The topic for our advocacy project is Social Media Depression. While conducting research, we were looking for sources that upheld the claim we were making: that social media has the power to make us sad or depressed and that social media users are at risk. Our sources back up this idea with studies and actual conducted research.

-Benjamin, Kathy. "9 Ways Facebook Is Changing People's Lives." Mental_floss. 19 Apr 2012: n. page. Web. 27 Mar. 2013. <http://mentalfloss.com/article/30487/9-ways-facebook-changing-peoples-lives>.http://veggieab.com/the-top-30-reasons-facebook-causes-depression/

This article found on the Mental Floss website discusses nine specific ways that Facebook is changing people's lives. Kathy Benjamin dives deeper into these points in the article. Benjamin discusses that you may be addicted to Facebook if you can't go twenty-four hours without checking it. Benjamin also discusses how pictures found on Facebook can make other people jealous. The article discusses how Facebook can make you a better employee, unhappy, or it can boost your self-esteem. Facebook can also make your friends not like you, makes you feel fat, and it can stress you out. The final point that Benjamin makes is that people are going on Facebook after they have relations with someone, as opposed to having a cigarette like some people used to. 

The Mental Floss website itself has a lot going on. Since the website was reflecting the magazine itself it poses questions, states interesting facts, has a knowledge feed, has articles relating to interesting topics, and even has quizzes. On the page with the article itself, there are recommendations for articles that one might be interested in based on that article. 

This article is important to our advocacy project because it has valid points backed up with statistics. It has positive and negative effects that Facebook can have. We will use this information to relate to other people and show that the effects Facebook can have may not be as obvious as some would think.

-Copeland, Libby. "The Anti-Social Network." Slate Magazine. 26 Jan 2011: n. page. Web. 27 Mar. 2013. <http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2011/01/the_antisocial_network.html>.

This article featured on Slate Magazine's website discusses research found from Stanford University on how different social media networks can make you sad. It talks about how they studied college students regarding the social network. Research showed that students felt worse about themselves after logging onto Facebook. These social networks had caused fights, felt sad because they missed people, felt upset because of how much fun peers were having compared to themselves, and tended to feel lonely and focused on the negatives in their lives. The article points out that after students spend time on Facebook, they were convinced that everyone else was leading a perfect life. 

The Slate website itself was very simple. The article could be found in articles written by the writers of Slate Magazine. People can read the article and comment on it and state their opinion on the subject matter. Author, Libby Copeland, used information from a study done at Stanford University to advocate for social media relating to sadness. On the side of the article there were buttons that would link and share the article on other social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. 

This article is important to our advocacy project because it states hard facts from actual research done by Stanford University. We can use this research to show people that this is a growing problem in our world today. We need to use this research to show people that they are not alone when it comes to social media linking to depression and low self esteem. 
 
-Rosenbaum, Matthew. "Facebook: Friends' Happy Pictures Make You Sad?." ABC News. 20 Jan 2012: n. page. Web. 27 Mar. 2013. <http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2012/01/feeling-sad-facebook-could-be-the-cause/>.

In this article on ABC News website, Matthew Rosenbaum talks about a recent study done specifically on how pictures on Facebook can make you sad. The article goes into more depth about how photos on Facebook portray intense happiness and they may or may not have that. When people are looking at other people's Facebook photos they are left to think that others have a better life than themselves. The article discusses how on Facebook, we present ourselves at our best.

The ABC site itself is very assessable. The article can be found under "Technology Review" in news blogs. There are also a lot of tabs that discuss a wide range of topics. People can voice their opinions by commenting on the article and seeing what other people have to say.

This article is important to our advocacy project because it hits on a specific big problem that Facebook causes. We can discuss how photos can present ourselves to be our best self and something that we are not. If we see people that have pictures and they look really happy, then you are more likely to think that they have a better life than you and that will cause low self-esteem, sadness, and depression. 

