Tony Stringer, 2018
The internet and social media are clearly a threat to social norms. When renowned English poet and decorated soldier, Wilfred Owen (1917), wrote his famous poem “Anthem for Doomed Youth”, he made veiled references to the weaponised products of the industrial revolution that wiped out close to a generation of young men during the First World War. Western society recovered from that tumult, but does the rise of the internet equate to a modern industrial revolution? Is there a possibility that at least some of the internet’s applications, such as social media, could have such an impact on social norms that it metaphorically dooms another generation of young and emerging adults?
This is important stuff that we should all care about, if the rise and rise of active social media use is anything to go by. In their own financial declarations, Facebook (2018) reported 2.13 billion active monthly users in December 2017, increasing by 14% from the previous year and doubling in popularity in the last five years. The photo-sharing and social networking site Instagram is also extremely popular amongst adolescents, who spend vast amounts of time engaged so as to avoid the “fear of missing out” (Underwood & Ehrenreich, 2017, p.145). This last point is the crux of why we should care; there is a popular misconception that individuals are predominantly responsible for their own behaviour, when in fact the external world and all manner of social situations and influences (Aronson, Wilson, Akert & Sommers, 2018) are fundamental to the way we act and integrate with others. In essence, social media is teaching our kids how to act in the world!
It may surprise you to learn that while the popularity of social networking sites is exploding, scientific research related to the actual behavioural implications for young people are relatively meagre (Anderson, Fagan, Woodnutt & Chamorro-Premuzic, 2012), although in recent years psychologists are trying to catch up. There are implications for personal identities and relationships, emotional and psychological wellbeing, learning, privacy and personal/professional boundaries (Anderson et al., 2012). There is good news and bad in what we have been able to glean so far about the impacts of social media. Some of these are worth mentioning.
Social media exposure can lead to risky teen behaviour. Youths (13-15 year olds) are strongly influenced by slightly older peers and around 30% of older adolescents post pictures and comment on how teen alcohol-use is normal (Litt & Stock, 2011). Besides the obvious problem that underage-drinking is illegal, teens pick and choose what they add to their profile pages in a seemingly unending quest to be popular (Mikorski & Szymanski, 2016). Pictures with and references to alcohol are “cool”, but what is posted may have been contrived so as
to make the poster look good to e-friends. Unfortunately, many adolescents believe that what they see on social media reflects real behaviour (Fournier, Hall, Ricke & Storey, 2013), and as a result, even risky behaviour such as teen drinking, is perceived as the norm, and subsequently copied. Personal relationships are not immune from influence either.
You may be pleased to learn that one group of researchers (O’Sullivan and Ronis,2013) found that when it comes to young love, most adolescents adopt the western norm of partner exclusivity, even if you would prefer your own teenagers to remain single and celibate! However, they did uncover a darker side, where the level of sex-related messaging and erotic/illicit photo-sharing between teens is on the rise. This in turn is related to increased sexual permissiveness, in children as young as 10, who have turned to the internet to learn about sex. Mikorski & Szymanski (2016), whom I acknowledged earlier, also noted that teen access to pornography has never been easier. Unfortunately, they found that this is often portrayed in such a way as to dehumanise women, which ultimately serves to distort the masculine gender role so that many young men think the sexual objectification of women, potentially leading to inappropriate behaviour, is acceptable.
When it comes to teen wellbeing, social media is also a minefield. Kids have always teased other kids, but the advent of social media has seen a meteoric rise in online, or cyber- bullying (Widgerson & Lynch, 2013). This style of personal harassment, which goes well beyond the school playground into the bedroom, has been shown to be associated with increased emotional problems and lower academic success for children. Social media has also given a voice to young people who share their personal stories of depression and self- harm (Cavazos-Rehg et al., 2016). Tragically, those who view such posts (or cries for help), are not always sympathetic, encouraging everything up to suicide in a macabre and anonymous bastardisation that corrupts normal social conversations. I’m sure you’ll join me in hoping that teens encouraging other teens to kill themselves will not become a central theme of their new anthem!
All of these examples may paint a slightly disturbing picture for parents, who hopefully now are asking, do I really know what my kids are up to online? Clearly the world in which we, who are 30 plus, grew up in has changed. This, therefore, is a cautionary tale. The internet is clearly not the panacea of all ills, and it will add to our problems from time-to-time. But a word to the wise; if we are keen to pass to our kids those social norms and expectations that we grew up with, we must educate ourselves about the potential threats posed in this new, internet age, with all of its perils and pitfalls. Whether we like it or not, social media is an educator that is heavily used by adolescents and young adults. Perhaps a general call to arms is needed to turn its power of persuasion and influence on the negatives, into something that only grows the positive side of human nature. I reckon this could be a tough ask.
References
Anderson, B., Fagan, P., Woodnutt, T., & Chamorro-Premuzic, T. (2012). Facebook psychology: Popular questions answered by research. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 1(1), 23-37. http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.une.edu.au/10.1037/a0026452
Aronson, E., Wilson, T., Akert, R.M., & Sommers, S.R. (2018). Social Psychology (9th ed.). Harlow, United Kingdom: Pearson Education Limited.
Cavazos-Rehg, P., Krauss, M. J., Sowles, S. J., Connolly, S., Rosas, C., Bharadwaj, M., Bierut, L. J. (2017). An analysis of depression, self-harm, and suicidal ideation content on tumblr. Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention, 38(1), 44-52. http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.une.edu.au/10.1027/0227-5910/a000409
Facebook Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2017 Results. (2018, January 31). Facebook Investor Relations. Retrieved from https://investor.fb.com/investor-news/press- release-details/2018/Facebook-Reports-Fourth-Quarter-and-Full-Year-2017- Results/default.aspx
Fournier, A. K., Hall, E., Ricke, P., & Storey, B. (2013). Alcohol and the social network: Online social networking sites and college students’ perceived drinking norms. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 2(2), 86-95. http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.une.edu.au/10.1037/a0032097
Litt, D. M., & Stock, M. L. (2011). Adolescent alcohol-related risk cognitions: The roles of social norms and social networking sites. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 25(4), 708-713. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.une.edu.au/10.1037/a0024226
Mikorski, R., & Szymanski, D. M. (2017). Masculine norms, peer group, pornography, facebook, and men’s sexual objectification of women. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 18(4), 257-267. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.une.edu.au/10.1037/men0000058
O’Sullivan, L. F., & Ronis, S. T. (2013). Virtual cheating hearts: Extradyadic and poaching interactions among adolescents with links to online sexual activities. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science/Revue Canadienne Des Sciences Du Comportement, 45(3), 175-184. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.une.edu.au/10.1037/a0031683
Owen, W. (1917). Anthem for doomed youth. Retrieved from http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/owen2.html
Rutledge, C. M., Gillmor, K. L., & Gillen, M. M. (2013). Does this profile picture make me look fat? Facebook and body image in college students. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 2(4), 251-258. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.une.edu.au/10.1037/ppm0000011
Underwood, M. K., & Ehrenreich, S. E. (2017). The power and the pain of adolescents’ digital communication: Cyber victimization and the perils of lurking. American Psychologist, 72(2), 144-158. http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.une.edu.au/10.1037/a0040429
Wigderson, S., & Lynch, M. (2013). Cyber- and traditional peer victimization: Unique relationships with adolescent well-being. Psychology of Violence, 3(4), 297-309. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.une.edu.au/10.1037/a0033657
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