In the past decade, the amount of internet users has proliferated replacing bygone

forms of media and entertainment with a skyrocketing trend among all ages know as
social media. At its basis, social media is a website or application that enables
users to create and share content or to participate in social networking which is
the form of communication through social media. With social media capturing the
internet’s attention, as many as 65% of American adults use social networking
sites. Erik Qualman states that “we don’t have a choice on whether we do social
media, the choice is how well we do it” (Qualman). As social media gains popularity
amongst adults, the influences of social media branch off into youth creating a
rapidly increasing social network audience among all ages quite contrary to the
audience observed in the past decade. While social media may appear to be aiding a
variety of youthful people to discover their proclaimed identity through
technology, social media is gradually eradicating humanity’s social interaction as
online communication becomes one’s voice.
The concern arises when examining the repercussions of social media such as
cyberbullying and the significant decrease in social interaction amongst younger
generations exposed to vast amounts of technology and media. Furthermore, social
media may seem to be a harmless tool that can be utilized for socializing with
acquaintances through technology, yet many youthful people do not realize that
technology-oriented form of interaction is not a natural human aspect. In addition
to the deficiency of natural human interaction caused by social media, social media
is invading other areas of human life such as school, work, and relationships.
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Prior to the invention of social media, household telephones were commonly utilized
for communication with friends and family, whereas with social media, the natural
interaction of conversing by voice is void. Social media eradicates the presence of
conversing by voice, therefore, many people feel more secure when conversing via
social media. By means of social media, people have regulated contact with society
in order to increase their self-esteem. Albert Einstein, one of the most astute
figures in the 20th century, quoted: “I fear the day technology will surpass our
human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots” (Einstein). This
quote often applies to younger generations made up of millennials and post-
millennials. Many people argue that in a certain aspect Einstein made a valid point
in his reasoning while others tend to rebut his philosophy.
With the many rapid advances being made in technology and the internet, people
express concern for the future of society as a whole. Many people argue that
theoretically, social media is having a negative impact on youth (typically
teenagers) by decreasing the amount of social interaction, whereas others are in
disbelief of the “decreasing” amount of social interaction amongst youth. Self-
identities play a big role in social interaction, yet a person’s self-identity is
partially derived from social media. One’s self-identity is developed by self-
awareness and gaining feedback on achievements. With the recent invention of social
media, people are tending to base their identities solely off of the latest trends
over social media, and the blatant image of the “perfect person” that has
undermined every positive self-images of oneself. Whether it is “the perfect body-
image” or “the perfect personality” being propelled towards people, many people
feel the lack of confidence which degrades their self-image.
Before social media’s existence, many people lacked these degrading feelings of
self-image, yet the tide has turned. Society is now incessantly veered to the
prominent teaching that self-image is the very basis of humans, and if one has an
inferior self-image, that person is inferior to society. Subsequently, there
becomes a loss of identity when one becomes wrapped up in “all the hype” on
supposedly Facebook or Instagram. Society as a whole is not perceiving the
detrimental outcome of the negative brainwashing social media can have on people.
Society has simply become immune to popular influences and believes that the way of
popular self-image pertains to what each individual’s self-image should be. “Self-
identity is no longer self-identity, meaning derived from the self, but rather is
an identity projected onto us by popular culture and in no way an accurate
reflection of who we really are” (Taylor).
On the upside, as much as social media has reduced self-identities, social media
has made a positive impact on society when used in a constructive manner. Social
media can positively affect society by providing a canvas for a ravishing
masterpiece. Many people find it easier to express their self-identities in an
environment desolate of the anxiety a real-life situation possesses. Along with the
ease of anxiety, social media has provided society a unique opportunity to create
our self-image through the means of a “digital museum.” There are many routes
available on social media. One can easily mask their identity through social media
due to the fact that social media allows for more control, especially when it comes
to customizing the layout of one’s profile. Contrary to hiding one’s identity, a
person can reflect on their self-image without having any anxiety from peers.
In conclusion, social media has many drawbacks in terms of the expression of
identity when people feel obligated to blend in with popular idols that are adorned
across social media, whereas others may simply articulate their identity throughout
social media. Individuals can either construct a synthetic identity that deviates
from their true one, or construct a bona fide identity projecting their personality
and qualities to the outside world. Coming to a conclusion, social media does not
affect the identity of the individual, rather how the individual handles social
media is what affects their identity.Homelessness in the UK
Homelessness, as a socio-economic issue, has been prevalent in much of humanities
history and continues to present itself as an issue to this day, with many
economically thriving western cities still experiencing this problem. In the UK,
homelessness can be seen in many large towns and cities with numerous causes being
citied such as: inequality, lack of affordable housing and the lures of crime and
drugs. This report will examine in detail these causes and the steps that the
British government have taken to classify and rectify the age old issue of
homelessness.
