Calderon 1

Benjamin Calderon

English 115

J. Rodrick

9/21/19

Project Web

59 percent of people between the ages of 18 to 29 reported that social media had a

reasonable amount of influence. While young adults spend a lot of time on social media which

can cause serious problems, they use social media more to form their identities which benefits

them to get through their late adolescence, establish new friends, transition in education, and

have moral support and boosted self-esteem since they grew up with technology around them. In

this argumentative essay we will discuss how technology (more or less mainly about social

media) has shaped many people in our new, young generation.

Young people tend to use social media more since they use it to adapt to the transition

from high school to a university, especially a faraway one, and to build new relationships and as

well as keep in touch with old friendships. As Thomas states in her introduction paragraph,

“Adolescents rely on upon social media (SM) as a core component of their social lives and will

typically use SM to build new peer affiliations, manage existing relationships and stay informed

about social activities within their network”. The transition to a university can sometimes be very

awkward, especially when you are alone in a totally different environment, but social media can

help prevent or well at least make it less awkward and difficult because all you can do now with

a click of a button is see someone that goes to the same school and compare classes and meet

amazing people. Social media will lead the young people to the right path to success, while
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technology develops so will the people using it. Also, you will develop more character when the

transition is more smoothly because that will be one less thing to worry about.

Social media aids young adults in a time of confusion and a state of seeking to find out

who they are. In Villanti’s article, he says, “Young adulthood, frequently defined as the period

from the late teens through the 20s, is the critical time for self-identity construction”. Social

media serves as a guide for young people to finding one’s true self and identity. Seeing other

people post something that they like makes them feel more connected or also if they are

embarrassed by their interest, maybe seeing someone else post it will give them a bit of relief and

also more confident. Social media will be a big impact on a young person’s life which will help

identify who they are. Also, Villanti says “Social media plays an important role in shaping self-

beliefs and perceived social norms by inviting other people’s feedback and shaping further

modification of self-representation”. Social can have greeter positive impact for young adults

that are conscious about themselves and help shape them become the better version of

themselves. Social media is evolving because technology is evolving and people can’t do nothing

about it so they adapt to it and might as well use it to their advantage or use it for their own

benefit.

Social media can develop one’s identity by posting what they want others to see. For

instance, in an article by Chia-Chen Yang, it says, " Facebook users are likely to encounter

reassuring comments or “likes’ from the audience when reviewing or updating their own

Facebook pages, making it a self-esteem bolstering experience”. If these young adults don’t get

the support and boost self-esteem, they are never going to shape their identity. The boost of self-

esteem because of something you posted that you like and or even a picture of you can come a

long. It starts to give you confidence and being more passionate on what you like which gives
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you a set mindset. No social media means there wouldn’t be a quick form of communication to

others and to see what is happening around the world because information on social media

platforms gets around more quickly and immediately than on the news or any other form of

communication. If no one is creating their own identities then this planet would be a quiet, very

confused world. Social media is more valuable to our generation since it helps young adults with

their identity.

While many argue that some don’t even use social media at all or the extreme usage of

social media for young adults causes serious health problems but is more beneficial to young

adults. In Bobkowski’s article it says, “Compared to social media users, non-adopters had less

economic stability, more fractured educational trajectories, and weaker support from parents and

friends”. Although social media can cause problems, the non-use of social can lead to many other

problems such as no help/support, stability, and no identity. The use of social media to form

one’s identity outweighs the way of old school with no social media consumption at all.

Technology, as well as social media, can establish identity even if there are some negatives to it.

Social media has many aspects to our generation such as the idea of technology is

evolving, false personas, acquiring one’s identity. If social media wasn’t here today, the world

would be a different a place with many having to adjust to a new, unknown, environment the old

way. Social will only continue to help us and it will change over time. Social media: forms new

friendships with new people, helps in a way to get a sense of identity, and also a bit of high self-

esteem and confidence.

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Many don’t know who they are without social media and make it apart of their life. While

many care about likes and popularity, many use social media to configure all the pieces

together to make them whole and complete which are usually the youth.
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Bobkowski, Piotr, and Jessica Smith. “Social Media Divide: Characteristics of Emerging Adults

Who Do Not Use Social Network Websites.” Media, Culture & Society, vol. 35, no. 6,

2013, pp. 771–781. https://doi-org.libproxy.csun.edu/10.1177%2F0163443713491517.

Accessed 22 September 2019. This article pretty much talks about the negatives when

you use social media or use it every day. Non-adaptors lack support, stability, and wealth

since they haven’t adapted to social media.

Statistics Netherlands. “More and More Young Adults Addicted to Social Media.” Statistics

Netherlands, Centraal Bureau Voor De Statistiek, 18 May 2018, https://www.cbs.nl/en-

gb/news/2018/20/more-and-more-young-adults-addicted-to-social-media. . Quote and

statistic from first paragraph.

“Social Media Can Boost Self Esteem in Young People, Experts Suggest.” Toledo Blade,

https://www.toledoblade.com/Medical/2017/10/29/Social-media-can-boost-self-esteem-

in-young-people-experts-suggest.html.

Thomas, et al. “Understanding Social Media and Identity Work in Young People Transitioning to

University.” Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 76, no. C, 2017, pp. 541–553. ISSN

0747-5632, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.08.021. Accessed 22 September 2019.

Social media has evolved over time and has had a great influence on people’s lives,

especially the young ones. This article basically is talking about how social media is a

way for students, particularly transitioning university students, to find themselves and

how social media helps give the students a form of identity. Study showed that young
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people use social media to help them transition, manage identity, and achieve maintaining

their privacy.

Villanti, Andrea C et al. “Social Media Use and Access to Digital Technology in US Young

Adults in 2016.” Journal of medical Internet research vol. 19,6 e196. 7 Jun. 2017,

doi:10.2196/jmir.7303. Accessed 22 September 2019. This article is about a study to see

how much social media is being used by young adults from 2014 – 2016. To see how

young adults, correspond to forming their own identity and what else does the use of

technology/ social media cause but mainly the usage of social media.

Yang, C. & Bradford Brown, B. J Youth Adolescence (2016) 45: 402. https://doi-

org.libproxy.csun.edu/10.1007/s10964-015-0385-y . Accessed 22 September 2019.

This article is about the effects of social media on adolescents.