Impact of Social Media on Children

Author:
Prof. Veena Tripathi
Assistant Professor
K.J. Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research
Veena.tripathi06@gmail.com

Date: 28/11/2012

Introduction

Impact of Social Media on Children

Key words : Social Media, Impact on Children, Websites, Marketing

Social media is quickly evolving in front of our eyes and it is almost impossible to reject and
hide from this new form of media. Not only is it an important part of socialization within peer
groups but now it is used to market and motivate people to become a part of a larger community.
It is undeniably changing the way one communicates and how one finds and shares information.
Most websites offer communication through the use of Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube,
LinkedIn and many various blog formats. With new apps on smart phones and photography and
video made digital, media can be created, edited and shared quickly and once it is in this new
digital cloud it is not yours anymore. Through these new advances in technology one can share
things about themselves to the world to view, and prior to social media one would have to
communicate and share physically. These social media site offer adolescence new ways to
access communication and entertainment and the long-term effects are still unknown. For this
reason, it is imperative for parents to be more aware of this new media and what it offers both
good and bad for our children.

The explosive growth of social media, smartphones and digital devices is transforming our kids'
lives, in school and at home. Research tells us that even the youngest of our children are
migrating online, using tablets and smartphones, downloading apps. Consumer Reports reported
last year that more than 7.5 million American kids under the age of 13 have joined Facebook,
which technically requires users to be 13 years old to open an account. No one has any idea of
what all of this media and technology use will mean for our kids as they grow up.
It goes without saying that digital media have also altered our fundamental notions of and respect
for privacy. Young people now routinely post and share private, personal information and
opinions on social media platforms without fully considering the potential consequences.
The immediacy of social media platforms, coupled with vulnerable youngsters who are socially
inexperienced and not fully developed emotionally, can create a combustible mix. Kids often
self-reveal before they reflect, and millions of kids say and do things they later regret. The
permanence of what anyone posts online and the absence of an "eraser" button mean that the
embarrassment and potential damage can last forever.

The world of social media represents a similar challenge, but on a far greater scale. While the
printing press allowed anyone with financial means to spread his ideas, it was still limited to the
upper echelons of society. Those who were not well financed or did not have sponsorship could
not afford to print their works. There were still gatekeepers to the spread of ideas, even though
the gates had been opened some. With the rise of social media, the gates have been breached.
Anyone with a computer or smartphone and followers or friends on a social network can
easily spread his ideas both good and bad, worthwhile and vapidto an audience of
thousands. This is especially frightening for parents trying to navigate the digital world their
children inhabit.
For parents to determine their position vis--vis social media, they must first understand them.
With that in mind, here is a brief overview of the most common social media tools used today.

Impact of Social Media :

