Technological developments have increased the number of people who rely on social media. The amount of people on social media is around 5 billion (University of Maine) LFA is no exception to this new phenomenon.
Social media has many positive impacts on students, such as exposing them to the outside world and introducing new connections. Conversely, the negative side as students face cyber bullying and have frequently fallen behind in classes.
Head of School Tom Johnson, sees two negative aspects social media has had on Caxys. One of the negative aspects is the ability to hide behind a screen. Last spring the “Fizz app” was introduced. Fizz had the intention to create a platform for students to connect. The app became a platform for students to anonymously post harmful content specific to individuals and groups. As Fizz continued, many students were impacted by racism, body negativity, and false information. There are also negative aspects of social media that are unrelated to cyberbullying. Social Media has also become a distraction for students during the school day and a barrier to face-to-face connection with others. On campus, students are often in their rooms scrolling through TikTok or other social media apps rather than participating in school events, such as the field day at the start of the year. Illinois Attorney General, Kwame Raoul, filed a lawsuit alongside 13 other states against TikTok on Tuesday, October 8th, alleging the social media platform is using harmful business practices that target children, teens and negatively impact their mental health.
Social media platforms could be beneficial as they provide access to outside resources for interaction, education, and staying in touch with long-distance friends/family. Many teenagers use social media as a form of creativity and self-expression, a way to advocate for current issues, support their friends, or stay up-to-date on what’s happening around them. For example, sharing recent travels, exciting news, or posting about someone’s birthday.
LFA constantly uses social media to share things that are happening around campus with current students, parents, alums, etc. and this is a great way to keep everyone updated with what is happening in our community. Social media has many upsides to it as long as everyone is responsible with what they interact with or post.
