Jacqueline+(social+media)

Jacqueline Hammers 2/20/2011 Hartman Proposal Social Media in Teens In this day in age it is hard to find someone who is not involved within some aspect of social media. Social media can be classified as interconnectivity via technology tools. These technology tools are typically seen in the form of cell phones or a social networking website. Considering I am an education major, I will inevitably have to face many problems associated with social media, which really sparks my interest within this subject. I plan to answer the question of: What are the negative effects of social media within teens and what can be done to help mend these problems? This subject seems like it would have much controversy considering how recently it has become a main stream topic. With it being so new, people are likely not sure how to react and handle situations involving negative effects of social media. The topic can also be disputed over what is indeed a social media issue within teens as compared to a situation of “kids just being kids.” Throughout my years in high school more and more rules were implemented on banning social media usage during school. I have also noticed that as I grow up social media is being used within younger individuals in comparison to when I was younger. When I was growing up the only reason my peers had cell phones were for usage in cases where they had car troubles or needed picked up from an athletic practice, but nowadays nearly every kid I see has a cell phone and it is being put to use for much more social needs. Considering the integration of social media at such young ages now leads me to believe that many problems are bound to arise and only get worse as time progresses and our country becomes more technologically advanced. There was an issue within my high school that really opened up my eyes to the negative effects of social media. A girl within my high school sent an inappropriate picture to a boy via a text message and it quickly spread throughout my school. This girl ended up being tormented and ended up having long term detrimental problems branching from this situation. The cops ended up getting involved and the boy who sent around the picture nearly ended up going to jail. This whole situation showed to me just how serious of problems can arise from social media and how they can leave a lasting negative impact on those involved. I feel as if social media is a great innovation of our day in age, but at the same time carries with it many negative effects. I firmly believe that as teens within our society become more and more involved with social media, we will see an increase in bullying, inappropriate messages, distracted driving, and inability to socialize in person. Considering social media seems to be a growing trend and does not seem to be going away any time soon, the problems involved with it cannot be ignored and need to be learned to be dealt with accordingly. Considering nearly everyone within our society in this day in age seems to be involved with some sort of social media, it is a very relevant topic. The problems involved with social media within teens can be useful information to nearly anyone reading my research paper. Even if you are not encountering problems within social media within this age group, the problems and solutions can likely be handled with very similarly, and thus being a useful research topic for every audience member. Although the research question will be applicable to any audience member, the groups that will most benefit from it will be teens and parents, considering both of these groups will have likely have to deal with social media issues within their lifetimes. Over the next month I will spend my time researching this topic through many different sources. I know there is a lot of information available about this subject on the internet and assume likewise with books, considering how populated the social media users category is. I also assist at Albany Elementary School and can conduct interviews with my teacher who has experienced social media issues first hand and can give me a very unique insight into my research topic. 

Jacqueline Hammers 2/27/2011 Research Plan 1. For my research I will need to find data on sexting, texting and driving, and bullying via cellphones within teens. I will need to find statistics on how many teens use a cellphone and look into how many people abuse at least one of my three topics. Opinions will also be important, considering that these problems are very universal and dealt with by many parents and teachers. I will look into what is currently being done to help combat these problems, such as laws being enforced. Finding out how people can deal with these issues will also be important. I will also look into finding big news stories regarding specific instances that will allow the reader to help connect. 2. For the statistics and how to help with these problems sections, I will use the Ball State library’s multi search option, along with Google Scholar. When looking into opinions for my topics, I will consult with parents, teens, and teachers for my research. In order to find out specific stories on my topics I will watch news channels and read newspapers and magazine articles. 3. February 28- Find two sources for my research March 1- Find two more sources for my research March 2- Find my last source and make sure I am happy with my five sources March 3- Write research proposal and review March 4- Turn in revised research proposal and review