Problem-Solution Essay Draft 1

The increasing prevalence of the Internet and social networking sites has broken down existing geographical barriers, leading to the condensation of time and space. The Internet has provided an accessible platform for all kinds of activities, ranging from ibanking to online video conference call, thus bringing about great ease to our daily lives. However, such ubiquitous use can result in the infringement of privacy, harassment, circulation of false information and many other criminal acts that will affect the wellbeing of individuals. The online community was never a safe place to be in in the first place.

The imperative issue at hand regarding the Internet and social networking sites would be its impacts on youths in today’s society. The widespread use of social networking platforms among the adolescents nowadays has led to their unprecedented detachment from social life. The pervasive use of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media platforms among the technological savvy teenagers of the 21^st century can inevitably lead to the creation of an apathetic society. The depravation of social life means that youths nowadays are unable to receive social cues and interact with people on a face-to-face basis. As such, relevant parties, especially the family, friends and schools, have to take measures to reintegrate teenagers into society once again.

According to Sproull and Kiesler (1985) (Bargh and McKenna, 2004), computed-mediated communication (CMC) is an “impoverished form of communication”. It will reduce the availability of social cues, resulting in the production of a “behaviour that is more self-centered and less socially regulated than the usual”. This can have negative impacts on social interaction. The over-reliance on the Internet as a tool of communication will eventually erode youth’s ability to carry out a proper face-to-face conversation. This makes it even harder for youths to integrate into a society that thrives on real time interaction. What makes the matter worst is that “social media sites can make it more difficult for youths to distinguish between the meaningful relationships they foster in the real world and the numerous casual relationships formed through social media” (Jung, n.d.). It gives rise to this false sense of connection that will only encourage the detachment of youths from the real physical world.

No proper solutions have actually been given to curb this surging problem. There have however been a lot of suggestions online, ironically, to inform parents and hopefully youths about the negative effects of the Internet and social networking sites. These articles urged parents to save their children by engaging them in activities that will allow them disconnect from the online world. Parents can encouraged children to pick up a new hobby that does not involve the Internet, or carry out family bonding activities like exercising or playing board games that can serve to distract youths from the contrived online world. Schools on the other hand can emphasise on the disconnection from the online community by actively encouraging students to take part in school-based activities such as representing the school in a sport or performing art, organising field trips and even camps. Such a variety of programmes will focus on the engagement of youths, which will then serve to forge a greater interaction between youths and the society. Youths will also be able to gain more appreciation towards their surroundings, instead of constantly immersing themselves in the intangible online world.

However, the above given suggestions have long been used and applied before. Schools do provide activities, camps and field trips for students, and many people do value family bonding session. Yet, youths are still spending way too much time on the Internet and social networking sites. This problem could be largely due to the fact that the Internet is easily accessible on their mobile phones. In 2012 and 2013, a game, know as the ‘Phone stack game’, became popular in many parts of the world. The game requires diners to stack their phones in the middle of the table, and whoever touches their device first will have to foot the bill (Tell, 2013). Such practice will not only allow youths to momentarily disengage from the online world, but will also effectively give them the chance to conduct real time communication with their friends and forge a more substantial relationship with their peers. As such, influences from friends will also encourage the detachment from the virtual world. Perhaps, what we need to do most is to set aside solid rules and regulations that will serve the purpose of reintegrating youths back into the society, instead of just advising them and the relevant parties on what they should do.

Youths’ lives are heavily reliant on the Internet as technology advances. It has become almost impossible for people to isolate themselves from the online world, but it is possible for them to acknowledge the importance of forming tangible relationship with one another. Such awareness is vital in making sure that youths will not detach from the society. The creation of such awareness will them be the most useful solution to curb this impending problem.

(828 words)

References:

Bargh, J.A., McKenna, K.Y.A. (2004). The internet and social life. Annual Review of Psychology, 55, 573-590.

Jung, B. (n.d.). The negative effects of social media on society and individuals. Small Business. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/negative-effect-social-media-society-individuals-27617.html

Sproull, L., Kiesler, S. (1985). Reducing social context cues: electronic mail in organizational communication. Management Science, 11, 1492-1512.

Tell, C. (2013, September 20). Step away from the phone! The New York Times. Retreived from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/22/fashion/step-away-from-the-phone.htm