Social media and technology is everywhere in this world. Technology, technology, technology. It is very easy to say that social media has affected millions of  people’s life completely.

They use it to keep in touch with their friends, family, and relatives, but unfortunately it has become an addiction. It has changed the generation of teenagers and young adults. Social media plays a vital role in our day to day life and is much more effective in our personal life as well as in our social media. Social media, is it harmful or helpful?

Amy Smart, Access Program Supervisor, teacher, mother, and ran the 21st century program in Hamtramck stated, “The biggest harm it’s doing to our society is that it suppressed face to face interaction with people and creative thinking in the real world. I feel that our children have become lazy and less outgoing. Unfortunately, there is a positive side to social media and that is it has become multicultural. Our children are exposed to different culture and different points of view so I can keep track of my kids easily.” We sit all day at home on our computers, phones, IPods, IPads, and we only care about the number of followers, likes, and comments we get.

Technology has made us selfish and more separate than ever. According to www.dailymail.co.uk, statistics show that the average person spends about 8 hours and 41 minutes on their electrical devices than sleeping which is unbelievable.

Amy Smart also replied, “As a teacher, I feel like social media has instigated some negative things such as, a new element of bullying (texting on social media-Kik, Snapchat, Instagram, and many more) and come to class angry sometimes because of the conversation they may had before social media. This causes disruption in the classroom and an inability for student’s focus.”

Many students are getting worse by not listening to their parents, lose family connection, they find themselves logging onto social media when they could be studying or doing their homework in which they end up failing, and start to lose focus and concentration. Also, when students come home from school, they go on their phones right away instead of missing his/her family but the only thing that they’re missing is their phones.

Unfortunately, this causes distraction. It’s addicting or is a constant habit for them. This is the generation with media overstimulation which is ruining our precious Earth.
Some teachers think that technology has ruined student’s body. For example, it hurts your nerves when typing and eyes which causes blurriness. Cristi Harrington, a gym teacher at the Civic Center recalled, “I think the disadvantage of technology is largely diverting people’s goals in life from love, peace, and focused on living to competing and creating technological tools in which it is harming our society even more.”

Jana Tourfa, an 8th grader at Unis Middle School, said, “Students don’t use social media to procrastinate, instead they waste time and with that time they could’ve done something useful such as, homework or studying. They don’t take it seriously. It’s supposed to be useful for educational purposes.” Social media has its positive and negative effects and if we learn to use it in a productive way, we can make use of life much better. If we don’t, then we will continue to have technology take over us.

Fidaa Bazzi is an Assistant Manager/Captain at Henry Ford Village Retirement Home and a student at U of M Dearborn studying Business Managment. “Growing up, we didn’t have advanced technology like we do today and life without technology was better. People were for one another and had time for each other but now, in order to see if your family and friends are available, you send them a text message,” Fidaa said. We all don’t want to spoil a precious moment by recording them with our phones or even taking pictures.

We should all put down our phones when we have a 1% battery because it will bring us 1 bar closer to humanity. In the end, there are many pros and cons of technology and social media affecting students and their schoolwork. Put down your phones, smell the outside world, and enjoy reality. Life is a one time offer so we have to use it wisely. Is social media affecting students and their schoolwork?

Walaa Bazzi

Unis Middle School Journalist