually finds reasons for teens too not leave their phones. For example: likes,comments,tags, and etc, keeps teens from taking their eyes off their phones. Also, the consequences that come along can be deadly. Now teens are dying from social media. Cyber-bullying, texting and driving, and many more are causing teens to die. To end this social injustice we need to put a stand to excessive cell phone use.

ms d all periods

2/29/2016 02:18:18 pm

i'm not sure if i agree because i cannot see it.

D.Hearne

2/25/2016 09:30:14 pm

Social media is harming the mental health of teenagers in may ways.First, by causing us to compare our lives to the lives of other we see on the sites. These people we see post idealized way of things, which in turn makes some others feel their lives are of lesser value. It also glorifies a certain body type that is socially acceptable. Things like this can result in many types of mental disorders. Lastly, social media affects sleep. Teens are constantly using social media from early morning to late at night. The can't ever relax because they are always worried about how many likes this gets or how many people watch their snapchat story.

Michael Williams

2/25/2016 10:11:39 pm

Social media is not hurting teenagers,but the way the teens look at it.Social media can be real persuasive and have teens and there feelings. That's were the confusion is the way that teen takes the message of the picture or comment. Social media is only to help or inspire people not to hurt anyone. The way tennagers take the situation on social media, then you can say if its still hurting them

Michael Williams

2/25/2016 10:13:32 pm

Michael Williams 1peroid

I. Chancellor 2nd period

2/25/2016 10:44:44 pm

"Social media websites are no longer performing an envisaged function of creating a positive communication link among friends, family and professionals. It is a veritable battleground, where insults fly from the human quiver, damaging lives, destroying self-esteem and a person's sense of self-worth." This is a quote by Anthony Carmona. Social media is destroying our teenagers minds, by making them get in to the drug/alcohol and sex community. For example, on YouTube, their are a lot of rappers of today, telling them to sell drugs.Also, now it's a place for cyber bullying and fighting others. For example, a girl at my school was using her snapchat to fight another girl ,over a boy. These are just some of the reasons why social media is corrupting our teenagers mind and how they view life.

g suarez 1st

2/25/2016 10:58:36 pm

I feel that social media hurts teens mental health to a certain point. For instance if a teen is on there social media for most of there life and never talk to people and rely on comments to give them feedback then they will lose there people skills. If they read comments and feed on the positive one to give them self esteem then they might get insecure when they read a negative one.But social media should not be a problem if they learn to balance out the real world and the internet. You just have to learn to get a equal amount of both.

W Sapari

2/25/2016 11:28:28 pm

I agree that social media harms teenagers, because social media is where all the bullying, threatening, & harrasing starts. Which cause teens to hurt them selfs physically & mentally.

ms d. all periods

2/29/2016 02:16:35 pm

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Mixed Ink

Mixed Ink is our class blog, the window into our souls. It was designed to improve students' writing, critical thinking and communication skills by giving them a platform to provide meaningful content based on their interpretation of what they see.

Although the students receive a grade based on a rubric for completing this assignment, they are not graded on complexity of thought. This is a place where students of all levels can freely, confidently and creatively express themselves and their opinions in a nonjudgmental platform. They are required to respond to and critique each other, but degradation, slander, lewdness, etc., will not be tolerated.

Bridge Builders

All subjects are vital to learning, but English is the bridge of communication. So let's build the arch, one word at a time...

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Learning Objectives

Communicate effectively
Be aware of current events
Write concisely
Boost critical thinking skills
Be accountable
Follow directions
Have a voice about what goes on in the world around you