Definition
First and foremost it is pertinent to define homelessness as it presents itself in
the modern day. Homelessness, in its absolute simplest form is defined as having no
official or legally backed permanent residence or place to stay and is therefore
often found to be synonymous with ‘sleeping rough’ (Polakow and Guillean 2001). In
the UK however there are five tests in which a person must pass in order to be
qualified as officially homeless according to the social housing register, these
tests are as follows:
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Is the person intentionally homeless?
Is the person eligible for assistance?
Does the person have a local connection?
Is the person homeless?
Is the person in a priority need?
Causes of Homelessness
The causes of homelessness are often linked to many socio-economic obstacles and
are often rooted deeply into various social groups, often the most vulnerable and
less-affluent, homelessness can also effect more transitory communities and groups
more adversely such as immigrants and refugees (DeVerteuil 2011). At a glance,
homelessness is often viewed as a purely economic circumstance with: joblessness,
poor education and class based struggles being cited as the main causes of
homelessness. However there are a myriad of different causes that can be linked to
homelessness, first and foremost are the social issues, drug use and crime have
been linked due to the strains they can place not only on a person’s mental and
physical wellbeing but the severe economic strain that can lead to losing one’s
home or career (Fitzpatrick et al 2011).
Several studies have also linked institutional woes to homelessness such as serving
time in a correctional facility or being in social care as a child, many former
soldiers and other armed-forces employees have been found to have a higher chance
of ending up homelessness once again due to mental strain that these events can
have on a person’s mental wellbeing (Del Casino Jr and Jocoy 2008). Many modern
studies have additionally placed a lens on the mental and psychoanalytical factors
which can lead to poor mental health and conversely the eventual fall into
homelessness. These studies have found many key signifiers in their subject’s minds
which have been found to increase the likelihood of being homeless, these
signifiers include: addictive personality traits often found to be related to drug
use or excess ‘crime addiction’, systemic damage done from a lengthy childhood of
abuse or neglect has also been found to increase the chances of being homeless
(Kearns 1994).
Strategies to Combat Homelessness
Many of the previous British governments have taken various steps and strategies to
reduce homelessness and are often similar in their efforts to combat the root
causes. Drug use and classification have been cited to increase the likelihood of
an individual becoming homeless and as such have seen many overhauls in both the
punishment and care presented to those who engage with drugs, more specifically,
cannabis has been reclassified twice in the past decade, downgraded from B to C in
2004 and then upgraded back to B in 2009 (Gov. 2016). An increase in the available
social care for the homeless has been encouraged by previous governments, however
little legislation has been passed to actually combat the core problem itself other
than various classification acts such as the 2002 and 2004 homeless acts. It has
therefore fallen upon various non-profit charities and social care groups to
provide food and shelter for the homeless such as Crisis and Shelter both
respectively operate in the UK with aims to help rehouse the homeless and present
employment opportunities where available (DeVerteuil et al 2009).
Geographical Spread
Homelessness in the UK has a distinct uneven spread with most cases of homelessness
being reported in large towns and cities as opposed to rural areas however
homelessness is still nevertheless reported in rural areas with high property
prices being cited as the primary cause (Cloke et al 2010). This is the general
rule with homelessness as rural areas are usually more affluent especially in
developed nations where suburbanisation and rural migration have taken place.
Cities also often struggle with homing its less affluent citizens due to land
restrictions and high levels of gentrification taking place especially near the CBD
so this in turn can lead to a lack of social housing and therefore an increase in
homelessness (May and Cloke 2014). A significant north-south divide can be seen in
the UK where higher levels of homelessness can be observed in the Northern cities
such as Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds. This divide can be attributed to the
previous industrialised nature of these cities and their former reliance on by-gone
industries such as mining and manufacturing, most of which were outsourced during
the Thatcher government in the 1980’s (Hudson 2013). However a significant amount
of homelessness is concentrated in London primarily due to its position as the
capital of the UK and also the largest population centre and employer.
Homelessness Act 2002/2004
]The homelessness act of 2002 has significantly shaped the way in which local
councils and governmental bodies deal with homelessness, the act itself broadly
states that local authorities have a duty of care to house or relocate those who
are, or, will become homeless within 28 days. There are some exceptions to this act
however, these include: the person in question must be a citizen of the UK and also
must have been born in the UK, the person must also be in ‘priority need’ of
assistance and or rehousing, special allowances will be made for those who are
deemed more vulnerable such as the very young or old and those who are pregnant or
have some medically recognised disability (Gov. 2002/2004) . The overall success of
the act has been debated with many citing the low number of homeless individuals
being housed, many local councils cite low levels of housing and housing be
constructed as the reasons behind such low housing statistics.
Homelessness is an issue that will likely continue to be present in the UK unless
the core causes are tackled by real sweeping legislation and enforcement upon local
councils to provide for its citizens whether they be homeless or not. However it is
critical to view homelessness in all its facets and not just purely a consequence
of economic inequalities.