My story will cover publications and social media posts that relate to how social media plays a role in the mental health of its users, particularly in concert to aiding suicide. I will look at the various ways in which social media can affect people negatively.
Storified by Stephanie169 ·
Tue, Dec 05 2017 23:55:54
In this article by Holly B. Shakya and Nicholas A. Christakis, published April 10, 2017, they talk about how social media, particularly the use of Facebook, negatively influences the self-esteem of children and young adults. Firstly, Shakya is an assistant professor as the University of California in San Diego, and she is currently working on an NIH funded project to understand social networking and social normative deterrents of adolescents in the developing world. Christakis directs the Human Nature Lab at Yale University, with a PhD and MPH in sociology. His current focus is on investigating the biological causes and consequences of social phenomena. Due to the scientific nature of this article, they mainly use logos as their rhetiorical device to appeal to their audience, which may include any adult, teenager, and even adolescents. They relied on scientific findings previously done in this field of research through searching through scientific publications from the National Center for Biotehcnology and Information, but they also conducted their own study on this topic. For example, they used polls collected by the Gallup organization and took measures directly from Facebook (such as liking posts and clinking on links). This means that happiness was not simply observed through self-reports, which are known to risk exaggerations of happiness and depression, and are therefore not as reliable as information taken directly from a recorded source. Shakya and Christakis would have no motive in lying. Their scientific nature would likely allow for them to have the integrity to admit when results disprove their hypothesis because in the name of research and discovering new information, the results are more important than proving their hypotheses are right if the data clearly shows they are not. The tone of the this article is very formal and is similar to what would be found in a scientific article. They merely presented facts that proved their point rather than making claims based off of opinions or experience.
This article was written by Marsali Hancock, the founding President of iKeepSafe, an international network of educators, technology experts, policy leaders, law enforcement and advocates that help track how social media affects children. However, unlike the article above by Shakya and Christakis, Hancock argues that social media doesn't just negatively affect children and young adults, but rather it can also be used to positively to increase their self-esteem. She says that being online can help young people foster communities and relationships that, rather than tear them down, will actually help support and build up their self-esteem and confidence. Hancock paraphrases the results of studies from organizations such as the International Center for Media and the Public Affairs and the Cooperative Research Centre for Young People, Technology and Wellbeing, claiming that recent studies have found a correlation between positive self-esteem and the more digital realtionships young people have. In this way, she is presenting us with facts and using ethos: even if she herself is not credible, she is choosing to paragphrase from sources that are credible, therefore we think we should trust their (and thus her) words. Additionally, she uses strong, emotional words and phrases such as, "emotional escape," "community and belonging," and "loyalty" to describe the kind of relationships young people can develop online. These strong words make us think that we, ourselves, would like to obtain such an escape when things get tough; that we want a community that is there for us when we need it and where we feel like we can belong. She makes us think about our real-life relationships, where loyalty is key between friends, partners, and even colleagues. These words make us think of the wonderful relationships that we hold dear to us in real life, and says that we can get this same feeling online. Therefore, we should not consider social media this huge evil like other media sources and the news may make it out to be. It is more of an appel to our personal connections and our feelings towards them that makes this article successful, rather than the hard-core facts that are presented in the first article and in the Facebook post below.
Together, these two articles are quite interesting because they each present a different side to the question of how social media may affect young people. The first article claims that social media negtively impacts younger people, but the second article claims that it positively impacts younger people. It is interesting that both articles used facts or paraphrased from credible sources, but both presented "facts" that only aided their own claim. This shows that there are studies out there that prove both points of view, but each author only used the statistics that would best help their claim. Additionally, only the first article by Shakya and Christakis presents statistics gathered from both others' studies and their own. They also cite their sources at the end of their article rather than simply name-dropping them into the article. The second article gives no statistical information, nor does it cite where, exactly, the author is getting her information aside from providing the organization's name. The article by Hancock is also less formal, so it sounds as if she is persuading us to believe what she thinks rather than reporting on factual results. In this manner, Hancock also uses pathos, an appeal to our emotions, by saying that by drawing a clear line between online harassment and suicide, we are actually promoting death as the sole solution to said harassment. After this sentence, we would think to ourselves about how we may have impacted someone's life. Did we say something like that, making those we care about think that there was only one way to solve digital bullying? Aside from this thought, thought, Hancock did not make her article very relatable. She gave no examples of teenagers who actually thought that social media increased their self-esteem. Therefore, I, personally, am more likely to believe the first article's claims over the second one because it is harder to fight against facts from publish scientific journals and that has been written by two experts in their field. There is no doubt that social media can be both good and bad, but for young children, teens, and young adults, it is entirely possible that these social media connections, relationships, and communities are as bad as they are good, if not leaning more to the negative side.
