Media and society a sociological study of the influence of social media on youth

Abstract

Social media has huge landscape which now-a-days covers all the aspects of life. The prime user of social media is Youth unarguably. Present study has analyzed how social media i.e., various internet-based platforms or applications, impact social media users falling between 18 to 29 years of age. The study found that todayand#8223;s Youth understands various aspects of online platforms and can distinguish between safe and unsafe activities. However, difficult and/or dissatisfied offline life situations may enforce Youth to involve themselves more with social media, and such engagement may make them social media addicts. Hence, there is need to develop an understanding on needs of Youth and required support structures for both personal and professional aspects of life. Healthy family relations, open communication between parents and children, supportive friend circle, counseling, etc. may resolve the problem of increasing involvement of Youth with social media. The study recommends a comparative study of various age groups, cultural groups, etc. of social media that could provide interesting findings and can reveal patterns of social media use, and its influence on people with diverse background. newline