How Social Media Platforms Impact the Mental Health of Young People
This is a 500 word minimum essay analyzing the topic of social media & mental health for young people in particular, in relation to the Critical Media Literacy process from the textbook and the essay is worth 5 points towards the final grade.
Two parts to this essay to be interconnected in your analysis:
(1) Read about the Critical Media Literacy process, mostly in regards to the five steps:
Here is the Critical Media Literacy process from the textbook (does not exactly match the 13th edition of the textbook, but this is sufficient for these assignments):
(2) After understanding the main points & elements of the Critical Media Literacy process, read & watch this documentary on the relation between social media usage & mental health of young people:
PBS documentary on How Social Media Platforms Impact Kid and Teen Mental HealthLinks to an external site.
With these two parts, write up a 500 word minimum essay utilizing the Critical Media Literacy in describing, analyzing, interpreting, evaluating, and engaging with the PBS article & video on the topic at hand. Do your best to incorporate citations indicating where you getting your info from in regards to the PBS documentary and the Media & Culture textbook (PBS, 2021), (Campbell, Martin, & Fabos, p.32-33) or (Campbell, Martin, & Fabos, p. 27-28)...you do not need to get the citations & citational info exactly correct (the page numbers from the textbook can be confusing, even for me based upon if you are reading from an e-Book, a physical copy, a PDF, etc.)
I strongly encourage the use of separate paragraphs in regards to these five steps (along with introductory & concluding paragraphs)
In theory, a minimum of seven paragraphs (some paragraphs can be small if you only need two sentences for a particular step among the 5 steps):
Introduction
Describing the PBS article/video & topic
Analyzing the PBS article/video & topic
Interpreting the PBS article/video & topic
Evaluating the PBS article/video & topic
Engaging with the PBS article/video & topic
Conclusion
My topic is: How Social Media Platforms Impact the Mental Health of Young People in Particular
How Social Media Platforms Impact the Mental Health of Young People
Your Name
Subject and Section
Professor’s Name
August 16, 2023
In today's digital world, where online platforms are everywhere, there is growing concern about how social media affects young people's mental health. PBS dives into this issue with a documentary titled "How Social Media Platforms Impact Kid and Teen Mental Health." This essay uses the Critical Media Literacy process to understand better and discuss the insights given by the documentary. We aim to explore how deeply social media has influenced young minds.
Description
The documentary is not just an overview; it digs deep into how young people are wrapped up in the online world. It looks closely at social media use, focusing on children and teenagers. The documentary gives a complete picture through personal stories, expert opinions, and research findings. It makes you think about platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. Initially designed for staying in touch, these platforms have sometimes turned into places where young people face challenges like being compared to others, dealing with online bullying, and getting caught up in spending too much time online.
Analysis
When looking closely at the documentary, a standout point is the massive amount of time young people spend on social media, often more than they do with face-to-face interactions. This online space, filled with hand-picked posts and stories, paints a picture of life that might not always be real. It pushes users to show only the best sides of themselves. With the pressure to meet society's standards of looks, achievements, and happiness, many young users face challenges like anxiety, low self-esteem, and even depression. As Twenge and Campbell (2018) noted in their study, the continuous race to appear perfect can have serious emotional consequences for our youth.
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