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Larissa Pimentel
Professor Rodrick
English 115
09/25/16

Final Draft: Is Technology Really Corrupting Our Generation?

Have you seen the IPhone 7, its such a beauty right? Thats what has been the talk of the
generation that now revolves around technology and social media, people are raving about this
new product especially to the dismay of many in older generations. Im a fan myself of the social
networking that technology has given us, I find comfort in my technology through social media
that serves to me as a therapeutic relief especially on my breaks between classes or work. Like
myself, many find comfort on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram whether it is for entertainment,
voicing their opinion on a controversial topic, or connecting with old friend or relatives fairly
easy. Social media has been a positive attribute to this generations youth because of the comfort,
freedom, and efficiency, that allows the youth to be who they are and voice in their opinion on a
broad network with many people to be heard and accepted.
A notorious question that is asked by many on any social networking site is, Is this
person real? seeing as MTVs Catfish, is a hit among the nation its impossible to get that out of
your mind, but the people who do catfish find complete comfort in hiding themselves. In the
article, Jazmine, 21, who has created fake dating profiles to talk to guys in a bolder way,
explains it this way: Lying online is an easy way to get what you want, whether it's acceptance or
popularity. You're in control, and nobody can tell the difference between what's real and what's
not, (Tomb). Here we seeing the viewpoint of the person behind the screen using the many

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filters to comfort themselves, to live with themselves and to talk to people without getting
rejected. Technology has served as a shield and a blanket toward its users that find it easier to
hide their flaws and talk to people they never thought they could. This not only serves as a break
barrier for the vainness behind people, but also a break for the youth with insecurities that find it
easier to cope with behind a screen. Not being identified or labeled gives you the opportunity to
reevaluate yourself and portray yourself in a way that you wish. In this case this is how many of
this generation are doing, theyre finding a way to be themselves without the judgement that
follows them as theyre labeled and judged coating their true selves.
Technology and social media have brought another positive attribution to the table,
freedom and the power to voice an opinion. In the journal How Effective Is Virtual Activism?
Debra Nussbaum Cohen interview teen Gabbie Baker that said, "To me it's just a place for
teenagers who are not eligible to vote to get online and voice their opinion on things where they
might not have a voice by voting, on things like poverty, says Baker. It's great to see so many
people getting online. You can really see what teens all across the United States are thinking and
that they want to make change, she says. It really makes you feel like you have a voice,
(Cohen). This gives emphasis to the quality most teens hope and wish for from people which is
freedom, especially on opinions. Teens get to voice in their opinion online with the internet to
give in an input on controversial matters without getting disregarded for being a teen. This gives
them the power to be themselves and getting their thoughts heard without being shut down. The
youth of the generation are allowed to voice in on controversial issue and gain an identity for
themselves that is their own, which is allowed online without any judgement but praises. I find
myself contributing to the teen voice on social media from political controversies such as the
presidential election in this upcoming year, to entertainment based on controversies such as who

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won a Grammy. Essentially the youth should have freedom of speech as they are the future of
this nation. This is a positive enforcement as the young adults in this generation can gain a mind
for themselves, and fight for what they believe in. like this they can have their own standings on
controversies highlighting their development into their own selves without any bias.
Technology and social media also serve as a mental positivity among the youth of this
generation. In the article Facebook's Contribution to Well-being among Adolescent and Young
Adults as a Function of Mental Resilience by Ido Ziv & Mali Kiasi, they wrote A few studies
suggest that the internet can contribute to social capital by allowing a relatively safe place for
social interaction that does not demand the social skills required for face-to-face interactions
(Amichai-Hamburger & McKenna, 2006; McKenna et al., 2002; Ybarra et al., 2005). In this way,
use of the internet can facilitate the formation of new relationships (Kraut et al., 2002; Parks &
Roberts, 1998) while enhancing self-esteem, (Ziv & Kiasi). This exemplifies the struggles in
anxiety and social awkwardness that teens may have, enforcing that with the help of social
networking they find it easier to talk to people. With many that suffer from a lack of
communication skills, they find a great benefit and comfort in social network that allows them to
talk to people and make friends. Through the broad network with many behind a screen they are
given confidence to interact with one another through something that is incredibly easier and
takes the pressure off of in personal interaction. Through online interaction they grow confidence
to approach people which is something that they wouldnt have been able to do in person. Its
efficient in the form of interaction making it easier to converse with others whether their half
way across the world or down the street. You can have a piece of information or a friend in a
blink of an eye with this technology being social media. Making friends has never been so
efficient and easy.

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Many might see the latest technology and internet as an addiction that is corrupting the
minds by making youth antisocial and isolating them from the real world. The picture
exemplifies the addiction of social media that takes a toll on many that makes many think of how
its effects cause isolation. Social media is popular and can be claimed as an addiction that is
separating reality from fantasy, but social media has served as a resource in communication and
has brought people together. As displayed in the second picture it exemplifies the unity the social
world of technology offers, it exemplifies the true unity that it portrays on this generation.
Technology today gives us a new way to interact with people we cant interact with face to face.

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For example you can be friends with someone on Facebook that you didnt know before in
person or talk to in public and automatically become friends without the awkward meet. Through
the internet we can interact with many across the world efficiently, take part in debates on
controversial issues, gain insight on these issues as well, and be at ease with yourself on social
media. The world of technology and social media keep us updated with news and with this new
kind of interaction.
Thought there are many downsides to the great influence technology and social media
has had on this generation, enhancing it and ultimately making it better. With the generations
growing and becoming more advanced there are many affects that contribute to the well-being of
a youth in the growing generation full of technology. It may not be too bad to say that it does
cause some good. Efficient interaction among one another, a voice in which you identify with
who you are and what you stand for, and the simple being of comfort in talking to strangers is
gained with this newfound confidence through social media. There are many attributes to the
positivity it serves to the people, many have based their selves on it and found complete comfort
within it. Technology is evolving and social media has sprouted gaining many followers that see
its glory making the life of many people easier and more bearable by a longshot, its time to join
in.

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Works Cited
Tomb, Devin. "Is everyone faking it online? You want to be seen at your best--and through the filter of
social media. Its easy to convince people of anything. But could lying online lead to damage
IRL?" Seventeen May 2013: 100+. General OneFile. Web. 13 Sept. 2016.

Cohen, Debra N. "How Effective is Virtual Activism?" The New York Jewish Week, Manhattan edition
ed.: 38. Jun 20 2008. ProQuest. Web. 22 Sep. 2016 .

Ziv, Ido, and Mali Kiasi. "Facebook's Contribution To Well-Being Among Adolescent And Young Adults
As A Function Of Mental Resilience." Journal Of Psychology 150.4 (2016): 527-541. Academic
Search Premier. Web. 13 Sept. 2016.