Our Current Generation of teens and pre teens have an unprecedented access to the internet and social networks, causing their social skills and emotion detecting abilities to suffer.

 

   The way that technology and devices have transformed has made it accessible to more people in a greater number of areas than ever before. Kids born in the 1990s up until now are represented as Generation Z. This group of people have seen the internet shift dramatically in terms of how it has been presented and utilized. These people have seen the internet transform from the desktop to the cell phone. This allows it to literally be in the pockets of citizens 24/7. Studies suggest that there are numerous negative effects that include media multitasking and online bullying.



Media multitasking  has been linked to lack of emotion detecting ability ,social anxiety, and the ability to process information

         A complex that has originated in our  digital age  due to the increased accessibility of media is the overuse of multiple platforms at the same time. This has become a norm in the everyday lives of this generation as we find ourselves on our laptops, phones and tablets trying to communicate with people at the same time. Many wonder if this healthy for human brain and whether it is changing how we interact with others? Research has suggested that chronic multitasking can lead to an overload on the human psyche which can result in anxiety. A 2009 study conducted by Stanford University published the proceedings of an experiment called "Cognitive control in media multitaskers".The study used  experiments to compare heavy media multitaskers to light media multitaskers in terms of their cognitive control and ability to process information .

   A key theme when interviewing Myleah was the idea that with this unprecedented access to media , we are starting to see a generation form that lack certain emotion detecting abilities. This is a result of a decline of human interaction .Emotion detecting abilities were included in the cognitive control  study did by Stanford. They were listed to be at an all time low among the teenage population. Media multitasking involves using TV, the Web, radio, telephone, print, or any other media in conjunction with another. So,  the simple concept of distraction has been the primary theory for why the results interpret what they do. From old notes taken on this concept, I've learned that the concentration abilities of the brain work like WiFi. When a router faces many signal from different laptops and phones seeking internet, the signal gets greatly distribute and translate a weaker signal to each individual. 
     This concept applies to media multitasking  because it has become a norm to use to try to divert our attention to numerous platforms when the brain isn't capable of doing that. What ends up happening is that we start to compensate by each task less individual attention. this is harmful when it comes to communication  because it allows room for us to misinterpret meanings  and emotions  that are hard to detect as it is without face to face interaction. We also commonly engage in conversations with multiple people at the same time which is dilutes focus even more. Equate these tasks into actual  human to human setting it is difficult to engage in conversation  with a person while trying to check your Instagram and listening to music with a TV playing in front of you. Yet many teenagers try to accomplish tasks similar to this on a daily basis.


     There are a wide range of effects that come from training our brains to handle multiple things at a time. Studies suggest that it causes the individual to be less reactive to changes in patterns and signals. This is why emotion detecting abilities are affected because emotions are essentially signals when it comes to communicating with a person Heavy media  multitaskers were on average 77 milliseconds slower than their light media  counterparts at identifying changes in patterns. The second major effect found in studies suggested that long term memory was reported to be less efficient in those that heavily multitasked while using media. Another effect that was studied was the ability for multitakers to switch activities effectively and return to tasks. high media multitaskers were 426 milliseconds slower than their counterparts to switch to new activities and 259 milliseconds slower to engage in a new section of the same activity.

   These three effects that were named are related to social anxiety. The main reason for that can be explained by the terms neuroticism and extraversion . Neuroticism can be defined as a fundamental personality trait in the study of psychology characterized by anxiety  People with high neuroticism levels are usually heavy media multitaskers according to the study. respond more poorly to stressors, are more likely to interpret ordinary situations as threatening, and minor frustrations as hopelessly difficult. This can lead to depression and social anxiety. Extraversion can be explained as the condition and the mindset of relying on and being satisfied by activities, actions , and thoughts outside of ones self. Media multitaskers tests with high levels of extraversion and social anxiety. because they are constantly involved with others and situations of others with constant social media use.


        


        









    Online Bullying   has been suggested to be linked to Social anxiety as well, at an all time high in this current generation.


  Cyberbullying has been a concept really never seen before in society until this generation because of the unprecedented access to social media sites. But only until recently with constant research and debate has cyberbullying been deemed a form of victimization. skeptics think that since the bullying isn't face to face or physical, the effects of it aren't real either. Many believe there is a reality complex to it. This been often downgraded as a liberal concept by skeptics . Many believe that the victims have the power to just turn the phones/computer off. Why I chose this topic is to introduce the idea that the bullies are victims too, and the damage is done more from a psychological standpoint rather just hurt feelings.   

             Many are familiar with the term "cyberbullying" that ha been presented in the media on numerous cases. A common consequence that derives from the increase in internet use is the bullying that forms outside of human interaction. There is almost no way to escape from this unhealthy experience for victims in this time period. Some children can go their whole lives with the scars from that and no one would be able to help or witness because it is all non physical. This also affects the social skills of that individual because it causes them to translate that to other people.  Pew research center provided statistics that explain that our younger generation is more susceptible to witnessing and experiencing Online bullying .

       

 

  From conducting my interview , I began to realize that there are numerous incidents where online bullying has become entertainment to some that seek  fulfillment from the lives of others in terms of social media platforms. My interviewee explained many times where she witnessed harsh words expressed online . She is one of the few left that are really able to admit and recognize that online bullying is causing damage to many teenage minds in terms of low self esteem. Many believe that the anonymity that occurs is an open door for certain acts to be okay. THis mindset, in the bullies case, causes them step outside of their boundaries and say things they wouldn't say in public. Simply put, people are loosing respect for one another. The lack of face to face interaction is causing us to neglect the damage that our words can do. Some people are bullies and victims of cyberbullying without even knowing it . The anxiety exists when these certain people are in public and find themselves in situation where they have to show tolerance or self respect. This also deters people from wanting to pay attention and recognizing it to be serious.

     When doing research the main statistic  the stood out to me was that 73 % of internet users have witnessed online harassment. That goes to show the amount of people that are affected. Listed below are a couple of  other statistics that I found.

60% of internet users said they had witnessed someone being called offensive names

53% said they witnessed efforts to purposefully embarrass someone

25% said they witnessed someone being harassed for a sustained period of time

24% said they witnessed someone being physically threatened

19% said they witnessed someone being sexually harassed

18% said they witnessed someone being stalked

       One effect that originates from the social anxiety and distraction due to media multitasking is what is known as the third person effect. This can be described as the idea that people tend to perceive that mass communicated media messages have a greater effect on others than on themselves, based on personal biases;  because of this perception, people tend to take action to counteract the messages’ influence. This desensitizes us to a lot of damage that can be done to people through words and text. this damage that  is done can cause social anxiety of the fear that we will never fit in so we can become very easily persuaded through this third person effect.Those who have witnessed online harassment were also likely to be the target of it. Over half of internet users, 53%, who have witnessed the harassment of others online were the target of online harassment themselves. They were more than ten times as likely as internet users who have not witnessed online harassment to experience it by a margin of 53% to 5%.This provides evidence that suggests that there are more bullies and twice the victims of online bullying that we actually think.
  





        When considering the evidence linking victimization to anxiety, two cautions are necessary. First, one’s risk of developing anxiety disorders does not depend only on whether and how one is bullied; rather, we must also consider factors such as genetics, culture, and environment . These risks can be prevented by recognizing these signs and  addressing them. One thing that I've noticed is that the distraction we get from media multitasking can cause us to miss out on signals and examples of bullying that could be addressed. The relation between these problems can lead us into a society where we all are socially anxious.