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On November 16, 2017, Tennessee State Senator Richard Briggs posted this message on Facebook, which appears to have originally been posted by the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network. In it, it discusses statiscially information obtained from a study spanning from 2010-2015. It found a correlation between the amount of screen-time children and teens get with higher thoughts of suicide in the targeted age range. Using clear facts, the TSPN gets its readers and followers on Facebook and probably their other social media sites to believe what they say. They also bring up some very interesting points, which can increase their credibility that they are not a completely biased source. For example, they mention that although social media can be a factor in teen suicide, it is most likely not the only factor involved in making the final decision. They reported that there are higher reports of attempted or successful suicides in the Fall, which corresponds to college acceptances and decisions, and in the Spring, which correlates to prom and finals. There are also other environmental concerns, such as family life and real-life bullying. Pointing out all of these other aspects of suicide helps make the post more thought-provoking, so that it leaves its readers thinking even after they finish reading the post. It is this kind of information that can lead people to think more critically about suicide and become more aware of all of the factors involved. Although social media does play a role, there are also many other components to think about. This is why I found this post so affective.
Thoughtout all of these written artifacts about social media and suicide, it is important to point out that the most affective articles in either convincing its audience of its claims or the most affective in mkinng us think more deeply about the problem at hand, were those that contained the most statistical facts from credible sources. The more sources, the better. The more facts, the better. The written articles and posts also tend to be more formal, though in the case of the Facebook post, that may just be because he reposted from a professional organization, and he himself is in a position of authority where incorrect grammar makes him lose not only face, but crebility. Since there are no visuals other than maybe a picture embedded into the article, the main ways for written aritcles and posts to make a difference is to make us believe them using statistics and facts gathered from studies and to use powerful, persuasive language to make us feel the way the author does.
This is quite interesting because it is a news video from Fox News published on November 15, 2017. It interviews a psychotherapist and a pediatrician on how they think social media affects teenagers in particular in terms of their self-esteem. Both experts state seeing very clear connections between social media use, and more severe depression in adolescents and young adults. This video was more helpful than that, though, because they also explained a few rules that parents can lay down in order to protect their children from the harmful affects of social media. Although this is interesting and certainly relevant to teen suicide rates related to depression and social media, the two experts base their opinions off of experience. This is certainly credible considering their extensive years in their fields and seeing many children and teens in their practices, it does not provide to hard-core facts that many people may rely on, such as the published article above, "A New, More Rigorous Study Confirms: The More You Use Facebook, the Worse You Feel." As such, it seems as though this video relies more on ethos in order to persuade its viewers; the, "I'm an expert (and a parent, just like you), so trust me."
This is a clip from the 2011 movie, Cyberbully, starring Emily Osment as Taylor Hillridge. Taylor is a socially awkward teenager who has just turned 17. Her mother finally buys her a computer for her birthday, and Taylor is excited by the new prospect of freedom: using the internet without her mother looking over her shoulder. Unfortunately, she quickly learns that having unlimited access to social media and the internet is not all butterflies and flowers. Instead, she finds out the hard way that social media plays a much larger part in the darker side of humanity. Betrayed by a male friend, bullied by fellow peers, and the target of a slut-shaming video that went viral by two of the bullies, she quickly comes to the breaking point. She tries to take her life by overdosing, but first, she airs a good-bye video. Her friend sees this and immediatley calls Taylor's mother and goes to her house to check on her. It's a good thing she did because any later, and Taylor would have killed herself.
This clip depicts the horrible consequences that even one nasty video about someone can have on that person. The audience would be anyone who is allowed to watch such a realistic movie about the darker side of life. In a visual form, it is important that the directors build up the torment that the bullied person is going through. We have to see everything else because those who want to comit suicide usually do so because of multiple reasons, not just one. This movie potrays just that with the betrayal, the bullying, and the video. The music is dramatic, making its audience sit at the edge of their seats with their eyes glued to the screen. As a visual representation of how cyber-bullying can affect someone so negatively, it is especially impactful to see the raw emotions going through Taylor's head as she feels the betrayal, hears the comments, and sees the video. It is these raw emotions that draw the audience to sympathize is not empathize with her. We natrually want to comfort those who are going through a hard time, so when we see someone about to cry and break down, we just want to hold them. Sadness and sympathy are probably two of the easiest emotions to appeal to using pathos, and they are quiet easily some of the most affective aside from anger. When we see the desperation in Taylor's friend's face as she rushes to Taylor's house, when we see her mother get the call that something may have happened to her daughter, and when we see the horror and harsh reality on everyone's faces as they see Taylor attempt to take her life... we can see the pain and anguish in everyone's faces: the mother, the father, the brother, and the friend. These raw emotions are most easily conveyed through videos, and the screenwriters waste no effort in trying to get the actors to convey all of the right emotions to the audience so that we can feel the same emotions that the characters are feeling.
