Social media has become a prominent part of my life. I constantly find myself checking applications on my phone to see what my friends are up to. Not only do I use Social Media to keep up with my friends, but I also use it to keep my friends updated on me. Whether I upload a picture on Instagram or post a tweet on Twitter, I am always engaging with my friends through some form of social media. When I think about social media I am always intrigued by how much it has transformed society. The biggest change that I see it has made is in the way people interact. In short, I see Social Media as a new form of social interaction. Social Media has an impact on various social interactions like blogging, cyberbullying, sexting, online gaming and more. These changes come to mind as a concern and others as a relief.
Social media was first introduced as a global phenomenon with Friendster, Myspace, and LinkedIn. At that time, Myspace was my favorite thing to do when I got a chance to surf the web. Shortly after, Facebook outshined Myspace as a revolutionized version of social media. Facebook allowed me access to friends that I thought I’d never speak to again and even stay connected with friends across the country. It was a whole new and exciting way to interact. I grew to appreciate and even sometimes depend on Social Media for entertainment and the convenience of instant communication it provides. But, through all these pros’ do come a few very prevalent cons.
I have always been a social person. It is in my nature to start conversations and meet new people. This fact is something that I love about myself. Over time, my use of social media has increased and as a result, I spend less time making real life connections. I sometimes find it easier to send a direct message or to like a post than it is to start a good conversation with a stranger in person.
While evaluating this concept in comparison with myself and my peers, I begin to fear that social media may cause teens to lose the ability to make friends in real life. This is the concern that I too have grown to obtain. Online communication reduces the anxiety often experienced in real-world social interaction. Social Media eliminates judgments like appearance and socioeconomic status. This information is very interesting to me. As a habitual user of Social Media I can honestly say that this is a real issue demonstrated in myself and my peers. Communication experts lament the fact that with the majority of communication in real life involving nonverbal cues like gestures, facial expressions, and tone of voice, online users would fail to grasp exactly what another person may mean.
I say all this to point out the fact that authentic communication is still important. In fact, I believe it to be more important than any other means of connecting with another person. The ability to understand and relate to someone in the most natural way is a gift. I worry that society has forgotten its beauty. From the eldest to the youngest adolescents should not underestimate its importance. After all, you can’t text, tweet, or snap your way to success or a genuine connection.
