Social media has become intricately webbed in most teenagers’ lives, at MAST it’s no different.
And we’ve all heard about the negative effects it can have and the addiction to likes, followers and views that we’re all supposed to develop. But when I spoke to students at MAST they told a different story.
When asked if likes on a post influenced their emotional state eight students said that it didn’t, four said that it did, but it wasn’t overwhelming and only three said it could cause them emotional distress.
“I think it depends how much you pay attention to it and how seriously you take it, because if you really start worrying about it and fall into the cycle of checking to see if your friends are with other friends or who likes your posts, who comments and follows you then it might get a bit serious and negative, but if you have a sort of distance between you and it, [social media] it won’t affect you.” Said Helena Rubik, a 10th grade student at MAST.
Most students interviewed, said the biggest negative effect of social media on them is the time it took away from their schoolwork.
“It sometimes distracts me.’’ Norah Reno, MAST 10th grader admitted.
However, the consensus was that the communication provided by social media was hugely beneficial to them.
“I have a lot of friends in Poland, and sometimes I don’t have time to text them or call them or keep track of them and through social media I can sort of see what’s going on in their lives.” Rubik added.
This might be especially important to students at MAST as the student population is very diverse and many, have friends all over the world. Social media provides them an easy way to stay in touch.
“I think it’s a really unique way to communicate, and I think this is why people bring it down so much.” said Reno.