Facebook the social media platform of choice for most adolescents, with 80 percent of teens on
Facebook according to a recent estimate from the Pew Research Center (Teens, kindness and
cruelty on social network sites.
Social media are here to stay, and are where our youth are spending much of their time.
Shunning Facebook as a waste of time will only serve to sabotage the relationship we wish to
establish and enrich. Instead, try openly asking a child what he or she perceives to be the risks
and rewards of social media. Our openness and interest will undoubtedly open the doorway to
healthy communication.
Facebook and Twitter are the social media platforms most commonly used for marketing.
Facebook offers the option of creating a fan page for a company or product, while Twitter makes
use of 140-character posts that users follow. Blogs are online journals written by users, which
can be influential in spreading news and information. YouTube is a repository for podcasts and
video clips, with a viewership of millions around the globe. Social bookmarking sites such as
Del.icio.us and Digg enable users to share links to information with friends and followers. Some
sites offer display advertising options, but the majority are simply a method of sharing
information with others.
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On Facebook one accumulates friends with whom he shares status updates containing text,
links, pictures or videos. These appear on the users wall or timeline. One can limit status
updates to select people and not all friends. An individual can post text, photos or links to his
friends wall or timeline, with or without prior approval from his friend. One can also set up a
Facebook group to communicate with people who are not necessarily his or her friend on
Facebook, create an event and an organization, business or famous personality can set up a
Facebook page to communicate with fans who like the page.
Twitterthe second most common social media platform, Twitter is much less popular than
Facebook among teens but has doubled its teen users in the last three years to 16 percent of
teens (Teens, kindness and cruelty on social network sites). Twitter users send public
messages, called tweets, using 140 characters or fewer. Users can mark their accounts as
private for only select people to see, but most tweets are public so that anyone can find them. On
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Twitter a person accumulates followers who subscribe to his tweets. Tweets can then be retweeted or shared by followers, so one never really knows where his tweets may end up.
One caveat is in order: the world of social media is constantly changing. Currently Facebook and
Twitter are the two most popular social media platforms. However, many experts argue that these
are already being supplemented and perhaps even supplanted by mobile tools designed for
smartphones, such as the Instagram photo sharing app which was recently purchased by
Facebook and currently has over 50 million users, many of them teenagers. This is one more
reason why parents need to constantly stay informed, up-to-date and vigilant in their quest to
help their children navigate this new digital world.
There are certain drawbacks of using social networking websites. For instance, lack of control,
directly affects companys reputation, requires deep information technology knowledge,
consumes a lot of time, could be risky, side effects might occur and needs high commitment for
the person in charge. According to Brooger (2010), every message, comment and feedback that
are being posted online are not fully controlled or regulated by the company. In addition, it might
be hard to attract targeted audiences because they may use different social websites. Karimi
(2009) warns that negative comments and complaints received from customers or clients as well
as posting controversial opinions can tarnish a companys reputation as many web users can view
and spread it globally. Therefore, the companies have to carry heavy responsibility as all online
activities should be handled cautiously and have to be monitored regularly to avoid problems.
Besides, creating groups or event pages are not easy as it requires good computer skills,
information technology experiences and deep knowledge and understanding on social
networking. Brooger (2010) explains that using social networking websites might consumes
much time as companies have to remain active to keep in touch with its regular customers. Next,
internet fraudsters will have the opportunity to run illegal activities by using company details.
Meanwhile, information posted online can be abused or misused by competitors. Consequently,
individuals contact numbers and e-mail addresses that are being put online might lead to
stalking and online harassment (Niharikas, 2010). Niharikas (2010) also warns that social
networking can be absolutely addictive to employees which can cause serious errors in work and
also reduce efficiency and productivity in term of time spent. Lastly, as large effort and resource
investment are required, the person in charge of social networking must be highly committed and
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responsible. Social networks have to be updated consistently and frequently to keep the interest
of the targeted audiences, but at the same time, always bear in mind that irrelevant posts could
also turn off followers and clients as it is very annoying and disturbing (Grunert, 2009).

Benefits and Worries of Impact of Social Media on Children:

While there are risks inherent in online social networking, there are also many potential benefits.
Social networking can provide opportunities for new relationships as well as strengthening
existing relationships, whether your kids friends are close to home or across the world. Its
important to be vigilant when your kids are getting involved in online social networking, but its
also good to encourage positive relationships through various avenues, including the Internet.
Kids can gain social confidence from interacting with other people online, which may
help them feel more secure in new situations, such as going to college, joining a
sports team, and meeting new friends.
Because social networking like everything else online is constantly evolving, kids can
become more familiar with new and emerging technologies, as well as increase their
media literacy through exposure to many different types of online media that are
shared by their friends.
Many kids find support in online communities; this is especially true for kids who
have unique interests or feel isolated. Encourage your child to find other kids who are
interested in the same thing or may be dealing with similar issues.
Online communities can be very diverse and expose your child to many new
viewpoints, ideas, and opinions that she may not be familiar with.
Kids tend to use social networking to augmentnot replacetheir real-world
relationships, helping them learn to communicate in many different ways. Social
networking is becoming an increasingly important method of communicating in

schools and the workplace, so its good for your child to be prepared to communicate
through sites like Facebook and LinkedIn.
Keeping in touch with family members that live far away can become much easier
through the use of online social networking. By sharing updates, photos, videos, and
messages, family members can stay connected even if the live across the countryor
the world.

