Side effects of new mass media on the youth

Document Type:Dissertation

Subject Area:Sociology

Document 1

The internet makes the total sum of world knowledge easily available. The communication system has become a public value service with sufficient power to supply each person with not only electronic mail, eBooks, magazines and newspapers, but also the ability to broadcast as well as receive information. There is freedom of choice over an unprecedented selection, as people in their multi-media homes determine what is to be viewed, unlike the past decades where the broadcaster made all the decisions (Jenkins & Plasencia, 2018). Likewise, a reader in the contemporary society influences today what books to read and when. For a larger population, satellites, for all their worth, will ultimately become only a nexus in the intricate communications network of the public utility information system.

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This time is nearly half of time used on media every day. Additionally, it is estimated that the average amount of time people spends watching television weekly is 25 hours (Bryant, Thompson, & Finklea, 2013). They also find time for other forms of old media such as magazines and newspapers, radio, and cinema. For kids, the time spent in front of a TV is similar to that disbursed at school or with relations and peers. Even though school, family and friends are all approved as chief socializing inspirations on the youth, a huge controversy borders the possible consequences of the mass media and verdicts both in favor and against it (Curran & Gurevitch, 2005). Other issues include time wastage, development of superficial and risky relationships, and, eventually, initiating instead of relieving users’ loneliness, depression, and social isolation among others ("Media in the Lives of Youth," 2010).

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Purpose of the Study The main goal of effecting this study is to probe the degree in which new media has impacted the youth and to address the issues and adverse outcomes propelled by these new channels of communication. Research Questions The subsequent research questions steered the study: 1. How much time do the youth spend on social media 2. For what purposes do the youth use new media in their day to day lives? 3. New media It is a form of mass media creation that uses digital technologies like the internet as channels of mass communication to extend to mass audience (Dudley, 2005). Old media The term is tantamount with the traditional channels of mass communication such as print media, film, sound recordings, radio broadcasting and television, books, magazines, and newspapers (Dudley, 2005).

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Youth The term ‘youth’ generally refers to a developmental stage in which there is a shift from the dependence of infanthood to adulthood’s autonomy and cognizance of our interdependence as community members. According to the UN, the youth are individuals in the age bracket of 15-24 years. In psychology, it is the biological, mental, emotional and sexual development phases linked with the inception of puberty and the adolescent years. The digital savvy held by youth has granted them power while relating adults together with in the world. The youth have become buffs on the internet (Curran & Gurevitch, 2005). The domestication of new media consumed by the young people cuts across in terms of people’s diversity in opposition to socially stratified culture, and nationwide versus worldwide identities.

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The concerns regarding the isolated nature of new media usage is diverged by apprehensions about vanished community customs and values. From the development outlook, in regards to internet usage by the youth, it can be argued that the various sensory inputs are exacting on cognitive faculties and can overwhelm their ability to engage in meticulous decision-making ("Media in the Lives of Youth," 2010). In addition, being exposed to advertisements and utilization of virtual items is also increasing. Hence, the youth are continuously exposed to diverse forms of marketing, not only by browsing web pages, but also while engaging in their favorite hobbies. New games options and computer-generated communities surface when users spend money to heighten the gaming experience. Most of these digital worlds are founded on actual economic structure where visitors Real Trade money (RTM) to purchase, vend, and trade digital material or virtual money (Wang, 2014).

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Social platforms have also led to online sexual harassment among the youth. Interestingly, 40% of those participating in online unsafe behaviour happens while they are in the company of peers. Other forms of precarious online conduct include bullying (Nilan, Burgess, Hobbs, Threadgold, & Alexander, 2015). Research has commonly spotted a connection between cyber bullying delinquents and targets. Males are more inclined to be bullies compared to females. It is also palpable that social media has resulted to rise in online engagement among the youth. The most notably debated concerns all of which revolve around subjective risks include introduction to and interaction with inappropriate material and people such as pornography, hate-filled content, sexual predators and cyber bullies; risky revelation of personal information; damaging effects on social and emotional development in that the youth are interacting outside their level of maturity; increased peer pressure to stay up-to-date and conform; use of new media to avoid physical interactions; and corruption of values.