Cyberbully isn't the only TV production depicting how social media affects teenagers negatively. This article, published by Kuriena Puent on April 19th, 2017, discusses how the popular Netflix show, "13 Reasons Why," reflects the reality of suicide through the point of view of the victim and the tormentors. The article is written by Karina Puent, an animal sciences and pre-vetinary student at the University of Minnesota. It may not make much sense for an animal sciences major to write an article about a TV show about suicide, but maybe this is a topic that hit close to home for her. She wrote this article in response to many people's claims that the show was an over-dramatization of what actual suicidal individuals go through, especially when it came to the finale, where many thought that Hannah's death was clearly over-done. Puent refutes these claims, arguing that what is shown in "13 Reasons Why" is actually quite accurate and relevant in today's society. In order to prove her claim, she uses logos to present her argument. She uses specific episodes within the show -- such as episode 9 -- and connects the main concept or topic within that episode to real world problems using facts or statistics gathered from a variety of sources. For example, episode 9 of "13 Reasons Why" is about the by-stander effect. Puent then goes on to use statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice that bystanders -- people who are present in a situation where someone could need help yet who do nothing to help because they think someone else will -- are present at "70 percent of assaults." It is hard for any reader to refute a statistic from the Justice Department while casually reading. The article then goes on to discuss the relationships between rape, slut-shaming, and cyberbullying in the show and how they compare to their more realistic counterpoints using real life examples. The article presented concepts in the show that were statistically relevant in today's society -- espeically because of social media. By helping create this connection between reality and the show, she brings a new sense of realism to what many may just pass off as a show about suicide that has been dramatized for the sake of entertainment purposes. Bringing "13 Reasons Why" closer to reality make us as readers rethink the harsh realities that individuals who are suffering from lowered self-esteem due to social media and other forms of neglect and abuse leading up to suicide.
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As "13 Reasons Why" and "Cyberbully" would have you rightfully believe, suicide is a very real and very serious topic. Although social media can be a major cause of lower self-esteem and higher rates of suicide, it can also be used as a way to more easily say people's good byes. On November 24, 2017, Christy Glo, a Nigerian woman, posted a comment on Facebook saying that she was contemplating suicide. That night, she posted a video on the same social media platform containing her last goodbyes. She even stated that she had her burial all planned out. On November 25, Christy posted the message above in which she tries to use pathos in order to justify and explain why she did what she did. She says that she does have depression and that she did want to kill herself, but when she saw that some of her "supposed" friends were glad that she was going to kill herslef, she decided to play this game and figure out those who truly love her and those who are faking their friendship. I would consider this an appeal to emotion because she mentions waiting for her daughter to come back from a vigil, a religious observance the eve of a holy day or festival. Mentioning a vigil makes people think of religion, so she appeals by saying that her daughter (and presumably she is as well), religious, thus appealing to other religious people. She then says that by, "God's glory," her friend Elcc Chiko came to save her from suicide. By once again bringing in God as a direct reference, it is almost as if she is saying that it was God's will that she live. This would appeal to any religious person in tht God is merciful and loves all of his children. For me, personally, this message would also be considered an appeal to emotion because at least for me, I can understang wanting to figure out who would truly be my friend until the end and who was faking it. However, I don't think that any appeal to emotion can warrant making everyone who ever knew you think that you are dead, only to pop up the next day saying that here you are, alive. Life is not something to be played with, either face-to-face or over the computer.
It should be noted that Christy's Facebook account was likely taken down due to its upsetting nature. In this sense, if it were not for people taking screen shots and news coverage happening soon after this event happened, this entire conflict would have been lost. This in and of itself serves an important role in reminding us that even if people take down things that they have posted on social media, there is no garuentee that it will be gone forever; someone may have taken screen shots and then re-posted them elsewhere, or posted them to other types of social media. This teaches us to be cautious of what you post online. If you post something to a social media site, make sure that it is something that you will not be embarassed about later. In a similar fashion, this is why it is so easy to become a victim of cyber bullying. One slip-up is all it takes for something to go viral and never leave the web.
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Here, we can see the savagery of human nature that can come out when hidden behind an electronic screen in the midst of social media. When it came to light that she was simply faking it all, she came under serious attack and critism. The author of this post, Kehinde Adeola, was a friend of Christy's on Facebook. However, she did not appreciate what Christy did, and she wrote this reply in response to Christy to make her displeasure known. She said that her friend should not "play with human emotion." Although this is not a factual study like the one from the published site, this one contains something that is more raw and personal than what can be seen as numbers and conjecture in a scientist's research report. Adeola's response definetly uses pathos. Since Adeola's post is in response to Christy, Christy is the main audience. As such, Adeola uses pathos to convey her own rage and disgust. This shows itself in the harsh phrases she uses and the extensive use of exclamation points and successive question marks. For example, she uses harsh phrases such as, "Da hell!!!!!" and "You're sick." She also calls what Christy did, "stunts," a verb that implies faking something to make it appear bigger than it really was. For anyone else reading Adeola's post, we can also get a sense of pathos because of the mere nature of this post. The reason I say that this is because anyone with a heart can sympathize if not emphathize with Adeola's anger. Anyone would be devestated to hear that a friend has died, especially if it was by suicide. To suddenly come out and say that they only did it because they wanted to see people's reactions can understandably upset anyone.
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