The topic I would like to discuss is the impact of social media on children. This issue is critical to be developed because children are the future of society, and the subsequent development of humanity primarily depends on them. Thus, it is essential to ensure the stable development of children’s personalities in order to ensure the decent future generation. The growth of social media has completely changed human life. Social networking sites have become an integral part of the daily routine of adults and children. Even though new technologies empower progress in the information sphere, social media has negative impacts which should be addressed. It is vital to develop strategies to minimize these negative influences in order to empower the future progress of humanity. Reducing the negative impacts is especially important for children because they are in a personality development state.
In the scope of the mentioned problem, there is one specific issue which I would like to explore in details. It can be formulated as follows: the fear of mission out syndrome and its psychological impact on children’s personality development. This dangerous syndrome has recently developed and, according to the statistics, has infiltrated the minds of millions of people all over the world (McGinnis, 2020). Fear of missing out syndrome is usually characterized by the feeling that people live a less fulfilling life than those around them (McGinnis, 2020). The stronger this feeling, the greater the desire to check other people’s profiles. This syndrome provokes dangerous unfavorable comparison, which affects the human mind leading to psychological distortions. It is incredibly hazardous for children who are being at the stage of shaping their personalities. Fear of missing out syndrome can provoke the establishment of envy and negative comparison emotion, which interfere with the normal psychological development of the mental strength causing moral weakness and lack of confidence.
Thus, this problem is essential to be discussed by sociologists because the impact of social media cannot be eliminated completely. Through the research, scientists can design the methods how to minimize the adverse effects of this syndrome on children. From my perspective, the research on this topic requires various experiments, including both research methods: qualitative and quantitative. The combination of methodologies allows researchers to gain more detailed data about the investigated topic (Ferris & Stein, 2020). If I were able to conduct research on his specific issue, I would start qualitative research because it allows gaining in-depth insights into the subjects’ personalities. The prevalent method which will be helpful for the study is the interview or open-ended questions. Such an approach will help to formulate the scope of the problem. The next step is quantitative research which will help collect the numerical data regarding the problem. Only the combination of research methodologies can provide a full-fledged picture of the problem.
Therefore, the syndrome of missing out is one of the most dangerous social media-involving threats for children. The question of the connection of the syndrome and the children’s future success and wellbeing is not established yet. It is essential to elaborate on this topic scientifically involving the practical and theoretical experiments. This sociological problem requires urgent discussion. Only through the sorely conducted scientific experiments sociologist will design the approaches of fighting the negative impacts of this syndrome. The psychological and social training should be updated to prepare children to cope with the syndrome of missing out.
References
Ferris, K., & Stein, J. (2020). The real world: An introduction to sociology (7th ed.). W. W. Norton & Company.
McGinnis, P. (2020). Fear of missing out: Practical decision-making in a world of overwhelming choice. Sourcebooks.