Creating a Generation of Anti-Social Youth with The Internet

Mobile technology has spread throughout the world making it less complicated for individuals to maintain consistent contact with various social networks online. The largest proportion of the population is taking this advantage. According to a study carried out by the Pew Research Center, there is a total proportion of 71 % of the United States residents using Facebook occasionally, and about 45 percent of the users check their websites several times. It is an indication of people is turning into more sociable through the net when there are others who think that the youth are turning into anti-social. The problem created is that most time is used in maintaining the superficial connections online instead of dedicating time in cultivating the real-life relations. Connecting virtually cannot be considered as creating real-life bonding. Technology has taken up almost every part of life, may it be education, passing information, making friends, health care, and even social life. As long as person is connected using technology, they do not require other people as the Internet can provide almost all answers in life. In the classroom, for instance, the students do not require to disturb others concerning any questions they have as the internet will answer any questions. Formation of discussion groups, for instance, where the students can interact and build lasting friendship is no longer possible. One can get all answers on the Internet as long as they are connected. Research indicates that the introduction of the portable computers, Smartphones, and social communication has changed the social world. Wherever the youth are, they can also be able to access the internet and do not require having any relations with other people. The youth can connect with lots of people virtually which reduces the real world communication. The real world and the virtual world are overlapping. The time, which is dedicated to the real world friends is less compared to the virtual friends. As long as one is connected using Smartphones, they will be notified all through using alerts, vibrations, beeps, and notifications which warn the youth of someone information such as chatting with virtual friends thus taking away their attention. The more one is connected to the world using digital devices, the more they are isolated from the real world. The Internet is known to be addictive, and when one gets into one site, they will find all types of interesting material which keep them connected all through forgetting about their social life on the real world (Kurian 2016, p.66). Not all the time a beep or a vibration will distract a youth as research indicates that most youths keep on checking their phones all through even without receiving an alarm. Most of the youth use their phones as watches, which they have to keep on checking time. In the process of checking the time, the temptation of checking the messages and any notifications is too great to be resisted. When one has begun checking the notifications, they can check all social networking sites, which mean that they will take more time, which would have been used connecting with friends. Checking what is happening in the virtual world is associated with anxiety where one is eager to always learn the ongoing information. Research concerning anxiety was conducted, and it was discovered that the youth who are heavy Smartphone users increased their anxiety level after ten minutes, and the longer they had to wait to access their phones, the more nervous they became (Buckingham 2008, p.32). The moderate phone users indicated moderate anxiety while the light users did not show any anxiousness even when not checking their phones. The constant checking on the virtual world reduces the time, which one spends with friends in the real world. There is a large difference between connecting and communicating, which the youth should understand. Communication is conducted through real life relations where people meet and talk and it is important for emotional health. Most youths are lacking this as they are more into connecting using the Internet. They get hundred of friends which they can discuss anything, but there is no emotional health thus making the youth antisocial. These virtual friends have never even been met; all the connections are through the Internet, and they keep a youth so preoccupied that they forget almost all normal life activities. According to the psychologists, social capital is the benefit achieved from social interactions is the bonding and the superficial bridging. The friends who are made in the virtual world provide bridging social capital while the real world friends offer bonding social capital. When a youth makes friends in the real world, they know about them as it might have started while they were still children. They know and appreciate some of the hardships they pass through and can connect emotionally. School friends, for instance, are aware of the hardships one experiences and can support them in real life. The virtual friends, on the other hand, are not aware of the problems or personal life of their friend. They may stay connected but not emotional (Boyd 2014, p.91). It is only the normal things, which are discussed, and most of them might not be of any help to the youth. Since these friends do not have any emotional connections, the youth prefer them. There is no creation of enemies or having real connections, which may hurt later in life. Empathy, for instance, can be provided both through the virtual and real world. In the real world, the friends can visit the youth who is passing through some problems and support them in various ways such as financial or even giving encouraging words. It appears more real and appealing when it is conducted through face-to-face. Empathy can also be provided virtually through ways such as the use of emoji and studies show that it is one-sixth effective in making an individual feel socially supported. At times, one requires real support such as the presence of people, which will help make them feel better in comparison to the virtual world (James 2014). The more the youth are involved in social media, the more they can develop behavior, which can be considered anti-social. They do not know how to respect the elderly, which is an unethical thing for young people. The youth can get bullied though some of the social networking sites. Since there is one monitoring the youth, they can text sexual matters and can get tempted to try it in real life. All these are possible through virtual world as there is no one to monitor the activities of the youth. In conclusion, the internet is providing all answers in life, making the youth develop the anti-social behavior. Using the Smartphones and the portable computers, a young person can access the Internet in any place of the world, even in the remote regions. There are lots of social networking sites, which a person can join, and they are all free and only require signing up. The more the site the youth will be joining, the more connected to the world they have and the vast the region they can have friends. Most youths prefer these sites as there are no emotional connections and they are interesting. The Internet has thus made the youth antisocial.ReferencesBoyd, D. (2014). It's complicated: the social lives of networked teens. . Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/Its-Complicated-Social-Lives-Networked/dp/0300166311Buckingham, D. (2008). Youth, identity, and digital media. Cambridge, Mass, MIT Press. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/Identity-Catherine-MacArthur-Foundation-Learning/dp/026252483XJames, C. (2014). Disconnected: Youth, new media, and the ethics gap. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/Disconnected-Catherine-MacArthur-Foundation-Learning/dp/0262028069KURIAN, J. (2016). Influence of Social Media among Youth. http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:101:1-201611078198.