Social Media Effect on Interpersonal Relationships - Essay Example

Interface or Face-to-Face: Discussing Social Media’s Affect on Interpersonal Relationships Due INTRODUCTION If you look around when you are out and about, be it a market, shopping mall, or a restaurant, what will you see? Some people might be eating and a few others might be talking, but the majority of people will be staring down into their cell phones, IPads, or laptops. They are continuously engaged in what is going on in Facebook, their emails, or Twitter that they are completely tuned out of the physical word around them. They are not engaged in what is going on around then and they are only, peripherally engaged with the people they are with. It is fascinating to witness 4 adults at lunch, not speaking, all with their heads bowed to their laps. We as a society are innovating greater technology and great modern convenience. This continuing dependence on social technology has contributed to a lessening of dependence, desire for, or trust in human interactions. In fact, many experts feel strongly that the inception and popularity of social media is contributing to a deterioration of interpersonal relationships and how people communicate in those relationships (Christofides et. al, 2012). If individuals continue to depend and substitute their personal interactions for social media influenced relationships it will lead to a shallow and superficial future for between human beings. HISTORY 200 years ago if people wanted to communicate they had to wait long periods of time to receive even a single letter. 150 years ago the telegraph allowed faster and immediate communication over longer distances to be achieved, and finally the telephone changed everything. People could directly talk to people who are very far away. However, despite all of these technological innovations people still interacted with other people regularly and on a continuous basis. There was still a value in having eye to eye contact in a conversation and shaking a man’s hand when making a deal. Technology did not impede that interaction and communication negatively. However, today’s technology has made in completely possible for a person to become a complete shut-in and never speak to another person in person again. It is possible to pay all of your bills online, people can work exclusively from home, and even have their groceries delivered. This is extreme, but people today are slowly but surely losing their desire and limiting their opportunity to interact and communicate with others. DISCUSSION It has become a part of daily life, getting on the computer, sending text messages, and responding to messages that others send. It is hard to imagine a time when phones were only in the wall of the kitchen with a long cord, messages were left on answering machines, and if you wanted to know peoples likes and dislikes you had to get to know them. That is hardly part of reality today. There are a number of social media aspects that encourage behaviors that are not conducive with positive interpersonal relationships. However, there are four poignant and significant ways, above the rest, that the negative aspects of social media that most influences, potential, shallow and superficial interpersonal relationships; Redefinition of the word friend, shallow and superficial communication style, not endorsing diversity, and the potential for misuse and abuse of social media. Redefining the Word Friend The first involves how people through social media are often more trusting of whomever we are messaging, completely sight unseen, and may, often, be far more open that it might be advisable to be (Keller, 2013). This has to do with a new modern definition of the word “friend.” Social media has contributed to a redefinition of the term. Friend was once only a term reserved, solely, for individuals we were very close to, while other people, with whom they knew less, were deemed acquaintances. However social media sites, like Facebook has made the “casual acquaintance” into the status of “friend;” with far greater access to your thoughts, life, and day to day activities than one would normally give (Porter et. al, 2012). There is, also, of course, the level of anonymity of the person you have “friended,” after all this person may not be whose pictured or own the name that you read. This creates a level of danger that many people under estimate. Shallow and Superficial Communication Style The second negative contribution of modern social media is reflected in how we communicate. The majority of communications done via social media is very shallow and brief. People respond to pictures, phrases, posts, and people. and places with abbreviated, short messages, like “LOL.” Cyber laughter just does not carry the same sentiment or potential emotional conceptions with the person you are speaking to. Face to face interactions involve subtleties of facial expressions, audible contexts of conversations, and physical body language that is generally lacking in a social media environment. Sometimes the nature of these online relationships encourages competition among “friends.” It becomes necessary to impress, compare talents, and show off skills, whatever they may be, in a way that is not normally a healthy part of most friendships ( Richardson & Hessey, 2009). Another related concern is the issue that occurs when social media users start reading deeper relationships with those people who comment on or “like” your postings. They infer a greater friendship bases on that act, without ever considering that the