Introduction
While taking a walk around a college campus full of young adults, it’s not at all uncommon to see many students looking down at a screen in their hand. Most people wouldn’t think anything of this because of the technological dependency our world now has. At the same time, while riding along on a bus full of high school students, it’s also no surprise that they too are consumed by some type of electronic device. An article found on the Pew Research Center’s website shows a survey conducted in March 2018 until April 2018, that states, “ninety-five percent of teenagers say that they have a smartphone or access to one (Anderson, Jiang, 2018, 2).” Along with this easy accessibility to smartphones, comes the effortless downloading of social media networking apps. This brings along the risk for major consequences, both good and bad, on young people’s minds. Today, more than ever, media has very impactful effects on the youth.
Theoretical Framework
The functionalist perspective looks at the world and society as parts that are connected and must work together to create an overall balance for the society as a whole (Mooney, Knox, and Schacht, 2007, 3). In other words, functionalists, more often than not, have a positive outlook on whatever situation they are considering. They believe that each part of a society, is a necessary function to hold everything at an equilibrium. For an example, when looking at religion, they would say that it gives its followers some type of moral rules and order to follow. Therefore, religion does something for the overall goodness of society.
When looking at the effects of media on youth’s minds, the functionalist perspective would say that social media helps people connect from around the world which can be looked at as a very positive thing for society. By way of illustration, say that there is a young high school student dealing with bullying at his or her public school. Functionalists would say that the ability to connect with other young students from around the world that may be dealing with the same real life experiences, could help the student develop as an individual. It could help that particular student not feel as if he or she is alone in dealing with bullying which can sometimes be a very tough uphill battle.
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In some cases, bullying can be so mentally damaging, that it can push young people to the edge and in result, terrible things such as taking one’s own life can occur. However, if the student feels they have friends that they hold connections with, that alone, gives them some hope and chances of suicide decrease. Functionalists would say that by youth suicide rates decreasing and individuals being able to develop, it contributes to the overall good of society. The functionalist perspective fits with the idea of media having strong positive effects on young people’s minds because it shows how creating friendships and connections online can ultimately bring good to the overall balance of a society.
Methodology
According to an article published by the Global Institute for Research and Education, “due to their limited capacity for self-regulation and susceptibility to peer pressure, children and adolescents at are some risks as they navigate and experiment with social media (Undiyaundeye, 2014, 3).” Unlike the positive effects that the functionalist perspective focuses on, there have been surveys conducted on teenagers that show the drastic effects that social media, specifically social networking sites, have on them.
In an article written by Rachel Ehmke found on the Child Mind Institute’s website, says, “experts worry that the social media and text messages that have become so integral to teenage life are promoting anxiety and lowering self-esteem (Ehmke).” The results of a survey conducted by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH), prove just this. In their Social Media and Mental Health Report, they write, “our own research has shown that young people themselves say four of the five most used social media platforms actually make their feelings of anxiety worse (RSPH).”
Taking into account both the positive effects of social media believed in by the functionalist perspective and the survey coordinated by the Royal Society for Public Health, the effects of social media on young minds are seemingly split between being positive and negative.
Discussion
Based on the functionalist perspective, social media can have positive effects on young people’s minds and lives. There are many examples of the good things it can do for a teenager. Not only can social media create online friendships, preventing a young person from feeling alone, as mentioned previously, but, media also provides an entertainment function. Along with social networking apps, media also includes online gaming or other entertainment platforms such as YouTube. These games and videos are more often than not purely for someone’s entertainment. Functionalists would say that a function of media is to entertain people which therefore helps the overall good of a society (Lumen).
It helps the overall good because it not only makes people happy, but it also can create the connection between the person creating the game or video and the person playing or watching the game or video. Another function of media in the perspective of a functionalist, is the social norm function (Lumen). For instance, it is common for when one online store begins selling an abundance of one type of shirt, other stores will try to recreate that shirt in order to also make more money. This can happen with young people online as well. When one young person is seen in a picture posted online wearing a certain sweater that someone else finds cool, they may go out and purchase one just like it. It then becomes the social norm to have this certain sweater. Functionalists focus on all of the functions performed by the media to determine how it helps the overall good of the society.
After studying media through the eyes of a functionalist, the conclusion has been made that media does indeed have very significant effects on a young person’s mind and interestingly enough, there seem to be more positive effects than negative. Aforementioned, there are many functions of the media that ultimately assist in the balancing of a society.
Conclusion
Nowadays, while being a part of the youth’s everyday lives, media has very significant effects on their minds. Discussed earlier on were both positive and negative effects that media can have on young people’s minds. With the rational part of the brain not fully developed until the age of twenty-five, adolescents’ minds are very impressionable. The content that the media holds that these teenagers are viewing can significantly affect them and their lives.
According to the functionalist perspective, there are more positive outcomes of the connection between young people and the media than negative outcomes. These include things like online friendships, entertainment, and fitting in with their peers. While there does seem to be more likelihood of good things emerged from young people being subjected to the media, there are survey results arguing that media is detrimental to the self-esteems of adolescents.