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Other issues on the same are texting while behind the wheel, and mobile phone health hazards. A study led by the National Cancer Society has advised that heavy cell phone usage may enhance the risk of cancer. On the other hand, educators are raising alarms on its destructive impact on writing skills. learners are assimilating texting jargon into academic work. At the beginning of the 20th century, the media comprised of newspapers and occasional periodicals. Although newspapers still supplied daily news, radio became the main form of media in the 40s during and after the world war II (Patten, 1986). They were popular because compared to newspapers, they could provide information faster as people received current news about the warfare (Giles, 2010). In the 50s, television arose to dominate the media scene as it provided both sound and picture.

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Later in 1962, satellite communication became possible with the satellite Telstar I set in space (Folkerts, Teeter, & Caudill, 2009). Theories of mass media Technological Determinism Theory This theory was established by Marshall McLuhan in 1962 (Dudley, 2005). Technological Determinism Theory asserts that media technology forms the way in which people in a society think, feel, and act, and how the society functions as we progress from one technological era to another (Bryant, Thompson, & Finklea, 2013). It supports that individuals learn from the messages that are transmitted to them through the currently available technology. For instance, the radio necessitates people to listen and foster a sense of hearing. Also, televisions draw both hearing and visual faculties. The theory expounds that when new systems of technology develop, the society is instantaneously modified to reflect the senses required to use the innovative technology.

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Further prediction is that with every rise of new media technology, society will change and adjust to that it (Bryant, Thompson, & Finklea, 2013). Moreover, there is a clear-cut cause and effect association between the institution of new mass media and the variations in humanity's way of thinking, feeling, and behaving. Klapper Reinforcement or Limited Effects Theory Joseph Klapper developed this concept in 1960 after his concern that people exaggerated the power of media. According to him, media hardly have any direct consequences and are comparatively ineffective to other psychological and social aspects like deeply rooted attitudes and beliefs, social status, education, and group membership, among others (Bryant, Thompson, & Finklea, 2013). There are some lasting conditions where mass media seems to elicit direct consequences, or directly and of itself to aid certain psychophysical tasks (Bryant, Thompson, & Finklea, 2013) Relevance of the theories to the study The theories above illustrate the basis under which the media is supposed to function.

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They explore the connection between new media and people’s perception and behavior. The theories’ elements seek to establish the association between the youth and their daily usage of new forms of media, and to portray the effects encountered. This will determine the suitability of the models to the effects of using new media. The theories try to explain how the young people have advanced and what they have transformed. According to a contemporary media theorist, Professor Lev Manovich modern form of media is indigenous to computers or depend on computers for distribution: some types of new media include websites, multimedia, computer animation, human-computer interface, computer games, and digital video, among others (Roche, 2018). Forms of new media Some types of new media include blogs, podcasts, wiki, Wikipedia, and vlogs, mobile apps, human computer interface, multimedia, and the social media.

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In this paper, only a few will be described. A blog, is a kind of website in which people can make entries like a travel journal which are exhibited in a reverse linear sequence. Blogs usually deliver commentary or updates on various subject, like politics, fashion, lifestyle, or local news. Wikipedia is mainly devised by volunteers, sanctioning most content to be altered by anybody who has access to the website (Dudley, 2005). A videoblog, commonly known as a vlog is a blog that utilizes video as the basic gist. A standard vlog post merges an embedded video or link with subsidiary images, transcript, and metadata (Dudley, 2005). Characteristics of new media The unifying tag ‘new media’ actually denotes a wide revolution in media production, dissemination and usage.

