Teens, tweets and tensions

Recent studies indicate that social networking sites offer both risks and benefits to teens.
Negative wall posts etc may cause adolescent anxiety on the one hand, and these sites
may teach introvert teens to socialise, on the other hand. Shoma A. Chatterji checks out

WHAT is social networking? It is a virtual social world where you make friends, exchange photographs, strike business deals, play games, fall in love, split, fight, argue and quarrel without having met these people in flesh and blood. Is this good for friendships, business, love and long-lasting relationships? Or does it eat into direct contact by taking you away from your immediate family, real friends and work? Does it get youngsters addicted to different forms of social networking?

More than 150 million people use Facebook to keep in touch with friends, share photographs and videos and post regular updates of their movements and thoughts. A further six million have signed up on Twitter, the micro-blogging service that lets users circulate text messages about themselves. But while the sites are popular — and extremely profitable — a growing number of psychologists and neuroscientists believe they may be doing more harm than good. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Ibibo are said to shorten attention spans, encourage instant gratification and make young people more self-centred.

Social networking sites (SNSs) have their own pros and cons. They serve to be a good medium to stay connected with friends and family, to meet new people, and make new friends. Often, we see people using the platform to make important announcements, inform each other about new businesses and personal developments in one's life. It serves as an effective method for reaching out to people and get instant reactions. Those who are shy and slow to warm up are seen to find this a safer zone to initiate conversations. It is less threatening and gives the space to be out there, yet not lose your control. This can be comforting for people who are otherwise fearful of having to make direct, head-on conversation with others. Our society is not a homogeneous group. It comprises all kinds of people, from varying backgrounds and mindset. This can neither be controlled nor overlooked.

Siddharth Iyer, who began logging on to Facebook when he was on the cusp of adolescence, is very positive about his experience on the site. He is logged in for an average of 15 to 16 hours a day and around 105 hours in a week! "I have made some good friends, also learnt some unknown things about my friends, have been able to showcase my musical, trekking and photography talents to a large audience due to social networking." But he admits that it can be extremely addictive. "I used to read a lot more than I do now due to time spent on the Internet. It has happened that my social networking has eaten into my real relationships time."

Delhi-based psychiatrist Dr Sanjay Chugh says, "Any technological creation used in moderation, to a degree where it doesn't affect other important aspects of one's life, is acceptable. Problems arise when it is misused, abused or when one becomes dependent on it in a manner where it starts to take a toll on one's overall quality of life. This stands true even for social networking sites. Often, people, especially youngsters suffering from insomnia, are reported to be hooked on to these sites all through the night. This dependence, in turn, continues to maintain the insomnia, as the person may not be able to withdraw and focus on other lifestyle changes that need to be created in order to deal with the problem. Similarly, it is seen that those who are depressed and experience acute boredom, tend to find refuge in logging on to networking sites and eventually get hooked to it as the only medium for social engagement."

Dr Chugh says that problems arise mainly because most of these sites have an age criteria where one needs to be 18 or above to create an account and start accessing it. "But unfortunately, there is little attention paid to this and we see children as young as 10 using Facebook. In such cases, it is important that parental supervision is maintained, for often the site's privacy settings may not be very secure by itself. Due to this, young children may get exposed to information, material that may not be age appropriate. Children's mental and emotional maturity level to understand certain kind of content must be kept in mind," he says.

Social media websites, such as Facebook and Twitter, have become nearly inescapable facets of modern life, particularly for kids. A new report suggests they can have real benefits and risks for children. These sites, and virtual gaming worlds, allow users to interact with each other and they are where children and adolescents are spending a lot, if not most, of their free time, according to a report on the impact of social media just released by the`A0American Academy of Paediatrics. The report, published online on March 28, 2011, in`A0Paediatrics, says that more than half of adolescents log on to a social media website at least once a day, and nearly one-quarter of teens say they log on to their favourite social media sites 10 or more times each day.

Dr Sanjukta Dasgupta, dean, humanities, Calcutta University, says, "Social networking is more a fad in India. We are perhaps identifying the English-speaking youth population who regard themselves as the Che Guevaras of cyber space. After all, the virtual space is also about performing incognito. Perhaps it encourages the reclusive, introvert folks to engage socially without coming into face-to-face contact. The blogs are fascinating, for without realising it, young people are perhaps honing their composition skills. The essay writing as compulsory homework has been replaced by blogs, composition writing is voluntarily undertaken. It has generated countless writers and readers, and this is very good." But she adds that exposure to audiovisual and social media throughout their adolescence makes them sceptical, disillusioned and even cynical by the time they reach adulthood. It is a strange and very significant phenomenon. Inspired adolescents drugged into consuming media stories and images become so indifferent by the time they reach adulthood.

In a recent debate on the pros and cons of social networking by youngsters, Anuj Tiwari (name changed), a student, said, "Social networking on the Internet is important in this day and age because the Net is the place to be for everything. People head to the Internet to shop, to sell things, to learn things, to meet others and to find what they’re looking for. And the Internet is full of Web 2.0 social networking sites and tools that make it very easy to connect with others. You want to involve yourself heavily in social networking via the web because the reach you’ll have is literally global — you have the potential of coming into contact with millions of others. You can make friends and make business contacts. These will impact your future success with an online business."

He cites the positive side of social media networking. In 2001, Ajay Mamuktala from Mumbai was able to raise around 20 lakh from a campaign he ran on Twitter for cancer patients. In 2005, John Bunnel, a US-based sheriff was able to mobilise 5000 youngsters for a basic life-support training campaign only through his Facebook campaigns. In 2008, President Barack Obama reached out to millions of people on a very personal level with the help of Twitter. And the latest are the Facebook and other online campaigns in support of Anna Hazare’s fight against corruption. This is what social networking can do for people.

Sanjay Jain (name changed), however, does not agree. "It is especially the younger ones who are more prone to being addicted to SNSs. They have taken to it like they were earlier gripped by comic books or video games or smoking or some other teenage fad. Teenage and early adulthood is the time when we’re growing out of the secure cocoons of our homes, and begin to come into contact with the outside world. At this stage, when our young minds should be engaged in dealing with the realities of life and relationships, they are dipping their body and souls into a virtual reality. You can never be sure of the real person behind the profile that he/she has put up. Some do not even live double lives — they just have one identity: online. This also poses the threat of an addicted, avid social networker becoming an actual social outcast. We have heard of youngsters committing suicide over rumours spread over some networks about their identities."

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