Topic > Influence Social Media Influence - 1328

While SNSs can be used for positive change in the world, they are often used to promote unethical behavior, such as dishonesty, theft, and drug use. Many celebrities and people online display a lavish and reckless lifestyle. They brag about all the money they have on Twitter, post a photo of themselves smoking on Instagram, and record countless hours of partying on Snapchat. While these acts alone are not considered unethical, they encourage teenagers to live the same lifestyle. The problems begin when these viewers go to extremes to obtain the same goods. For example, some teenagers may fall into drug dealing or robbing stores for the same money and luxury items. Teens quickly find an “easy way of life” that is unethical and supports the lifestyle they desire. In a study on the influence of smoking and alcohol on adolescents, researchers (Fujimoto, Huang, Soto, & Valente, 2014) note: “This supports previous findings that SNS use alone poses no risk, rather it is the content exchanged via SNS that triggers behavioral influences” (p7). Teens need to be responsible about the type of accounts they follow on social networking sites. Constantly seeing famous people behave recklessly can subconsciously push teenagers to behave the same way. Another