-Sifferlin, Alexandra. "Why Facebook Makes You Feel Bad About Yourself." Time Magazine. 24 Jan                           2013: n. page. Web. 27 Mar. 2013. <http://healthland.time.com/2013/01/24/why-facebook-makes-   you-feel-bad-about-yourself/>.

This article posted in TIME Magazine's online website by Alexandra Sifferlin discusses how Facebook can make you feel bad about yourself. Sifferlin brings up the point of how Facebook is supposed to make us feel loved and happy. Unfortunately, Facebook is making many people feel envy of others, misery, and loneliness among hundreds of "friends." The article shared a statistic that 1 in every 3 people felt worse after logging on to Facebook. 

The TIME magazine website has all different tabs from all different subject matters. After the article written by Sifferlin, it had other articles from TIME magazine that it would recommend one reading this article to read as well. It also had recommendations from other websites. Anybody can voice their opinion at the end of the article as well.

This article is important to our advocacy project because it provides more statistics that clearly show how much Facebook is affecting everyone logging on. There are benefits to Facebook, but there are a lot of negative affects that are becoming more visible to people. This article can help advocate that social media sites such as Facebook can cause people to feel envy, misery, and loneliness. 


-English, Marianne. "What's social media depression -- and might I have it?." Discovery
Fit & Health. Discovery.com. Web. 3 Apr 2013.
<http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/depression/questions/social-media-depression.htm>. 

This article by Discovery Fit & Health, explains what Social Media Depression is and how all varying types of social media can cause this not only in teens, but also in adults. The article gives the example of how often we use social media to communicate personal things such as engagements, breakups, the death of a family members, etc. It also states how often we subconsciously compare ourselves to our "friends" on social media. This comparison can alter our mental state, causing us to feel inferior.

This article was published by Discovery Fit & Health, which is a very credible source. Discovery Health has been around for many years, on TV and in magazines. They back up their claims with research and facts, which helps them to be trusted.

This article is important to our advocacy project because it raises awareness of Social Media Depression. It also gives examples of how social media users may become Social Media depressed. This may help people identify whether or not they are at risk.
 
-Van Pelt, Jennifer. "Is 'Facebook Depression' For Real?." Social Work Today. Great Valley
Publishing Co.. Web. 3 Apr 2013.
<http://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/exc_080811.shtml>.

This article discusses Facebook Depression in particular, stating that status
updates, wall posts, and posted photos make young people feel unwanted or
unpopular. It mentions a report released by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), who originated the phrase "Facebook Depression." The report details the risks of not only social media, but also gaming sites, virtual worlds, YouTube, and blogs.

The Social Work Today website seems very credible to me. Their website offers information and articles on various different topics including Mental Health, Aging, and Addiction, just to name a few. The author of the article has her Master's Degree and has 15 years of experience as a writer and research analyst in the field of healthcare.

This article is important to our advocacy project because it provides all the information needed on Facebook Depression to open people's eyes on the issue. The AAP report is beneficial because it shows actual research and studies that have been conducted on the topic, making its importance known.

-Slavik, Rachel. "Excessive Facebook Use May Lead to Depression In Teens." CBS Minnesota.
CBS Local Media, 29 Mar 2011. Web. 3 Apr 2013.
<http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2011/03/29/excessive-facebook-use-may-lead-to-depression-in-teens/>. 

This article, posted by CBS, also mentions the study conducted by the AAP. It states that the study should give parents another reason to limit the time their children spend on the computer. It mentions that the time spent on social media sites and our comparison of ourselves to others can cause Facebook Depression. The article states that social media is becoming such a large part of young people's lives that pediatricians are incorporating it into their wellness checks.

CBS News is a popular news network that almost everyone has heard of. The article provides a direct quote from a family practice doctor, which makes the article seem credible. Not only is this a real thing, but it is a phenomena that doctors and pediatricians are beginning to catch on to.

This article is important to our advocacy project because it provides insight from outside sources; it shows us that not only researchers and upscale doctors are beginning to recognize the presence of Social Media Depression. Small town doctors and parents are also beginning to recognize the importance of monitoring their children's computer time.

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