Social+Media+and+Gen+Y's+Health

** Name: Tim Long ** ** Student Number: 8295859 ** ** Tutor: Katie Page **

**How healthy is Generation Y.**

The question is simple but the answer is very complicated. As a generation we have a multitude of problems. I will be covering those related to technology, mainly the various forms of addictions and obesity that stems from over use of this technology. These public health issues for our generation will be linked in with an artefact that demonstrates the level of connectedness we experience and take for granted on a daily basis. These issues will be supported by research and theorists, as well a cultural analysis of the generation. Finally I will reflect if this article has altered my personal thinking process related to the artefact.



**Artefact **

It’s a screenshot of my iPhone display; this shows the level of connectedness that we are constantly exposed to and the amount of social media that is commonplace to be at your fingertips. Twitter, facebook, Tumblr and Instagram are just a touch away, along with the staples of email, text message and phone calls. One device has six ways to communicate with others, and to share what is happening in day to day life. There are plenty more than can be added into that, LinkedIn, WhatsApp and HeyTell to name just a few. The photos and videos we take can be instantly uploaded and shared with the world. The iPhone is not my artefact, but the level of connectedness to social media is. Most phones are capable of these actions and if it is not on a mobile device, there is always the humble computer we sit at.

**Public health issue**  It cannot be missed that there is a link between social media and obesity, body image disorders and addictions (Adachi-Mejia et al., 2007; Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2011; Borzekowski, & Bayer, 2005; Children, adolescents, and the media, 2010; Derenne, & Beresin, 2006; Freishtat, & Sandlin, 2010; Kuss, & Griffiths, 2011; Ng, & Wiemer-Hastings, 2005; Obesity in children and adolescents: Guidelines for prevention and management, 2004; Silverstone, & Teatum, 2011; Tiggemann, & Miller, 2010). Also the addiction to social media as a negative and not yet approved mental illness as other subtances additcions are by the American Psycology Association (APA) and the Australian Medical Department (AMD) (Ng, & Wiemer-Hastings, 2005; Rollins, 2011). So how are people supposed to be treated for these addictions if there is no facilities or support to help manage and assist those people afflicted with these addictions and disorders. Naturally obesity is the biggest health issue as sedentary lifestyle is promoted by increasing amounts of technology (Adachi-Mejia et al., 2007; Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2011; Children, adolescents, and the media, 2010; Obesity in children and adolescents: Guidelines for prevention and management, 2004; Silverstone, & Teatum, 2011). While on the other extreme there is the worrying cases of body image disorders that stem from exposure to constant pressure to look as good as celebrities or friends on facebook (Borzekowski, & Bayer, 2005; Children, adolescents, and the media, 2010; Derenne, & Beresin, 2006; Tiggemann, & Miller, 2010). People have the option to communicate through the internet chances are they will. As a result these addictions and obesity are linked together as two sides of the same coin, while the body image disorders are another unfortunate result (Adachi-Mejia et al., 2007; Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2011; Borzekowski, & Bayer, 2005; Children, adolescents, and the media, 2010; Derenne, & Beresin, 2006; Freishtat, & Sandlin, 2010; Kuss, & Griffiths, 2011; Ng, & Wiemer-Hastings, 2005; Silverstone, & Teatum, 2011; Tiggemann, & Miller, 2010).

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; text-align: center;"><span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;">**Literature review** <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;">With the increasing amounts of obesity and sedentary lifestyle related diseases, it is an issue that requires immediate attention (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2011). Although increases in technology as given us many great things in the past twenty years, it has also given the majority of the population a great deal of extra time that they would not have otherwise had. As a result this time is generally spent in front of some form of technology (Silverstone, & Teatum, 2011). Adachi-Mejia et al. (2007) found that a child with a television in their bedroom was more likely to be obese, and that the majority of cases the weight stayed with them into adulthood. The Obesity in children and adolescents: Guidelines for prevention and management (2004) state that the best possible chance of reducing obesity within the population starts by removing childhood obesity, and one of the possible ways of doing this is by reducing the amount of time spent on social media (Silverstone, & Teatum, 2011). In both the USA and here in Australia, the obesity levels have risen dramatically over the past twenty years and this increase causes a serious strain on the health care systems (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2011; Silverstone, & Teatum, 2011). Is there a link between obesity and addiction to the technology we use?

