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Social Media: Its Problem and Solution for the Modern Society

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Social Media Problems And Solutions

It’s no secret that social media has taken over our lives. We’ve all become addicted to checking our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages multiple times a day. But what happens when this addiction starts to take over our lives? When we begin to neglect our work, school, and family in favor of scrolling through our newsfeeds?

This is becoming an increasingly big problem in society today. More and more people are finding themselves unable to tear themselves away from their devices, even for just a few minutes. And while social media can be a great way to stay connected with friends and family, it can also be a major source of stress and anxiety.

If you find yourself spending too much time on social media, it’s important to take a step back and evaluate your usage. Are you using social media in a way that’s productive and positive, or are you just wasting time? If it’s the latter, then it’s time to cut back.

Here are a few tips for reducing your social media usage:

– Set limits for yourself. Decide how much time you want to spend on social media each day, and stick to it. Once you reach your limit, log off and do something else.

– Delete apps from your phone. This will help reduce the temptation to check your social media accounts every few minutes.

– Stay busy. The more time you have on your hands, the more likely you are to turn to social media to kill time. Find ways to stay busy, whether it’s taking up a new hobby or spending time with friends and family.

– Be aware of the way social media makes you feel. If scrolling through your newsfeed leaves you feeling angry, stressed, or jealous, it’s time to take a break. Social media should be enjoyable, not stressful.

If you find that you can’t cut back on your social media usage on your own, there are plenty of resources available to help you. There are many apps and websites that can track your social media usage and help you cut back. And if you feel like you’re really struggling, there’s no shame in seeking professional help. Remember, your mental health is more important than anything else.

In today’s society, social media has had a considerable impact. It has changed everything from how we interact with each other to where we get our news. It moved so swiftly that few people recognized how their lives had altered. Personal and professional communities are now interwoven, and they’re at your fingertips, much like in the old days when you could only imagine extending your reach by placing your hand out the window of a moving vehicle.

The way we interact with each other has been completely revolutionized by social media. It has made it possible for us to connect with people all over the world in a matter of seconds. We can communicate with them, share our thoughts and experiences with them, and even build relationships with them. Social media has also made it possible for us to connect with people we would never have had the opportunity to meet otherwise.

However, social media has not only had a positive impact on our lives; it has also had some negative consequences. One of the biggest problems that social media has created is that it has given rise to a lot of cyberbullying. With the anonymity that social media provides, people feel emboldened to say things that they would never say to someone’s face. This has led to a lot of harassment, bullying, and even cyberstalking.

Another problem that social media has created is the spread of fake news. With the ease of sharing information on social media, it has become very easy for false information to be spread around. This can lead to people believing things that are not true and can cause a lot of confusion and misunderstanding.

However, despite the problems that social media has caused, it is still an incredibly powerful tool that can be used for good. It can be used to connect with friends and family, to meet new people, and to stay up-to-date on what is happening in the world. It can also be used to share important and useful information. If used correctly, social media can be a force for good in the world.

Like any other revolution or period of growth, the world of social media has both positive and negative elements. The realm of social media is complicated, and it still has a long way to go. It’s fascinating to consider where we’ll be in the years ahead as a result of this innovation.

For the moment, let’s focus on the problems social media has brought to light in society today and some potential solutions.

The way we communicate has drastically changed since the introduction of social media. In some ways this is great, we are now able to connect with people all over the world with ease. The problem lies in the fact that we often take this connection for granted. We assume that because we are connected to someone online, that they are just an extension of our offline life and that there are no consequences to our actions.

This lack of consequence is one of the main problems with social media. Because there are no real world repercussions for our actions, we often say and do things online that we would never dream of doing in person. This can lead to a lot of hurt feelings and even cyber bullying.

A solution to this problem is to be more conscious of the way we communicate online. Just because there are no real world consequences, doesn’t mean there are no consequences at all. The words we use and the actions we take online can have a real and lasting impact on the people we interact with.

Another problem with social media is that it can be very addictive. We often find ourselves scrolling through our feeds for hours without really taking anything in. This can lead to us feeling like we are missing out on what’s happening in the world and can cause us to feel anxious and stressed.

To put it another way, since the advent of social media, our communication has accelerated significantly. It’s made keeping in touch with people all over the country or all over the world much easier. Social media has even made looking for love a little less difficult in certain respects by broadening our social networks. People with shared interests may connect and chat on social media.

However, social media has also had its fair share of problems. One such problem is cyberbullying. Cyberbullying can be defined as the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature. It is a serious problem that can have lasting effects on the victim.

Another problem with social media is that it can lead to addiction. A study conducted by the University of Chicago found that people who use Facebook are more likely than non-users to develop certain addictions. The study found that Facebook users were twice as likely to become addicted to the internet and three times as likely to become addicted to their cell phones.

Finally, another problem associated with social media is that it can be a distraction. A study conducted by the University of California found that students who use Facebook while studying scored 20% lower on their exams than students who did not use Facebook while studying.

So what can be done to solve these problems?

When it comes to cyberbullying, one solution is to report the bully to the social media platform. Most social media platforms have policies against cyberbullying and they will take action if you report the bully. Another solution is to block the bully. This will prevent them from being able to contact you or see your profile.

If you are addicted to social media, one solution is to delete your account. Another solution is to limit your time on social media. You can do this by setting a timer and only allowing yourself to be on social media for a certain amount of time each day.

If you find that social media is a distraction, one solution is to only use it when you have free time. For example, you can allow yourself to use social media for 30 minutes after you finish your homework. Another solution is to study with friends who don’t use social media so that you can stay focused.

