how social media impacts real communication and its implications.
Social media is extremely prevalent and plays a vital role in improving the way people live. Social media include not only social networking sites and applications but also forums, virtual gaming environments, and virtual social worlds. The world is more closely linked than ever by the rise of social media and the Internet. The consequences, however, are the poor quality of real communication. The paper will discuss how social media impacts real communication and its implications.
Typically, as people spend long hours on social media, they spend a small amount of time in person or face to face with others, thereby reducing their communication skills. In a study of “real cyber-youth,” Brignall and Valey examined the impact of technology on young people who grew up using the Internet as an integral aspect of their everyday lives. They suggest that reducing the time youths spend interacting face-to-face may have significant implications for their social skills development and self-presentation. (337). Therefore, spending more time on social media reduces the ability to communicate efficiently, impacting real communication.
Social media influences social relationships. Negative social relations are associated with the use of social media. 3461 North American girls aged 8-12 were surveyed online by Pea (327) to examine the similarities between social media usage and face-to-face communication. The findings revealed that even media interactions led to reduced social experience. Contrary, facial communication is closely related to a variety of positive social feelings. Higher rates of interaction from person to person are linked to higher social success and a greater sense of normality.
Social media provides a forum for social comparison and envy. A dynamics study by Krasnova et al. (13) on social networking sites (SNS) and Facebook have shown that envy feelings are shared on Facebook. Around 36% of the interviewees felt at least once or more often dissatisfied after spending time on Facebook. According to the results, this decreases the satisfaction of long-term users. It leads to a rise in social comparisons and invidious emotions, with users envying other people’s joy and socialize.
In social media, anyone may hide behind a message, a Facebook post, or a twitter post portraying their choosing. An article published by Susan Tardanico in Forbes believed that Sharon Seline, a mother had a conversion with her daughter on social media. From the chat, she could see that her daughter was happy. Unfortunately, the daughter attempted suicide later that night. In the following days, it became apparent that she was holed up in her dormitory, crying and showing emotional distress utterly different from the way she presented herself in emails and Twitter messages.
However, social media can affect self-control, a critical factor for preserving social order and well-being. Users are giving others a positive view of themselves on social media. Hence briefly raises self-esteem for people based on close friends (Wilcox, & Stephen, 4). When people genuinely view themselves in social media, they feel more social support and appear less depressed afterward.
In conclusion, social media is dangerous and will continue to be hazardous until something is done. People need to be vigilant as social media can generate national and international issues. Social media prevents interpersonal growth and raise the narcissism of many Internet users.