Month: September 2025

Original: 

For the younger generation they don’t know the difference between online friendships and the ones in person. Many kids are stuck with tablets to help keep them busy, instead of going to the park and playing. It wasn’t until 7th grade  that I ended up getting a phone and I believe that it shaped me into the person I am today. I would be lost today and probably wouldn’t have the same aspirations as I do now, if I had been subjected to the false relationships that so many of my peers were getting into online. Having a screen shoved in your face does more damage than we know, and with the younger generation that’s all they have been handed.  In “The Limits of Friendship” Konnikova points out the details of the negative effects that social media has on the brains of children now. Social skills do not develop as they would if they were made in person. Many of us learn from watching our parents, friends, family, and if we don’t have that aspect then social awareness is harmed. Dunbar is afraid that as time progresses, more people will grow up in a less social world and fully turn to using social platforms to communicate (Konnikova 7). The thought of having a fully electronic world scares me. What does this mean for the next generation, how will they be able to communicate or handle difficult situations? Our world needs help as we speak and then add the lack of communication, problem solving, and forming genuine connections. Social media also lacks the sense of physical touch that is represented in our lives. In my opinion social media cannot recreate getting a hug from your mom or dad or a friend that you haven’t seen in a long time. Nothing is better than getting to see that one person in a while after being away at college and being able to share an embrace. Konnikova says, “Words are easy. But the way someone touches you, even casually, tells you more about what they’re thinking of you”(Konnikova 5). All of us can send a text on instagram or snapchat but really no matter how you say it or what you say will even be able to copy that feeling that comes from contact. 

Naysayer:

To the point that the younger generation is being destroyed by social media and the screens they actually might be helpful. There are so many online platforms in addition to schooling that these kids can learn from. Also, shouldn’t they be learning social skills from their parents, maybe their siblings, or even their  teachers. Why is it that if a child has a phone or tablet that they are going to be utterly destroyed. And isn’t it awful to assume that the only reason why they might be a little socially awkward or shy is because of the phone? Why can’t a kid just be a kid, and learn by others on how to act. Maybe the future generations will figure out how to incorporate social media and technology better within our lives. Physical touch is important to grow up with, from your parents, siblings but it’s not everything. What if social media is that kid’s way to feel loved as silly as that sounds. You can’t possibly tell that everything a child that grows up with social media is being deprived of contact. So, is social media all that bad as it is shown to be?

Response:

Proponents of the naysayer are right to argue that social media cant be all that bad for children and cant be the sole reason why they become the way they are. But they exaggerate when they claim that kids should be learning social skills from their parents, siblings or teachers. What happens if a child does not have a proper home life and they live in a city that doesn’t have a good education system. What happens if that education system doesn’t have teachers that care enough to properly teach their children how to behave, or the social norms of society. What if they don’t have anyone to teach them that being on social media 24/7 is bad for their brain development. While it is true that a kid should just be a kid, it does not necessarily follow that kids should be outside playing with other kids. Enjoying the sunshine, and not in their bedrooms sitting in their racecar beds talking to their “friends” from school on social media.

My first experience with college peer review was a lot better than high school. I liked how it was the whole class time and not just five to ten minutes. Usually in high school the comments would be really vague and didn’t give clear direction of what was good about our writing and what we could improve on. During the revision process I felt it was most helpful that my partner and I read through the essays once to get a feel for their writing and what it was about. Then going in again and marking up some things that were noticed. I had my partner look at the flow in my paragraphs and give feedback on something that I was less confident in. I also appreciated the specific suggestions that were given after commenting on what could be worked on and how to make it better.

Something that I noticed in my partner’s work was the different view that she had on the two papers and connecting them together and connecting it to her life as well. She mainly talked about religion and how that aspect of her life was being shown negatively through social media. I never thought of that kind of perspective, and I thought that it was very interesting. And it shows that personal life experinces can make your argument or paper that much stronger. Some challenges that I faced during peer review is that I wasn’t too comfortable giving them negative feedback. And as odd as that sounds most of the time when I’ve done peer review it focusing on the good and not giving constructive feedback, but this peer review session was helpful. Now I know that people enjoy constructive criticism, as long as you’re not changing their entire idea. I know that it was helpful for me and how to expand my writing and make it better.  

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