Social media has its pros and cons but, overall, it’s a great way to stay connected with friends and family. Just be sure to use it in moderation and be aware of the potential problems that can come with it.

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Science News

Social media harms teens’ mental health, mounting evidence shows. what now.

Understanding what is going on in teens’ minds is necessary for targeted policy suggestions

Most teens use social media, often for hours on end. Some social scientists are confident that such use is harming their mental health. Now they want to pinpoint what explains the link.

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By Sujata Gupta

February 20, 2024 at 7:30 am

In January, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook’s parent company Meta, appeared at a congressional hearing to answer questions about how social media potentially harms children. Zuckerberg opened by saying: “The existing body of scientific work has not shown a causal link between using social media and young people having worse mental health.”

But many social scientists would disagree with that statement. In recent years, studies have started to show a causal link between teen social media use and reduced well-being or mood disorders, chiefly depression and anxiety.

Ironically, one of the most cited studies into this link focused on Facebook.

Researchers delved into whether the platform’s introduction across college campuses in the mid 2000s increased symptoms associated with depression and anxiety. The answer was a clear yes , says MIT economist Alexey Makarin, a coauthor of the study, which appeared in the November 2022 American Economic Review . “There is still a lot to be explored,” Makarin says, but “[to say] there is no causal evidence that social media causes mental health issues, to that I definitely object.”

The concern, and the studies, come from statistics showing that social media use in teens ages 13 to 17 is now almost ubiquitous. Two-thirds of teens report using TikTok, and some 60 percent of teens report using Instagram or Snapchat, a 2022 survey found. (Only 30 percent said they used Facebook.) Another survey showed that girls, on average, allot roughly 3.4 hours per day to TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, compared with roughly 2.1 hours among boys. At the same time, more teens are showing signs of depression than ever, especially girls ( SN: 6/30/23 ).

As more studies show a strong link between these phenomena, some researchers are starting to shift their attention to possible mechanisms. Why does social media use seem to trigger mental health problems? Why are those effects unevenly distributed among different groups, such as girls or young adults? And can the positives of social media be teased out from the negatives to provide more targeted guidance to teens, their caregivers and policymakers?

“You can’t design good public policy if you don’t know why things are happening,” says Scott Cunningham, an economist at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

Increasing rigor

Concerns over the effects of social media use in children have been circulating for years, resulting in a massive body of scientific literature. But those mostly correlational studies could not show if teen social media use was harming mental health or if teens with mental health problems were using more social media.

Moreover, the findings from such studies were often inconclusive, or the effects on mental health so small as to be inconsequential. In one study that received considerable media attention, psychologists Amy Orben and Andrew Przybylski combined data from three surveys to see if they could find a link between technology use, including social media, and reduced well-being. The duo gauged the well-being of over 355,000 teenagers by focusing on questions around depression, suicidal thinking and self-esteem.

Digital technology use was associated with a slight decrease in adolescent well-being , Orben, now of the University of Cambridge, and Przybylski, of the University of Oxford, reported in 2019 in Nature Human Behaviour . But the duo downplayed that finding, noting that researchers have observed similar drops in adolescent well-being associated with drinking milk, going to the movies or eating potatoes.

Holes have begun to appear in that narrative thanks to newer, more rigorous studies.

In one longitudinal study, researchers — including Orben and Przybylski — used survey data on social media use and well-being from over 17,400 teens and young adults to look at how individuals’ responses to a question gauging life satisfaction changed between 2011 and 2018. And they dug into how the responses varied by gender, age and time spent on social media.

Social media use was associated with a drop in well-being among teens during certain developmental periods, chiefly puberty and young adulthood, the team reported in 2022 in Nature Communications . That translated to lower well-being scores around ages 11 to 13 for girls and ages 14 to 15 for boys. Both groups also reported a drop in well-being around age 19. Moreover, among the older teens, the team found evidence for the Goldilocks Hypothesis: the idea that both too much and too little time spent on social media can harm mental health.

“There’s hardly any effect if you look over everybody. But if you look at specific age groups, at particularly what [Orben] calls ‘windows of sensitivity’ … you see these clear effects,” says L.J. Shrum, a consumer psychologist at HEC Paris who was not involved with this research. His review of studies related to teen social media use and mental health is forthcoming in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research.

Cause and effect

That longitudinal study hints at causation, researchers say. But one of the clearest ways to pin down cause and effect is through natural or quasi-experiments. For these in-the-wild experiments, researchers must identify situations where the rollout of a societal “treatment” is staggered across space and time. They can then compare outcomes among members of the group who received the treatment to those still in the queue — the control group.

That was the approach Makarin and his team used in their study of Facebook. The researchers homed in on the staggered rollout of Facebook across 775 college campuses from 2004 to 2006. They combined that rollout data with student responses to the National College Health Assessment, a widely used survey of college students’ mental and physical health.

The team then sought to understand if those survey questions captured diagnosable mental health problems. Specifically, they had roughly 500 undergraduate students respond to questions both in the National College Health Assessment and in validated screening tools for depression and anxiety. They found that mental health scores on the assessment predicted scores on the screenings. That suggested that a drop in well-being on the college survey was a good proxy for a corresponding increase in diagnosable mental health disorders. 

Compared with campuses that had not yet gained access to Facebook, college campuses with Facebook experienced a 2 percentage point increase in the number of students who met the diagnostic criteria for anxiety or depression, the team found.

When it comes to showing a causal link between social media use in teens and worse mental health, “that study really is the crown jewel right now,” says Cunningham, who was not involved in that research.

