Draft Proposal: Social Media

Is social media a detriment to our society or an inevitable progression we have to take?

Social media has completely taken over our lives. It's where we speak about everything, from celebs to the current presidential election to the latest show we are binge watching on Netflix.  It seems like a natural step in our ever growing technological world. But is it actually a good thing? The positive effects of social media are endless. Through Twitter or Facebook we connect with old friends and we can meet new ones. We can speak to people who share the same views, political beliefs or even favorite movies of ours. Businessmen and woman have multiple new outlets to promote their businesses and instantly connect to their customers, to receive feedback or critics whether they be good or bad. I think one of the biggest impacts of social media is that they facilitate movements. For example, the Black Lives Matter movement is heavily influenced and impacted by social media. Social media sites are where we view horrific videos where we share our sadness and rage and need for change. It’s where pages have been started dedicated to the victims who senselessly lost their lives or on the other hand to the police officers who some believe are the actual victims.

Although there are many positive benefits to social media there are definitely as many setbacks. Facebook is a major tool in which people use to reconnect but these sites facilitate less face-face interaction. The use of social networking sites is correlated with personality and brain disorders, such as the inability to have in-person conversations, a need for instant gratification, ADHD, and self-centered personalities, as well as addictive behaviors.  Social networking sites also increase the act of cyber-bullying. Most brush cyber-bullying off as fictitious but it’s a major cause for stress and depression in teenagers and young adults. Social media posts cannot be deleted and all information posted can have harmful consequences. An alarming aspect of social networking sites is that they have no way to verify that people are who they claim to be, leaving people vulnerable to solicitations from online predators who are able to mask their true identities. 

I want to research, maybe interview a couple people and hopefully come to a conclusion about this matter. 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/09/30/more-and-more-people-get-their-news-via-social-media-is-that-good-or-bad/
http://medcitynews.com/2016/09/bidmc-social-media/
http://www.komando.com/happening-now/375362/did-oversharing-on-social-media-cause-kim-kardashians-robbery