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These are modifications that are technological, conventional, word-based, and cultural. Wireless connections between PCs, servers, and networks are fast becoming popular. Even so, many networks still depend on cables and telephone landlines that have to be physically hoed into the ground. Interactivity New media, unlike the old is a two-way system of communication. People are presented with the opportunity to make customized lifestyle choices from limitless options existing by the market. Rather than just being on the receiving end, new media allows users to be actively involved. For instance, video games provide players a virtual platform in which they can interact and to some extent control their virtual lives (Jenkins & Plasencia, 2018). Simulation Simulation games succeed to plunge people in a “virtual existence” that is represented or fabricated through digital technology.

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Simulation is the creation of an artificial world which is a representation of the actual one. This is made possible through a mathematical model, combined with a set of initial conditions, that allows projections and visualizations as time progresses. Simulations can be viewed as a replication or representation of things that are more complex (Jenkins & Plasencia, 2018). The kind, quantity or quality of data assembled contrasts in different studies based on the objectives of the research. There are two primary kinds of data namely quantitative data and qualitative data (Kale, 2009). Quantitative data denotes the data type that is used to compute and quantify things. On the other hand, qualitative data represents that data type that cannot be quantified but instead used to describe.

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It entails estimation or classification of data without really quantifying elements or features of a person, place or thing (Kale, 2009). This figure stands for a low but statistically noteworthy rise from the 70% of Facebook users who revealed that they engaged the site every day in 2015. Instagram and Twitter come in second to Facebook in terms of the number of people who log in daily. About 35% report to have logged in several times in a day while 51% which is nearly half of Instagram users access the platform only once. Of all Twitter users, 42% show that they are circadian visitors, while 23% indicate logging in every day severally. A somewhat larger number of Americans are routine users of Pinterest and LinkedIn than they are of Twitter.

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• 13% Less than an hour daily. • 23% 1-2 hours. • 21% 3-4 hours. • 35% More than 4 hours daily. RQ2: For what purposes do the youth use new media in their day to day lives? Around 88% of people age 15-24 in the US can access a desktop or laptop mainly at home. Astoundingly, while 59% were responsive on religious and spiritual subjects, merely 35% were keen on science and technological discovery and 34% in environmental pollution. On the other hand, politics captivated 30% while fashion attracted 29%. In cookery related programs, 39% of the total youth population showed support while in sport which is deemed a male territory, 55% of the young people showed interest (Lomborg, 2014). In another context, according to Statistics Finland (2010), the most popular online deeds among youngsters are sending and receiving emails lying at 77%, online banking at 76%, reading newspapers online or following sites of television channels online at 74%.

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People looking for information on consumer goods and general were at 74% and 67% respectively. Additionally, 63% favored new media because one could make friends online without the hustle of having to be in social events or environments (Lomborg, 2014). RQ4: What are the side effects of new mass media on the youths? Research has shown that new mass media has been detrimental to the youth especially in the academic field. While light internet users showed improvements in their grades, those of heavy users tend to deteriorate. A study has shown that students using different forms of new media have mean GPA of 3. 06 while those who are not engaged in social media portray an average GPA of 3. Cyber-bullying has also become conventional online. This criminal behavior results to causes emotional suffering, and sometimes even end up in suicide.

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5% of young people have reported online victimization while 33. 7% confessed to being online bullies. A study conducted in 2012 study found that no less than 800,000 minors including those at the ages of 16 and 17 had been badgered on Facebook (Nilan, Burgess, Hobbs, Threadgold, & Alexander, 2015). 10% of individuals younger than 25 conveyed screening their smartphones and social media during sex (Wittenborn, 2012). Misinformation is also a risk factor with new media 49. 1% of users have read deceitful news on web pages or blogs. Accessing this information also fosters substandard medical advice and self-diagnosis on issues related to health (Jenkins & Plasencia, 2018). Discussion In view of the findings above, this study revealed that the youth spend a substantial amount of time with various forms of new mass media and for those at the age of 15-17, with little to no adult supervision.