other user may option to “like” every post they read indiscriminately (Christofides et al, 2012). Does Not Endorse Diversity The third issue of concern is regarding social media’s negative influences and potential to diminish or distort diversity. We live in a diverse society, there are many people of many beliefs, ideologies, philosophies, values and religious faiths. It is becoming more common and relevant to embrace diversity and have greater cultural awareness. Social media does not always support that reality. Human beings tend to “friend” and “follow” people who they have the most agreement with; therefore it is not encouraging the seeking of diversity, but more often those like ourselves (Keller, 2013). In the ideal situation the internet and growing technologies has the ability to open up informational horizons and broaden people’s perspectives; it could be a very effective tool in this way (Vitak & Ellison, 2013). Of course, that is only true if the public adheres to that ideology. Unfortunately, that is not the case with social media, people remain more attracted to and cloistered by those they share the most with. Misuse and Abuse of Social Media The final and incredibly important negative contribution to interpersonal relationships involves the potential misuse and abuse of relationships engaged in on social media. As mentioned before, there is always the possibility that someone you “friend” online are not at all who they pretend to be. They could easily take advantage of their access and knowledge of your personal life, likes and dislikes, and favorite places. There are many out there who may use their access to your information to commit identity theft. People have been robbed by “friends” on Facebook because your location informs them that you were not at home. However, by and far, the greatest abuse and misuse of social media, something becoming nearly an epidemic is cyberbullying. Bullying in person is a problem and is definitely not positive interpersonal interactions. However, many children could escape “schoolyard” bullying by going home. Sadly now that bullying they experience at school can follow them home and onto social media sites. This can negatively affect these victims; the inescapable bullying is more and more likely to have damaging effects to their perspectives on communications and may suffer difficulties in interpersonal relationships in general (Keller, 2013). SOLUTIONS So what can humanity do to prevent itself from practicing more and more superficial and shallow relationships, like those they have in cyberspace? Philosophers, scientists, psychologists, researchers, and experts of all types continue to debate the effects, both good and bad, of technology and its continuing innovations will have on society and the individuals with it. The internet and social media are truly changing how we interact and how we choose to socialize; this is unlikely to change. So it is up to humanity to make certain that technology remains a tool that society can use to improve the quality of life for people everywhere, instead of allowing technology to control what and how we live. Unfortunately, there are no quick or easy answers and certainly no absolute remedies at this time. There are many experts who firmly feel that once the newness of social media wears off and becomes less trendy and people’s interest and dependence will stave off on its own. Opposition to this perspective is adamant that technology is always introducing something new to replace what has been deemed obsolete. What if the next wave, the newest incarnation, of social media only diminishes interpersonal relationships even more (Keller, 2012)? CONCLUSION Like all technology, there is a place for it in human society. Social media is meant to be fun and entertaining, however, it most certainly is not meant to be substituted for physical , face to face relationships. This, ultimately, is the problem society is facing today. Individuals are more invested in the impression they give on social media than in anything that is happening in the world or with the people around them. The key to social media, as in all things, is moderation. There is nothing wrong with enjoying scanning through their Facebook page, but society cannot become so involved in what happens in cyberspace that we lose interest in or stop forming new interpersonal relationships. Without greater moderation then social media with continue to contribute negatively to unhealthy interpersonal relationships. REFERENCES Christofides, E., Muise, A., and Desmarais, S. (2012). Hey mom, what’s on your Facebook? comparing Facebook disclosure and privacy in adolescents and adults. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 3(1), 51. Keller, M. (2013). Social Media and Interpersonal Communication. Social Work Today.12(3). Retrieved from http://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/051313p10.shtml Porter, K., Mitchell, J., Grace, M., Shinosky, S., & Gordon, V. (2012). A Study of the Effects of Social Media Use and Addiction on Relationship Satisfaction. Retrieved from http://journals.chapman.edu/ojs/index.php/mc/article/download/340/735 Richardson, K., & Hessey, S. (2009). Archiving the self? Facebook as biography of social and relational memory. Journal of Information, Communication, and Ethics in Society, 7(1), 29. Vitak, J., & Ellison, N. B. (2013). There’s a network out there you might as well tap: Exploring the benefits of and barriers to exchanging informational and support-based resources on Facebook. New York: New Media and Society. Read More