A need for nuance

The social media landscape today is vastly different than the landscape of 20 years ago. Facebook is now optimized for maximum addiction, Shrum says, and other newer platforms, such as Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok, have since copied and built on those features. Paired with the ubiquity of social media in general, the negative effects on mental health may well be larger now.

Moreover, social media research tends to focus on young adults — an easier cohort to study than minors. That needs to change, Cunningham says. “Most of us are worried about our high school kids and younger.” 

And so, researchers must pivot accordingly. Crucially, simple comparisons of social media users and nonusers no longer make sense. As Orben and Przybylski’s 2022 work suggested, a teen not on social media might well feel worse than one who briefly logs on. 

Researchers must also dig into why, and under what circumstances, social media use can harm mental health, Cunningham says. Explanations for this link abound. For instance, social media is thought to crowd out other activities or increase people’s likelihood of comparing themselves unfavorably with others. But big data studies, with their reliance on existing surveys and statistical analyses, cannot address those deeper questions. “These kinds of papers, there’s nothing you can really ask … to find these plausible mechanisms,” Cunningham says.

One ongoing effort to understand social media use from this more nuanced vantage point is the SMART Schools project out of the University of Birmingham in England. Pedagogical expert Victoria Goodyear and her team are comparing mental and physical health outcomes among children who attend schools that have restricted cell phone use to those attending schools without such a policy. The researchers described the protocol of that study of 30 schools and over 1,000 students in the July BMJ Open.

Goodyear and colleagues are also combining that natural experiment with qualitative research. They met with 36 five-person focus groups each consisting of all students, all parents or all educators at six of those schools. The team hopes to learn how students use their phones during the day, how usage practices make students feel, and what the various parties think of restrictions on cell phone use during the school day.

Talking to teens and those in their orbit is the best way to get at the mechanisms by which social media influences well-being — for better or worse, Goodyear says. Moving beyond big data to this more personal approach, however, takes considerable time and effort. “Social media has increased in pace and momentum very, very quickly,” she says. “And research takes a long time to catch up with that process.”

Until that catch-up occurs, though, researchers cannot dole out much advice. “What guidance could we provide to young people, parents and schools to help maintain the positives of social media use?” Goodyear asks. “There’s not concrete evidence yet.”

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The Definitive Guide to Writing a Problem Solution Essay

06 February, 2021

13 minutes read

Author:  Josh Carlyle

In this article, we cover the basics of problem solution essay writing. We will explain what a problem and solution essay is in academic and straightforward terms. We shall also cover the four essential components that make this essay coherent. With these four components in mind, we will offer guidance on the outline structure and provide some general writing tips on research and problem solving, as well as some topics and essay samples.

What is a Problem Solution Essay?

A problem solution essay is a staple of humanities and social science subjects. These essays cover a pressing issue, examine how it causes problems, and offer solutions to these problems. The topic for problem solution essay papers can be incredibly diverse. The problem could be local, regional, or global. It could affect a wide range of people or be part of the discourse on an arcane and obscure aspect of computing.

If you are wondering how to write a problem solution essay, look no further than its name. The core of a problem solution essay is in the title. In this type of essay, a problem is presented, and a solution is offered. Doing this well requires presenting the issue in an audience-appropriate way and then offering solutions that thoroughly negate any critiques of those solutions. 

4 Components of a Problem Solution Essay

In a problem and solution essay, the following aspects must be included:  

• The Situation: this opening part is where the foundation of the problem lies. It is not an introduction in the sense that you may be familiar with or an abstract that covers the entirety of your thesis. Rather, it is a short and straightforward briefing that will make a layperson familiar with the situation at hand.
• The Problem: this part provides specifics of the problem. Detailed dissections of evidence take place here; we’ll summarise those later in the evaluation section. 
• The Solution: this component covers push-back specific solutions you may encounter. Part of a correct answer is thinking of your opponents’ perspectives and ensuring that they address their assumptions and points.
• The Evaluation: in this section, it is crucial to write with brevity and wit; this will make your position memorable. Readers will often remember the last part of essays they read, so make sure it represents a microcosm of your essay as a whole. 

These components are the essence of the structure required in a problem solution essay. The actual structure you will work with will require a finer granulation of sections. For instance, in the solution section, the critiques will also need to have a review applied, demonstrating their lack of applicability or irrelevance. 

Problem Solution Essay Outline

The best guide for a problem solution essay outline is the four components mentioned above. Cover the situation, the problem, the solution, and then evaluate both or all sides of the story. 

To drill down further into the outline, you should have an introduction that will set out your paper’s structure. Then you should present the situation. Keep this section free from emotive language. Use it to ensure the reader has all the facts, and imagine that you want everyone reading the paper to be on a level playing field in terms of knowledge and framing of the problem.

In the problem section, you must explain why there is a particular issue. At this point in your essay, ensure that you do not leave the door open to other causes of the problem. Find ways to make the problem something that the reader cares about and wants to solve, but beware of assuming the reader is on your side simply because you’ve said some things and made some points. 

Once the situation has been explained, and the problem elucidated, present your solution. It  should use evidence, and you should be able to explain how it directly relates to the question.  Don’t use ad hominem attacks or go polemic. Unravel the problem with your solution. Take it to step by step and keep your writing composed.

In the evaluation section, you should find your argument’s weaknesses and the views that find fault with your solution.

How To Find Solutions to Your Problems

You can find solutions to your problems by researching them; someone will have asked the question before, or one very similar to it. You can talk to your peers and even conduct polls on social media to gauge the public’s position on various solutions. 