Figure : Cost Saving

The main advantage of social media marketing is cost-related. The majority of social media sites
are free to access, create a profile and post information. The advantage of reaching your targeted
market for little or no cash investment is substantial, and the audience wanting your information
voluntarily joins or follows you. Pay-per-click advertisements on sites such as Facebook are
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"geo-targeted" according to specific criteria, to reach the correct audience. The viral nature of
social media means that each person who reads your posts has the capability to spread the news
farther within his own network, so information can reach a large number of people in a short
time.
At a 2011 symposium on the Internet and society, two researchers presented information on how
teenagers understand negative talk on the Internet. What adults interpret as bullying is often read
by teenagers as drama, a related but distinct phenomenon. By understanding how teenagers
think about harsh rhetoric, the researchers suggested, we may find ways to help them defend
themselves against the real dangers of online aggression. The problems of cyber bullying and
Internet overuse are serious, and the risks of making mistakes online are very real. But even
those who treat adolescents with these problems are now committed to the idea that there are
other important perspectives for researchers or parents, or teachers looking at the brave
new universe in which adolescence is taking place.
Updating your social media accounts takes time and effort. A senior person with knowledge
about the company and products should handle your social media presence, and the cost in time
means the media is not completely free. It is ongoing work to find new angles about your
products continually and to post and re-post information. The information is only visible for a
short time before newer posts replace it. In addition, publishing obvious advertising copy is
unacceptable in the social media world, therefore you must present the information in the form of
conversation or you will lose followers.

Conclusion:
Kids often gravely underestimate the toll that their digital conduct can take on their reputations.
A simple review of the days news will demonstrate how difficult it is for adults to master the art
of reputation management. Imagine how much more difficult it is for adolescents! We need to
impress upon our children that the digital decisions they make today will stay with them, and
the rest of cyberspace, forever. We need to impress upon our children that just as their reputations
can suffer when they share a vulgar picture, it can be enhanced when they post a picture or
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comment that reflects their intelligence and interests. The point that has to be driven home is that
social media are tools.They can be used for both positive and negative, and the user has the
power to determine what type of impact they are going to create.
Information technology has taken the world by storm. However, its potential is often debated.
There are many pros and cons of using social networking websites, such as the Facebook for
business purposes. However, the successfulness is still depending on how a company able to
exploit them. Social media is the modern tool for marketers who try every means to get their
message out to their target markets. The medium has many advantages and disadvantages, and
companies struggle to find the right way to use it. The average business owner does not fully
understand the risks, and the field is still so new that it is difficult to evaluate the qualifications of
social media experts who offer their service.

References:
Darren Barefoot & Julie Szabo, Friends with Benefits : A social Media Handbook.
Advantages And Disadvantages of Social Networking Sites 2010, The Tech Edition 18
March,

viewed

July

2012,

http://www.thetechedition.com/advantages-and-

disadvantages-of-social-networking-sites/.
Brooger 2009, Using social networking sites for business marketing: Advantages and
disadvantages, Brooger 9 July, viewed 5 July 2012, http://brooger.com/business-financemoney.php/using-social-networking-sites-for-business-marketing-advantages-and
disadvantages.
Chruscinski, D 2011, The Pros & Cons of Social Networking in Business, ehow 11
January, viewed 4 July 2012, http://www.ehow.com/info_7756235_pros-con-socialnetworking-websites.
Grunert, J 2009, Effective Social Networking Marketing Strategies, Suite101 1 June,
viewed 5 July 2012, http://www.suite101.com/content/effective-social-networkingmarketing-strategies_a121975.
Karimi, S 2009, Pros and Cons of Using Facebook to Promote Your Business Online,
Hubpages 29 April, viewed 5 July 2012, http://hubpages.com/hub/Pros-and-Cons-ofUsing-Facebook-to-Promote-Your-Business-Online.
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 Niharikas 2010, Pros and Cons of Social Networking Websites, Bukisa 15 November,
viewed 4 July 2012, http://www.bukisa.com/articles/ 396327_pros-and cons-of-socialnetworking-sites-for-business-marketing-advantages-and-disadvantages.
http://sites.ewu.edu/cmst496-stafford/2012/06/06/the-effects-of-social-media-onchildren/.
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/05/21/opinion/clinton-steyer-internet-kids/index.html.
http://dawn.com/2012/05/13/social-medias-impact-on-kids-merits-big-debate-us-expert/.
http://www.ou.org/jewish_action/08/2012/the-social-media-revolution-what-does-itmean-for-our-children/.
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/disadvantages-advertising-social-media-18746.html.
http://hoileongchan.blogspot.in/2012/08/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-using.html.

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