Stalvey 1

David Stalvey
Professor Bolton
ENG 101
1 November 2014
Topic Proposal The Positive and Negative Effects of Social Networking on American Students
As time has progressed in the twenty-first century, social networking has increased
rapidly in its relevancy to the lives of American citizens and assumed a significant role in the
technological subsection of the American culture. Various social networking websites, including
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest, are being utilized progressively by
American technological users as these websites are being increasingly expressed and displayed
by these people in their personal and professional lives. The growth in the amount of social
networking users has been researched and supported by data as a current study from ProCon.org
shows that 59% of all Internet users use at least one social networking site. The increasing
presence of social networking in the American culture has initiated developing concerns among
the general public about the positive and negative aspects of these websites. Debates regarding
social media websites as helpful or harmful sources of information and communication have
developed in the country due to negative events that are the result of associations with social
media, which include occurrences of bullying and suicide among American youth. As a result of
these debates, the influences of social media usage have been examined specifically among the
lives of American students in an effort to discover the effects that this usage has on a students
self-image, academic success, interpersonal relationships, attention, and potential job
opportunities. This controversy regarding the usage of social networking as a beneficial or

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detrimental opportunity among American students remains a current and vital issue among the
American public in the country today.
I have chosen to discuss the controversy of social networking usage among American
students for my research paper as this topic relates personally to my life. As a student in high
school and a user of different social networking sites, I can understand and relate to the various
influences that social media has on my academic success and social experiences. My
classification in this group also has allowed me to examine the effects that social networking has
had on my peers and classmates. This prior knowledge of and familiarity with social media,
along with my upcoming research on the topic from various literary sources, will enable me to
consider the positive and negative aspects of social networking usage and argue my position on
the topic.
In my research paper, I will argue the helpful and detrimental effects that social
networking has on American students who range from the educational age groups of elementary
school to college. My discussion of the influences of social media on these various age groups in
the educational system will allow me to reveal specific influences and experiences that social
networking produces among American students as they progress through their education. My
research paper will feature the positive and negative effects of social media usage on the
experiences and interactions of American students as they advance in the educational system in
order to view the multiple influences that social media can have on the lives of these students.
My existing knowledge of social networking sites and my interest in the helpful and
potentially harmful effects that these sites can have on the lives of American students will allow
me to present an effective argument on the influences of social media with the inclusion of
research and appropriate evidence.

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Works Cited
ProCon.org. "Social Networking ProCon.org." ProCon.org. 23 September 2014. Web. 1
November 2014.