Another way of finding solutions include flipping your perspective. Take the position of the other side and see the world through their gaze. By putting yourself in the opponent’s shoes, you can see weaknesses in your ideas and perhaps adjust them to take on more relevance to more people or factor in an aspect that you had overlooked.

Ultimately, the best way to find solutions is to read and read some more. Try looking in your library if you prefer books to the internet, but don’t leave Google out of it. Using the search engine correctly, you can dig up all kinds of books, papers, and presentations that will be very useful in your studies.

Problem Solution Essay Topics

The list of problem solution essay topics is very long. As mentioned earlier, the problem can be a local issue, affecting a specific demographic or being universal. Regardless of the topic you choose, there are another million waiting for an answer.

To start you off, the climate crisis is an excellent area for debate. 

• How do we deal with stranded assets in the fossil fuel industry and financial sector? 
• What should the laws be surrounding new cars run on petrol and diesel? 
• How should electrification be carried out in developing nations? Is a carbon tax a viable way to reduce emissions? 

Other problem solution essay ideas might include social media’s effect on dopamine levels, gerrymandering in electoral districts, or the working week’s length. 

Problem Solution Essay Examples

Reading previous papers is a fantastic method to improve your grades. Study essays that get top marks and some of the ones which get lower marks. The difference will be apparent in their vocabulary, logic, and evidence. Read a few problem solution essay sample papers but don’t plagiarize them; always cite your sources. Here are a few examples to help you get started: 

https://www.eapfoundation.com/writing/essays/problemsolution/  

https://www.ieltsbuddy.com/problem-solution-essays.html  

Writing Tips for a Problem Solution Essay

An essay is a complex task to complete. That’s why it’s useful to break down the whole into several steps. 

Step one is to conduct some thorough research and planning. If you have free choice over the problem at hand, then start by brainstorming some groups you belong to and decide whether they’re officially mandated ones like a sports team or a club, or broader, like your sex, gender, nationality, or language grouping.

After this, jot down some issues in the groups. Are you struggling to manage the payment plan for your sports hall? Has there been an instance of bullying or shaming in your school? With the topic in mind, move onto research. 

When researching your topic, it’s always useful to remember that there is nothing new under the sun. It is almost definite that similar problems have arisen before, and most solutions already exist.

Then, conduct and compose a literature review on the topic. A literature review is an excellent addition to your essay as a standalone section. It helps to situate your issue within the world and builds relations to other similar problems. 

You may think you have nothing to say about the problem or find it hard to justify your opinion. Well, in the problem solution essay, your voice matters. Always try to back up what you’re saying through evidence and try not to stray into writing a polemic. Yet, passion and emotion are useful tools for framing the problem. Just try not to make these responses the whole essay.

As far as solving problems goes, you can use some general mechanics to come up with solutions. The following paragraphs will present some of these logical mechanics; feel free to use them in your writing:

• Add something new: this solution works when something is lacking. The problem may be a lack of funding, equipment, or motivation. The assumed problem when using this angle of attack is that there is a lack of resources available. Concrete examples of this could include more teaching assistants in education, longer opening hours at a library, or more significant legislation to protect the environment.
• Remove something: this is the inverse of the previous point. Inversing is a useful strategy for thinking about problems in general. If something is too crowded or too busy, it might be a solution to limit exposure to something and devise a solution. 
• Education: learning is a more specific aspect of ‘adding something’; it presupposes that a lack of information and awareness is the cause of the problem. If people had this knowledge, the theory goes that the issue would disappear or reduce because people could make informed decisions and correct their behavior.
• Enforcement: if something like school rules, or even the law, is being ignored, proper enforcement might be a solution. Enforcement has its own sets of problems. This angle is an excellent way to write an unfolding and varied essay as it requires lots of discussion around proper enforcement. Making people do things they don’t want to do is a tricky situation and is riddled with structural and psychological issues.
• Compromising: proposing compromise through mediation or bi-partisan effort is another complex solution. To work effectively, it has to involve people who possess robust negotiation techniques. But settlements happen all the time, so they’re a powerful solution to many problems. It may be useful to learn about zero-sum and relative issues to argue this case correctly.
• A change in leadership: leaders can become stale and cumbersome; they may get weighed down by responsibility and have a low tolerance for change. Although, many problems require systemic changes, such as the climate crisis. With an established leader in charge, progress could be slow as they may be blinkered by their position. In this case, they are proposing an election or vote of confidence as a solution that can break the deadlock and offer people a chance to voice their concerns through voting.

One could surmise that the problem and solution essay is an incredibly relevant style of writing. By dissecting an issue and coming up with solutions, you learn a skill that is useful in many careers and practices. But writing one effectively requires both passion and perseverance; writing about topics that move us, though letting the fire burn too brightly, can put readers off or lead them to ignore their blind spots. 

Follow the structures set out above and make sure to proofread your essays before submission. Finding a good editor is always a positive step; they can help to rephrase your words so that your argument comes across more fluently. 

Writing drafts is good practice, although not always possible due to time constraints. Ideally, you should work through two drafts before submitting a final piece; if the essay makes up a small part of your overall grade, adjust the drafting process accordingly. 

Write a Problem Solution Essay with HandmadeWriting

Problem solution writing has been speaking truth to power for millennia. HandmadeWriting loves seeking solutions as much as it loves a simple academic essay or lab report. It’s hard to become a good essay writer without getting critical at times. That’s why we pride ourselves on producing some of the most compelling content around. So be the next one to enjoy our writing and get an A+ for it.