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;">In comparison against the seriousness of the obesity health issue, the public health issue of internet and social media addictions can seem quite trivial. It should not be considered so, with the increasing amounts of availability of technology and access to social media it should be a carefully monitored and appropriately controlled issue (Kuss, & Griffiths, 2011; Rollins, 2011). As both the APA and AMD do not consider these internet based addictions with the same severity as they do substance based addictions, even though the stages of addiction to social media and internet based follow the same process as that of substance abuse, it may allow these disorders to go unnoticed (Kuss, & Griffiths, 2011; Ng, & Wiemer-Hastings, 2005; Rollins, 2011). Although Ng Wiemer-Hastings (2005) study was on internet gaming, this addiction can be related into internet and social media addiction. The major issue with these forms of addictions is that they can be the precursor to other serious conditions, obesity from the sedentary lifestyle or body image disorders.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;"> While on the other end of the spectrum, there is the health issue of body image related disorders and how the social media can affect people’s perception of themselves (Derenne, & Beresin, 2006). With the increasing availability of social media available to most people, comes the increasing amount of time spent trying to ensure the image portrayed is the best it can be. This increased pressure can lead to the damaging body image related disorders, and is one of the reasons social media over exposure can be damaging to the public’s health (Borzekowski, & Bayer, 2005; Tiggemann, & Miller, 2010). Borzekowski, & Bayer (2005) findings support this issue, that increased amounts of social media was directly associated with increased levels of body dissatisfaction and altered body image.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;">** Cultural and social analysis ** <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;"> The increase of technology and the connectedness that most people experience within everyday life has changed how we, as a generation and a population, interact. Once to talk to someone it was required they are in the nearby vicinity, now we can call, text, private message, video chat with anyone around the world. This has turned us from a society that revolved around personal touch and contact, to a society based around the technology that enables a level of immersion never before thought of. <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;"> Jean Baudrillard predicted that as technology increased the level of human immersion. He suggested that the increase of technology would promote more possibility for humans to leave behind our current reality for a better one of our own creation, hyper-reality (Coulter, 2007; Thiry-Cherques, 2010). One of his theories was that the internet was the new frontier of this age and could be used by every person used to enable themselves to become better in the hyper-reality (Coulter, 2007). This could possibly explain why people turn to the internet and social media that they can present themselves however they like within their own hyper-reality (Kuss, & Griffiths, 2011).

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;">**Analysis of artefact and personal reflection** <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;">Can we turn around an ever evolving advancement? That’s the question that needs to be answered with social media. It is becoming so much a critical part of our daily lives that it has reached the stage where you are either connected or left behind. It’s a sad truth that the increases in technology can have some bad health issues associated with it. Would obesity have become such a large public health issue if technology had not advanced as quickly as it has?

<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;">** Discussion **

<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;">Generation Y – The Downfall of Public Health by Peta Dunne

<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;"> You've covered some really good points and on a really interesting topic. One of the things these sort of debates make us ask ourselves, is that is it generation Y acting out and playing up, or is it the age group of generation Y at the moment. Makes you ask what was generation X like when they where our age, and what will generation Z be like? Has each generation continued to become worse? It'll be interesting to see in the coming years if plays out that way. Well written mate! <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;"> Mental Health and Suicide - 'Is Australia Ok?' by Rochelle Kay <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;"> Excellent job, you've clearly researched the topic thoroughly and have a firm understanding of the issue. You made some very good points; the lack of research into why people attempt suicide, the different cultural bases (individual and collectivist) and how they can affect a person. Also you made a very good point of drawing out the changes that are occurring during periods when suicide is highest, shows a good insight into what they could be going through. Good job mate!

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;">** References ** <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;"> Adachi-Mejia, A., Longacre, M. R., Gibson, J. J., Beach, M. L., Titus-Ernstoff, L., & Dalton, M. A. (2007). Children with a TV in their bedroom at higher risk for being overweight. // International Journal of Obesity, 31 // (4), 644-644-51. doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0803455

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;"> Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2011). // Young Australians, their health and wellbeing 2011. // Retrieved from Australian Institute of Health and Welfare website []

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;"> Borzekowski, D. L. G., & Bayer, A. M. (2005). Body image and media use among adolescents. // Adolescent Medicine Clinics, 16 // (2), 289-289-313.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;"> Children, adolescents, and the media. (2010). // Pediatric Annals, 39 // (9), 538-538-540. doi:10.3928/00904481-20100825-02

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;"> Coulter, G. (2007). Jean Baudrillard and the definitive ambivalence of gaming. // Games and Culture // //, // // 2 // (4), 358-365. doi: 10.1177/1555412007309530

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;"> Derenne, J. L., & Beresin, E. V. (2006). Body image, media, and eating disorders. // Academic Psychiatry, 30 // (3), 257-257-61.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;">Freishtat, R. A, & Sandlin, J. A. (2010). Shaping youth discourse about technology: Technological colonization, manifest destiny, and the frontier myth in facebook's public pedagogy. //Educational Studies, 46//(5), 503-523

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;"> Kuss, D. J., & Griffiths, M. D. (2011). Online social networking and addiction-A review of the psychological literature. // International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 8 // (9), 3528-3528-3552.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;">Ng, B. D., & Wiemer-Hastings, P. (2005). Addiction to the internet and online gaming. //CyberPsychology & Behaviour, 8//(2), 110-113. doi:10.1089/cpb.2005.8.110.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;"> Obesity in children and adolescents: Guidelines for prevention and management. (2004). // Nurse Practitioner, 29 // (8), 9-9,12,14-15.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;"> Rollins, Judy A,PhD., R.N. (2011). Unplugged. // Pediatric Nursing, 37 // (4), 157-157-160.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;"> Silverstone, S., & Teatum, J. (2011). Technology: The problem or the solution to childhood obesity. // American Journal of Business Education, 4 // (1), 37-37-60.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;"> Sterne, J. (2003). Bourdieu, technique and technology. // Cultural Studies, // // 17 // (3-4),367-389.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;"> Thiry-Cherques, H. (2010). Baudrillard: Work and hyperreality. // RAE - Electrônica, 9 // (2), 1-1-11

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;"> Tiggemann, M., & Miller, J. (2010). The internet and adolescent girls' weight satisfaction and drive for thinness. // Sex Roles, 63 // (1-2), 79-79-90. doi:10.1007/s11199-010-9789-z <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;">