Student Presenter(s): Stacie Kiriazis
Faculty Mentor: Patty K. Wongpakdee
Department: Digital Art and Design
School/College: College of Arts and Sciences, Long Island

The increase in technology in the past decade has been astronomical. Social Media has progressed at such a rapid pace that many scientists are truly unaware of the effect this would have on our society, especially the youth. Teenagers seem to be one of the largest demographics drawn to social media. Over 95% of teens own a cellphone and that percentage will only increase in the next coming years. By having a phone, social media platforms are always just a press away which can bring many advantages. This includes being able to connect easier with family and friends and the access to important information easier than ever before. While there are all these positive effects caused by social media, there are also a lot of negatives we need to consider. This all comes down to whether or not the positives outweigh the negatives and if this rapid increase of social media presence will cause more harm than good in the future. I created a data visualization poster to help depict the positive and negative effects of social media on teens while also bringing up other important statistics and numbers that can impact the opinions people may have about this topic.