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Some of these views may be good while others may affect people’s negatively. The results above have portrayed the degree to which new media affects academic performances. The GPA of heavy internet users is significantly lower than that of non-users. This point can be linked to the findings that those students who go online in between studies score 20% lower on tests (Folkerts, Teeter, & Caudill, 2009). This might be as a result of distractions such that the young generation is not entirely focused on the content of study, but are also paying attention to phone alerts in which case they go online to see what has been posted and give comments or ‘likes’. Posting of personal information can also lead to cyberbullying where individuals are victimized by others online.

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The emotional and psychosocial effects of cyberbullying cannot be ignored. Scripts have been written and movies produced to make people aware of its impact on the society. Research shows that suicide is on the rise as a result of this type of cybercrime. People live in fear and emotional distress as they are subjected to emotional torture by people they don’t even recognize physically. Without clear guidelines, norms or values to live by, the youth therefore turns into a lost generation as they try to find their purpose. They engage in trial and error with practices from different cultures that may arise as they find what suits them (Schroeder, 2016). Distorted perceptions One of the ways that media has distorted perceptions is through fabrication of beauty standards.

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Beauty routines have been set and the bar on what is considered to be normal keeps rising as minimum beauty standards become harder to achieve (Wittenborn, 2012). The youth are increasingly taking and sharing ‘selfies’ online, most of which have been digitally manipulated to fit the ideal body image as expected in society. Stereotypes, racial profiling continue to take root as messages of hate continue to circulate ("Media in the Lives of Youth," 2010). Again, these young people fail to stop and think about what is right or wrong, and the cycle continues. Laziness Web search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing have transformed the way the youth learn and remember information. People subconsciously no longer store information that they know they can find online (Poyntz & Pedri, 2018).

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Researchers have explored the role of mew media in modifying the quality of human memory. Health and mental implications New mass media has led to the advent of ‘constant checkers’, a title that has been created to refer to the people who constantly or obsessively check for updates in social platform accounts, emails, and texts ("Media in the Lives of Youth," 2010). The findings of the study above reveal that youths log in to social media accounts up to four times a day. Continuously engaging in such behaviors is associated to high levels of stress. People who constantly use these technologies report to feeling disconnected from family members even if they are in the same room. The more time spent online, the higher the risk of loneliness and depression ("Media in the Lives of Youth," 2010).

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More often, videos are posted of gruesome acts of violence on innocent people and such acts continue to cause fear among people in the society. The youth become the most vulnerable to such recruitments because they show the highest number of engagement with new media. Also, due to the massive and diverse information on the internet, it becomes difficult for them to form their own opinions, making the susceptible to negative external influence. Moreover, a generation of lazy people whose lives depend on the internet is born. People’s judgement and decision-making skills become clouded. Even though traditional mass media like television are still used by this generation, the internet is still favored. Other forms of old media such as newspapers and magazines can now be found online.

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The youth prefer new mass media because it is interactive, fast, and information can be accessed in real time (Poyntz & Pedri, 2018). Some of the effects indicated in the study include anomie, laziness, distorted perceptions, health and mental implications, and chaos in the present world. Crimes such as cyber bullying have resulted from new mass media with 49. This will minimize exposure to pornography and other unwarranted content. iii. Parents and caregivers, and security agencies should be keen about activities engaged in by the youth so as to shield them from pedophiles and other sex predators. iv. In order to effectively engage the youngsters, learning institutions and government agencies should adopt new forms of media as among their means of communication. The study focused on the youth as a whole around the world.

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Since people in different part of the universe are influenced by their social context, further deeper research should be done looking at the use and impact of new media in different social environments. Conclusion With the evolution of media from the ages of newspapers, radios and televisions to the digital era of the internet, many transformations have occurred in the society. Despite all the positive impact the internet and the new media technologies as a whole have had on the youth, the detrimental effects have molded a generation that lacks good communication skills, sound judgement, and decision-making skills. Academic and career progress has greatly been reduced as students rely wholly in the internet and internalize information without analyzing it (Poyntz & Pedri, 2018).

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