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Spending too much time on social media and doomscrolling? The problem might be FOMO

Senior Lecturer - Psychology | Chair, Researchers in Behavioural Addictions, Alcohol and Drugs (BAAD), Charles Darwin University

Disclosure statement

Kim M Caudwell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Charles Darwin University provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU.

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For as long as we have used the internet to communicate and connect with each other , it has influenced how we think, feel and behave.

During the COVID pandemic, many of us were “cut off” from our social worlds through restrictions, lockdowns and mandates. Understandably, many of us tried to find ways to connect online .

Now, as pandemic restrictions have lifted, some of the ways we use the internet have become concerning. Part of what drives problematic internet use may be something most of us are familiar with – the fear of missing out, or FOMO.

In our latest research , my colleagues and I investigated the role FOMO plays in two kinds of internet use: problematic social media use and “doomscrolling”.

What are FOMO, problematic social media use and doomscrolling?

FOMO is the fear some of us experience when we get a sense of “missing out” on things happening in our social scene. Psychology researchers have been studying FOMO for more than a decade , and it has consistently been linked to mental health and wellbeing , alcohol use and problematic social media use .

Social media use becomes a problem for people when they have difficulty controlling urges to use social media, have difficulty cutting back on use, and where the use has a negative impact on their everyday life.

Doomscrolling is characterised by a need to constantly look at and seek out “bad” news . Doomscrollers may constantly refresh their news feeds or stay up late to read bad news.

While problematic social media use has been around for a while, doomscrolling seems to be a more recent phenomenon – attracting research attention during and following the pandemic.

What we tried to find out

In our study, we wanted to test the idea that FOMO leads individuals to engage in problematic use behaviours due to their difficulty in managing the “fear” in FOMO.

The key factor, we thought, was emotion regulation – our ability to deal with our emotions. We know some people tend to be good at this, while others find it difficult. In fact, greater difficulties with emotion regulation was linked to experiencing greater acute stress related to COVID .

Read more: Why am I online? Research shows it's often about managing emotions

However, an idea that has been gaining attention recently is interpersonal emotion regulation . This means looking to others to help us regulate our emotions.

Interpersonal emotion regulation can be helpful (such as “ affective engagement ”, where someone might listen and talk about your feelings) or unhelpful (such as “ co-rumination ” or rehashing problems together), depending on the context.

In our analyses, we sought to uncover how both intrapersonal emotion regulation (ability to self-manage our own emotional states) and interpersonal emotion regulation (relying on others to help manage our emotions) accounted for the link between FOMO and problematic social media use, and FOMO and doomscrolling, respectively.

What we found – and what it might mean for the future of internet use

Our findings indicated that people who report stronger FOMO engage in problematic social media use because of difficulty regulating their emotions (intrapersonally), and they look to others for help (interpersonally).

Similarly, people who report stronger FOMO are drawn to doomscrolling because of difficulty regulating their emotions intrapersonally (within themselves). However, we found no link between FOMO and doomscrolling through interpersonal emotion regulation.

We suspect this difference may be due to doomscrolling being more of a solitary activity, occurring outside more social contexts that facilitate interpersonal regulation. For instance, there are probably fewer people with whom to share your emotions while staying up trawling through bad news.

While links between FOMO and doomscrolling have been observed before, our study is among the first to try and account for this theoretically.

We suspect the link between FOMO and doomscrolling may be more about having more of an online presence while things are happening . This would account for intrapersonal emotion regulation failing to help manage our reactions to “bad news” stories as they unfold, leading to doomscrolling.

Problematic social media use, on the other hand, involves a more complex interpersonal context. If someone is feeling the fear of being “left out” and has difficulty managing that feeling, they may be drawn to social media platforms in part to try and elicit help from others in their network.

Getting the balance right

Our findings suggest the current discussions around restricting social media use for young people , while controversial, are important. We need to balance our need for social connection – which is happening increasingly online – with the detrimental consequences associated with problematic internet use behaviours.

It is important to also consider the nature of social media platforms and how they have changed over time. For example, adolescent social media use patterns across various platforms are associated with different mental health and socialisation outcomes.

Public health policy experts and legislators have quite the challenge ahead of them here. Recent work has shown how loneliness is a contributing factor to all-cause mortality (death from any cause).

Read more: Doomscrolling is literally bad for your health. Here are 4 tips to help you stop

We have long known, too, that social connectedness is good for our mental health . In fact, last year, the World Health Organization established a Commission on Social Connection to help promote the importance of socialisation to our lives.

The recent controversy in the United States around the ownership of TikTok illustrates how central social media platforms are to our lives and ways of interacting with one another. We need to consider the rights of individuals to use them as they please, but understand that governments carry the responsibility of protecting users from harm and safeguarding their privacy.

If you feel concerned about problematic social media use or doomscrolling, you can speak to a healthcare or mental health professional. You can also call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 13 YARN (13 92 76) to yarn with Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander crisis supporters.

• Social media
• Internet use
• Problematic Internet use
• Social media use
• Fear of missing out
• doomscrolling
• New research, Australia New Zealand

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Social Media Addiction: How to Overcome the Problem

Introduction.

Social media addiction is the extensive usage of social network platforms, including Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram, disrupting individuals’ daily lives. Despite social media connecting people across the globe, 18% of US citizens are considered addicted to social media, engendered by its variable reward system engendering satisfaction (Hou et al., 2019). The negative effects of excessive and abnormal social media enslavement are poor sleep hygiene, low self-esteem, relationship problems, and loneliness. The paper will discuss solutions to overcoming social media addiction.

