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Stephanee Yager

Professor Malcolm Campbell

English 1103

16 February 2015

Topic Proposal: Generation Y and Social Media

Introduction/Overview

Recent studies have shown that a vast number of individuals from Generation Y, are apt

to have addictive tendencies due to the overuse of social media. For my Extended Inquiry

Project, I will be analyzing the probable negative effects of excessive consumption of social

media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and what may be causing these adverse

outcomes. The research will further lead to what these findings will mean for our future, and how

the internet will impact our society as a whole.

The rapid development of social media in today’s society, makes it almost impossible for

millennials to not take part in the movement. Staying logged in is a part of life. There seems to

be many benefits from networking, such as connectivity, the quickness of spreading news, and

business promotion/advertisement efficiency. All of these aspects seem so appealing to the naked

eye, but according to UCLA psychiatric professor, Gary Small, it may be taking a bigger toll on

our brains than we think: “The current explosion of digital technology not only is changing the

way we live and communicate, but is rapidly and profoundly altering our brains.” Small

conducted an experiment where he analyzed the blood flow and brain activity on individuals who

were browsing the internet. Some of the subjects were regular internet users, while the others

were naïve to the subject. He discovered the brain activity in the daily users was much greater

than those who were not; however, as the experiment continued, the naïve users surfed the web

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more which caused their brain activity increased dramatically. Many people suggest this may be

a benefit to society, but further research shows “When we go online, we enter an environment

that promotes cursory reading, hurried and distracted thinking, and superficial learning,”

(Nicholas Carr, Adapted from The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains,

wired.com).

Majority of the research I conducted was online. I found many scholarly articles through

Google Scholar and the UNCC Library database. Initial questions I asked were: What are the

long term effects of constant internet use? Which then led to: Why is my generation so obsessed

with social media? Then it made me wonder: what are the negative effects revolving your life

around social media? Finally I was curious as to what this may mean for our future.

Advancing into my research I found many pros and cons of social media itself. The pros

include: quick spread of information, sense of connection, efficiency, and business promotion.

The cons include: the brainwashing of youth, lack of privacy, lower grades, wasted time,

promotes stress and social isolation, cyber bullying, and addiction, just to name a few

(socialnetworking.procon.org). I believe this is a very complex topic with many points of view.

For example, parents and teachers may argue that social media is causing a major interference or

distraction in our day to day lives, while students may argue it is beneficial and a way to stay

connected with everyone.

Initial Inquiry Questions

In order to narrow my subject and come up with a specific topic, I asked questions such

as: How does the internet alter our way of thinking? Why do millennials feel the need to

constantly check social media? How does social media effect the youth aspects of self-esteem?

How is technology going to change the way our future will turn out? Does internet use promote

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complex or simple thinking processes? How does social media effect an individual’s ability to

engage in face-to-face social interactions?

My Interest in this Topic

I am interested in the relationship between social media and millennials, because it

involves my generation. It is a relevant and controversial topic which has a huge impact on the

way we live, and what this means for future ways of life. As technology is advancing, our

generation is growing with it; it is becoming a part of everyday life. I also am very interested in

the field of psychology, so while I look at the effects social media has on our minds, I will get to

discover psychological information, such as addictive tendencies as well.

Next Steps

I will mainly be conducting my research through the use of scholarly articles. I will try to

use databases to find scientific data to support the psychological studies. The Huffington post

and The New York Times also have relevant and trustworthy information. Finding debates on

this topic will help enlighten both negative and positives sides, so that the reader can have a

better understanding of it. I will also look into charts and videos for a more visual understanding,

and to prove how relevant social media use is in today’s society.