Peer pressure is being influenced to do something that they wouldn't have done without that little push from others. If smoking is something you've pledged never to do, peer pressure might be able to change that. One of the worst feelings in the world is the feeling of being left out. So the easy way to prevent that is to do what everyone else is doing, even if it's not the right thing to do. You can see what the popular kids are doing at school or around the neighborhood, but the easiest way to find what popular kids do is on social media. The popular kids post the things they do, then other people copy their actions to try and fit in. They can be small things like buying the cool clothes, or they can be dangerous things like smoking and drinking. Peer pressure on social media is an issue because people are getting peer pressured through just pictures and by people they don't even know. Although social media can help you fit in, the pressure to do so can take you to dangerous lengths.
Teenagers are influenced to drink and party everyday. Friends might tell them things like, "You have to come to the party, everybody's going," or, "Just one drink, have some fun." But nowadays, nobody has to tell you anything to influence you. You just have to see pictures on social media. "American researchers who studied 1,500 15 and 16 year old students from a Los Angeles High School have found that those individuals who saw more pictures of their friends partying or drinking online were more likely to try drinking and partying themselves." The things people would do to fit in can be physically dangerous to them. The one drink could turn into an addiction. And that addiction makes people alcoholics. Also, seeing the influencing photos of peers drinking online doesn't up the likeliness of drinking by a little. Another study found that, "Teens who have come across these kinds of photos are 3 times more likely to have consumed alcohol." One quick check on your social media feed could make you 3 times more likely to be an underage drinker. Social media makes peer pressure so dangerous because friends, celebrities, and even random strangers can influence someone. Also, being on social media means you have to fit in on social media. People have to let their followers know that they're doing cool things. They feel the need to be aproved by everybody, known and unknown. This condition of needing to fit in has become so common that it has earned a name, "FoMO: Fear of Missing Out... where people are concerned that others way be having more fun than them." The thought of being left out causes people to give into peer pressure. It makes them do wrong things to avoid being called "lame or unpopular". The issue of peer pressure on social media is on a global scale and it's getting more dangerous everyday.
In school, social status is everything. You have to wear the nice clothes, have the nice things, and have the cool friends. And the way to prove to everyone you have all of these things is social media. Social media has become so important in teenagers' everyday lives that they feel obligated to prove themselves online. "59% of teens feel a lot of pressure to post popular content that makes them look good to others." If a teenager gets a new phone, they feel pressure to post about it so people ask questions. Then, it translates into real life where people ask more questions. When a lot of people want to talk to you, it feels good. Also, social media is open to the whole world which makes the amount of people to impress a lot grander. Pressure from social media builds up and overtakes priorities like school, family, and friends. "One girl in the focus group explained how the pressure to post cool content on Instagram led to the end of a friendship." Social media is all they think about. Although teenagers think that social media is harmless, they are unaware of what is actually happening to them. "...as Facebook interactions interact, self-esteem drops." Teenagers constantly feel pressure from social media.
"Nearly 23% of high school students use tobacco products... and smoke." And these 23% of high school students feel pressure to post pictures and videos of themselves using these products. These posts are open for everyone to see. In that moment when another teenager comes across one of them, their likeliness of joining increases drastically. "75% of teenagers seeing photos on social networks of other teens smoking weed encourages them to do the same." With so many posts of peers smoking, teens feel they are left out of the fun. It may be fun and make you more popular, but the long term effects are not worth it. The smoke that gathers in the lungs can result in lung cancer and brain damage. But teens want to have as much fun as they can, so they join the 23% of teens that already smoke. Then, the new smokers get pressured into posting pictures of themselves joining the party. It's a peer pressure cycle. "Each day, more than 3,200 people younger than 18 years of age smoke their first cigarette." Peer pressure is dangerous because it happens everyday. Scrolling through social media pressures millions of teens to fall in the cycle without them even knowing.
In conclusion, social media has turned into something it was not planned to be. It has turned into a gateway for peer pressure. And it was so easy to become this because it is so accessible to everyone. Not only friends and peers, but strangers can influence adolescents online. Drinking, partying, and smoking has increased since the invention of social networks. Also, being on social media alone has given more than half of teens pressure to look attractive to everyone else. This issue needs to be stopped because peer pressure is growing like bacteria. Not everyone has to do the same things to be cool. Social media isn't the way to grow popularity. Be unique to be known. Do things noone else does. Being special is the way to fight peer pressure.
No comments:
Post a Comment