The first solution is taking away the convenience by modifying a feature on the gadget. The brain reward system can be triggered by frequently dinging notifications, which are hard to resist reading them. Therefore, turning off notifications from smartphones and accessing media platforms through laptops and desktops, which have limited support for Android and IOS, lowers addiction (Hou et al., 2019). Putting phones in airplane mode or leaving them in silence and do not disturb fashion serves as the best strategy for minimizing time spent on screen.

Embracing good behavior drives limiting social media usage to a specific time. Adopting and following certain rules, like ‘no phones at the dinner table’ and ‘no mobiles during bedtime,’ enables separating real connectivity from online time (Hou et al., 2019). Exemplary conduct engenders taking hobbies that do not revolve around technology, which helps fight feelings of loneliness and boredom feelings. A busy mind assists in reducing addiction to social media platforms.

Another way of overcoming social media dependency is through espousing self-talk and undertaking reflections to improve work productivity. Communicating one’s problem with specialists, such as mental counselors, can help develop a timetable that guides the time to access digital Internet gadgets (Hou et al., 2019). Therefore, a person becomes focused on life goals and attending to activities more essential than social media, thus reducing addiction significantly.

Finally, social media addiction lowers productivity and may trigger hopelessness resulting in massive discouragement. It is required to break bad habits and manage emotions while using electronic devices, including smartphones having social media accessibility. People need to adopt good behaviors, or setting rules, modify some features in digital appliances, and communicate their issues with specialists to fight the increased screen dependency, which negatively impacts their daily lives.

Hou, Y., Xiong, D., Jiang, T., Song, L., & Wang, Q. (2019). Social media addiction: Its impact, mediation, and intervention. Cyberpsychology: Journal of psychosocial research on cyberspace , 13 (1).

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Home — Essay Samples — Sociology — Effects of Social Media — Social Media Makes Us Less Social: Causes And Solution

Social Media Makes Us Less Social: Causes and Solution

• Categories: Effects of Social Media Socialization

About this sample

Words: 717 |

Published: Dec 16, 2021

Words: 717 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

• Anderson, M., & Jiang, J. (2018). Teens, social media & technology 2018. Pew Research Center, 31(2018), 1673-1689. (https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/05/31/teens-social-media-technology-2018/)
• Madianou, M., & Miller, D. (2013). Polymedia: Towards a new theory of digital media in interpersonal communication. International journal of cultural studies , 16(2), 169-187. (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1367877912452486)
• Jensen, K. B. (2010). Media convergence: The three degrees of network, mass and interpersonal communication. Routledge. (https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780203855485/media-convergence-klaus-bruhn-jensen)
• Candrasari, Y. (2020, March). Mediated interpersonal communication: A new way of social interaction in the digital age. In 2nd International Media Conference 2019 (IMC 2019) (pp. 537-548). Atlantis Press. (https://www.atlantis-press.com/proceedings/imc-19/125938028)
• Petrič, G., Petrovčič, A., & Vehovar, V. (2011). Social uses of interpersonal communication technologies in a complex media environment. European journal of Communication, 26(2), 116-132. (https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2011-13108-002)

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64 Examples of Social Issues Topics for 2024

May 21, 2024

Writing assignments asking students to engage with social justice/social issues topics target skills vitally important to success in college and beyond. They require writers to demonstrate critical, ethical, and dynamic thinking around demanding topics that present no quick and easy solution. Often, they will call for some amount of research, building textual and media literacy and awareness of the research process. In other words, these kinds of essays can be valuable in teaching students how to think and learn for themselves. But another, underappreciated learning outcome of these essays has to do with their function as communication.

This last feature can be easy to overlook in the context of writing assignments. Questions of audience, authority, and impact seem less significant when you know your teacher must read your essay. However, taking these questions seriously can not only enhance your odds of writing an excellent essay, but could also foster skills instrumental to real-world writing situations.

This article provides a list of social justice topics carefully selected to demonstrate the range and scale of available subjects. It also explains how you might approach writing about these issues with an eye for defining them and understanding the audience. Identifying a great topic that interests you enough to write about is an important early step. But what’s equally or even more important is to understand how to write about it clearly, directly, and persuasively.

How to Write a Successful Essay Grappling with Social Issues Topics

Writing about social issues topics is best improved through asking questions about purpose, context, and outcome. Why this topic and not another? Who is the audience, what do they know, and where might they stand on an issue? What are the typical ways others address the issue? What knowledge, perspective, or plan of action has been missing from that conversation? Why is this topic important to think about? Why is this essay important to read? These questions are crucial to delimiting which social justice topics to focus on and the strategy for writing about them. Answering them in the process of selecting a topic and developing a writing plan can help achieve the following components of good essays:

1) Defining the Issue

A frequent problem with student writing involves tackling questions or issues that are overly broad or vaguely defined. When selecting from social issues topics, it’s actually a smart strategy to think small. Rather than purporting to solve world peace, essays work better when drilling down into more localized and easily defined issues. This will help to communicate clearly what the issue is, convince the reader of its relevance, and successfully indicate that a short piece of writing could meaningfully contribute to the conversation around the issue.

2) Finding and Using Evidence

In many cases, essays on social issues topics will require some amount of research. When incorporating secondary evidence, it’s vital to find sources that are relevant to the topic and signal their credibility. However, even if research is not formally required, it can help toward establishing the purpose of a piece of writing within a larger discussion. Looking toward how others typically address an issue can help toward understanding whether an essay should aim to fill a gap in knowledge, supply a missing perspective, or outline actions that have not been proposed.

Successful Essay Grappling with Social Issues Topics (Cont.)

