[40] SOCIAL MEDIA EVOLUTION AND ADOLESCENT THOUGHT PROCESSES: EXAMINING CHANGES IN CRITICAL THINKING, PERCEPTION, AND DECISION-MAKING

How to Cite : Kapil Vyas (2026). Social Media Evolution and Adolescent Thought Processes: Examining Changes in Critical Thinking, Perception, and Decision-Making. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research & Reviews, 5(5),498-516. https://doi.org/10.56815/ijmrr.v5i5.2026.498-516

Abstract

The rise of social media has been incredibly fast, evolving from basic social networks to intricate social algorithm-driven systems. It is all about personalisation, endless scrolling, quantifiable social feedback and short form content. Such design modifications happen at a critical stage in teenage brain development: a time when mechanisms that regulate emotion, listening in when it's their turn, and knowing what to do in response to positive reinforcement are under development. The impact of social media on teens' critical thinking, perception, and decision-making abilities is explored in this narrative review. The research delves at the ways in which teenagers' on-going exposure to concise content, data driven by algorithms, online conversations, influential figures, peer interactions, and various perspectives might impact their thinking and understanding of social and academic matters. There are many advantages to social media including access to information, digital literacy, communications, creativity, and exposure to alternative perspectives. However, it also has some negative effects, such as the spread of false information, cognitive bias, social comparison, diminished focus, and hasty decisions. This study adopts a theory-based approach and methodological considerations by analysing the relation between the advent of social media and the maturing brain of adolescents. In particular, the changeable elements of information evaluation, self-questioning, perception formation, and decisions based on Internet social networks are highlighted. Adolescents' ability to critically evaluate online contents, peer pressure, digital literacy, amount of time being spent on the platform and the quality of the content are all highlighted in the study's multifaceted argument for the far-reaching consequences of social media. It is a study that suggests: social media could have a positive impact on the development of teenagers but could also lead to significant difficulties for their cognition and behaviour if teenagers may get educational guidance, increase their media literacy and enhance their critical thinking ability.