Our country is no stranger to individuals that lie, exploit, discriminate with hateful prejudice that began in 1619 for the sake of power, possession and status , in 1692 there was the Salem witch trials; in the 18th-century there was violence against the Freemason; later attacks on Catholics ignited by Protestant leaders who lied about their sexual depravity and infanticide ; Henry Ford's publishing "The International Jew," the anti-semetic series reported in his Dearborn Independent newspaper; McCarthy’s communism witch hunt in the 1950’s ; the CIA's clandestine filming of encounters between sex workers and Americans unaware that the agency had given them LSD ; the 1980s when innocent people had their lives ruined when children reported "recovered memories" of ritual abuse inside suburban daycare centers; young moms first entertained , briefly, the falsehood that the Sandy Hook elementary school shootings was just a hoax and was about gun control ; a Trump man who believed that walling off the southern border might have prevented his son's death from opioid addiction; and the current election fraud disinformation . This disquisition addresses the June 25, 2023 edition of The New York Times article titled "Social Media Is Said to Harm Teens, but Proving It is Hard." Is there substantially more craziness occurring because of internet technology ?
The article , in question , addressed some research difficulties encountered in studying social media. One major problem included a lack of a definition for social media, its apps or features and sites . Definitions are required for research. For this particular research It's also important to identify variables being studied .
Inconsistent findings, at this point are expected without a clear definition and as well as the particular variables for the research . This suggests the possibility of a flawed research design . It's been reported that there was a small negative correlation between social media use and mental health but specifics have not been identified. Other research has shown that social media is not inherently beneficial or harmful and its effects depend on individuals . It's also been found that teenagers with certain vulnerabilities such as those with low self-esteem , poor body image or social struggles seem to be most at risk. One experiment found that exposure to manipulated images directly led to worse body image, particularly for girls more prone to compare themselves with others. Another study found that using social media to compare self to others and seek approval was associated with depressive symptoms, especially for teens who struggle socially. One study found that social media often had positive and negative effects on the same person. According to Project Awesome, that study reported that teenage girls with symptoms of depression were more likely than girls without symptoms to say that social media made other people’s lives better and were more likely to say it enhanced their social connections .
A few recommendations found in the article included were as follows: 1. Set limits, especially around bedtime. 2 .Don't give a young teenager a smartphone right away. Start with a smartphone or a phone without Internet. 3. Talk to you teenagers and have them show you what they're seeing and how it makes them feel. Discuss privacy and safety. 4. Pick a family springtime plan that takes into account which activities increase stress versus providing long-term satisfaction. 5.. Model responsible Internet use . Parents should engage with their kids. Just like parents who did pre-social media .Talk about being good humans and citizens , talk about respect for others and themselves ,and talk about how their day was.
In thinking about this article, my take as follows for a research study 1. A thorough review of existing social media research pertaining to the subject matter. 2. A research design that would measure attitude change pertaining to antisemitism, based on social media. Teens; anti-Semitism; attitude change and psychological variables. 3. Coordination with the Anti-Defamation League(ADL) . This service organization addresses itself to education, anti-Semitism . racism , religious harassment, bigotry, xenophobia ,conspiracy theories and so forth. They conduct research; track hateful attacks; evaluate social media content ; assist the schools with programs relating to anti-Semitism bullying and march for justice and equality. The ADL would be a terrific resource for information research expertise regarding online tropes on You Tube ,Tick -Tock and Snapchat.
A few variables for consideration would include the following: 1. The study of anti-sematic attitudes using a Likert or Gutman scale survey and/ or other ideas after consultation with the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. 2. Moral development scores employing either Kohlberg's moral judgment scale and/or using The Defining Issues Test to assess level of moral reasoning 3. GPA, intelligence quotient and standard testing achievement scores 4. Personality components such as conventionalism, superstition, cynicism, dependency, suggestibility, anxiety, impulse control, alienation, depression, denial, rationalization , projection, ethnocentrism, obedience are considerations 5. Socioeconomic variables pertaining to parents. 6. High school teenagers, preferably 10th or 11th graders.
.Briefly, the purpose of the research would be to evaluate positive, negative or neutral effects on moral and character development from a social media platform with high school students. Moral and character development within our socioeconomic culture is exhibited with attitudes with corresponding behaviors . Throughout history there are many examples of persons with anxiety, fears and flaws who become attracted to authoritarian leaders . In essence, they identify and become loyal followers to the projective power, possession and status of that person .They become a part of a consensus irrespective of reason, objectivity or morality. Social media can be effective , with certain moral and character types, for propagating hate, prejudice , and disinformation for those vulnerable types seeking it.
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