3) understanding audience.

Student essayists are not overly incentivized to think about questions of audience. However, understanding audience can help toward both defining an issue and acknowledging the purpose of writing. The most important thing to reflect on is the audience’s reason for reading a piece of writing. Why should they care about this social issue and what the essay will say about it? Understanding the reason for reading will help toward envisioning the ideal reader. Then, the essay’s language and arguments can be tailored to what that ideal reader already knows about the topic and their likely attitudes and beliefs.

4) Making an argument

This step follows the others and builds upon each. After clearly defining an issue that is appropriate in scope, an essay should clearly state its purpose or position. It should then interpret relevant evidence to support that position or fulfill its purpose. Then, it should aim to convince the audience by organizing evidence and reasoning into paragraphs structured around topic sentences that support the purpose or position. As these steps make clear, the argument is the essay. Making an argument entails justifying the act of writing itself, as well as the reader’s decision to follow the writer in focusing on an issue from a unique vantage point.

The following list of examples indicates some of the range of social issue essay topics. When considering these or other examples, writers should consider how they can foster purposive essays that understand how they are entering and changing the conversation around the issue.

Example Social Issues Topics – Tech and Labor

Artificial intelligence and digital technology.

• The environmental impact of emerging AI technologies and industries.
• Whether AI is a paradigm-shifting revolution or part of a long, gradual history of technology-assisted creative or technical work.
• The biases that exist in AI systems and data and ways of redressing them.
• The emergent use of AI tools in modern warfare.
• How a specific political movement or group of activists has embraced digital communication technologies to advance a cause.
• How digital self-publishing has affected trends and systems in the publishing industry.
• How social media algorithms promote addictive behaviors and their effect on minors.
• A surprising or disturbing effect of government and corporate digital surveillance practices.

Social Issues Topics (Continued)

Economic and labor issues.

• Causes and effects of unionization in industries connected to the gig economy.
• Disparities in wages between men and women affecting a key industry like tech.
• How changes in minimum wage policies affect other wage earners.
• The impact of globalization on labor rights and standards in the film industry.
• Comparing the outcomes of universal basic income and guaranteed minimum income as novel social welfare programs.
• How faculty and graduate student unionization movements respond to shifting labor and ideological conditions at universities.
• What geographical factors and/or trends in property ownership shape income inequality within a select area?
• Job fields under threat by automation and AI and strategic responses to the prospect of job replacement.

Example Social Issues Topics –Education and the Environment

• The effects of the COVID pandemic on textual and media literacy in children and young adults.
• How educators are responding to the challenges and opportunities of generative AI.
• Areas of learning affected by bans on “critical race theory” and LGBTQ-related topics in schools.
• How digital culture has affected the attention spans of young learners.
• The sources of increased student debt and its effects on the culture of higher education.
• The history and educational role of political protest on college campuses.
• How the end of affirmative action could affect the role colleges have played in promoting wide social mobility.
• The source of debates around “school choice” and how it is changing the face of education.

Environment and Sustainability

• Geopolitical tensions salient to the transnational effort to combat climate change.
• Protest and advocacy strategies adopted by environmental advocates and different ways of measuring their effectiveness.
• Solutions for the disproportionate environmental burdens on marginalized communities.
• Whether mass consumer behavior or the practices of the economic elite are most responsible for climate crises.
• Comparing the effectiveness of political optimism and pessimism in efforts to redress climate change.
• Environmental challenges that result from destructive practices of modern warfare including ecocide.
• Global meat consumption, its contribution to climate change , and proposed solutions.
• The benefits and drawbacks of green capitalist and “de-growth” movements as radically contrasting approaches to combatting climate change.

Example Social Justice Topics – Human Rights and Geopolitics

Human rights and equality.

• How the end of Roe v. Wade has changed the political landscape around women’s reproductive rights.
• Whether cultural or legal solutions could work best to prevent violence against women.
• The alliance between feminists and political conservatives that has emerged in the clash over LGBTQ rights.
• How news media outlets have influenced widespread political efforts to curtail the rights of transgender people.
• Tensions between private corporations and governments around diversity and inclusion efforts.
• The effect of enhanced police oversight by civilians on the disproportionate use of force against minority communities.
• Barriers to housing, employment, or health services faced by people with disabilities.
• How exploitative work practices affecting minors exist despite legal efforts to curtail them.

International and Geopolitical Issues

• How migrant crises have influenced new border and immigration policies.
• How contemporary proxy wars differ from earlier methods of international conflict.
• Tensions that exist between global humanitarian aid agencies and actors in Global South countries that receive aid.
• How efforts to ensure affordable access to medicines across the world were affected by the COVID pandemic.
• How globalization has changed the world distribution of wealth inequality.
• Weighing the humanitarian costs of solar and electric energy production against those of the oil industry.
• How cultural differences around gender and sexuality influence global movements for women’s equality and LGBTQ rights.
• How authoritarian and/or religious political movements have become internationalized.

Example Social Justice Topics – The Legal System and Government

Justice and legal system.

• Restorative justice alternatives to traditional carceral approaches in the legal system.
• Efforts to eliminate cash bail and their potential effect on disparities in pretrial detention and bail practices.
• Legal challenges that new technologies have created in terms of defining or prosecuting crime.
• Methods of preventing and prosecuting police brutality and harassment.
• How the locations of prisons affect local communities and economies.
• Ways to combat mass incarceration through rethinking policing and sentencing standards.
• Academic, professional, and legal services in prisons and their effect on imprisoned populations.
• Mental health challenges present in the legal and carceral systems.

Politics and Governance

• Methods of global governance that have emerged to address transnational challenges like climate change and public health.
• Questions related to freedom of speech principles that have emerged in the digital age.
• Mutual aid efforts that address areas of public need that have been unaddressed through traditional political methods.
• How participatory media encourages broader civic engagement and government transparency.
• Political solutions for addressing the phenomena of food deserts or food apartheid.
• Responses of local governments to sharp increases in homelessness after the COVID pandemic.
• The internationalization of culture wars and political polarization around issues relating to race/ethnicity, gender, and sexuality.
• Philosophies about the conflict between ideals of multicultural openness and respect for cultural differences.

Final Thoughts – Social Issues Topics

The above social justice topics provide a sense of the large range of urgent issues an essay might topic. However, it’s best to reflect on how a piece of writing can define an issue so as to make clear that it is capable of doing something meaningful with it. That could entail looking for similar, more niche issues to address. Or it could mean deeper thought about an issue for which the writer anticipates they could provide missing information, perspectives, or plans of action. While many readers care about many topics, it’s vital to understand how an essay can create a tangible relationship with an ideal reader. Only then can a writer spur others to think or act in novel and potentially transformative ways.

Additional Resources

• Good Persuasive Speech Topics
• Debate Topics
• Argumentative Essay Topics
• 60 Senior Project Ideas for High Schoolers
• 101 Topics for the Science Fair 
• 100 Creative Writing Prompts 
• High School Success

Tyler Talbott

Tyler holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Missouri and two Master of Arts degrees in English, one from the University of Maryland and another from Northwestern University. Currently, he is a PhD candidate in English at Northwestern University, where he also works as a graduate writing fellow.

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Gen Z is spreading the word on guns: 'They're the problem, not the solution'

One way we young people are trying to end gun violence is through social media campaigns that help explain to our generation why guns make them less safe..

Students and their supporters take part in a peace walk around Benito Juarez High School in Pilsen, days after a mass shooting outside the school killed two teenagers and wounded two others in December 2022.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Your high school statistics class takes a break outside. Everyone walks a few blocks off campus, soaking up the fresh air. Suddenly, you hear a bang. Everyone sprints. In the chaos, you see your classmate clutching his face, covered in blood.

That afternoon in Belmont-Cragin was two years ago, and it wasn’t my first experience with gun violence — but it was the experience that triggered me into advocacy.

Growing up, my friends and I were taught to stay aware of our surroundings. Our families avoided late-night outings. Curfew was mandatory. As the oldest in a first-generation immigrant family, I also did my best to keep my younger brother safe. Yet heightened vigilance only goes so far, and young people across the country cite gun violence as a top concern .

Gun homicide rates are twice as high for Latino youth compared to their white peers. Our worries are understandable: Among Chicagoans who witnessed a shooting by age 40, the average age of a Black or Latino shooting witness is 14. Many of us see gun violence before we get our driver’s license or graduate from high school. I’m part of that statistic.

Ask enough teens in this city, and you’ll find that many of us have seen gun violence or know people who’ve been in the crosshairs of a shooting. Since 2010, over half of the city’s mass shootings have taken the life of someone under 20. It’s no wonder why we factor campus gun violence risk into our college decisions. We’re tired, frustrated, and scared. Even now, two years later and at a college over 600 miles away, I still hear the echoes of that drive-by shooting.

After my experience, I understood why many young people consider gun ownership. Many people, including the majority of teens, believe owning a gun will protect them. But the evidence from over half of the city’s mass shootings is clear: More guns lead to more gun violence. In Illinois, soaring firearm sales during the pandemic coincided with twice as many children killed or injured by guns and a spike in citywide domestic homicides .

These tragedies aren’t limited to Chicago. Nationwide, suicide rates are four times higher for kids living in gun-owning homes, and children are statistically more likely to die from a gun than from a car crash.

Gun violence needs generational change

Still, adults are unlikely to change their coffee order, let alone their views on a topic like guns. That’s why ending gun violence requires generational change.

About a year after the shooting, I joined the youth council at Project Unloaded , a teen-powered nonprofit dedicated to changing gun culture, rather than gun laws. We’re reaching teens with the facts on why guns make them less safe, through data-driven social media campaigns. We’re also building local partnerships, teaching teens how to channel their digital savvy into inspiring change where they live. Gen Z wants to drive cultural change, and that starts with spreading the message that guns are the problem — not the solution.

Our latest social media campaign, Guns Change the Story , relies on MadLib-style storytelling to challenge teens to consider how everyday moments could change if a gun were present. There’s good reason to believe this approach can work. In research that informed the campaign, teens in communities deeply impacted by gun violence initially expressed interest in owning a gun. Learning about gun risks led 18% to change their minds.

Some folks might say that a more effective approach would be to focus on gun laws. But these approaches go hand-in-hand. I’m hopeful our lawmakers will exhaust all options to reduce gun use and keep people safe. But I also know that Illinois isn’t an island, and it’s unlikely that the flow of guns will stop anytime soon from Indiana, Missouri and other states that seem determined to put gun industry profits ahead of safety. Guns will remain available. But we can choose not to own or use them.

Seeing gun violence first-hand compelled me to become more vocal about how a gun can change someone’s story. It forced me to confront our society’s myths about guns. It pushed me to share these facts and connect with young leaders committed to making a difference. And it makes me hopeful that our generation, Gen Z, can lead the way to changing gun culture.

Edgar Vilchez is a Youth Council member at Project Unloaded. He is completing his first year at Cornell University and grew up in Belmont-Cragin.

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