Is social media a cause of harm or improvement to marriages?
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Introduction
The impacts that social media has had on marriages have become a significant topic that has been discussed over time. Many people do not know when to consider social media as an issue of help or hindrance. In the United States, social media has posed many effects on marriages. Although people who position social media do not have substantiated claims, some argue that social media’s overuse results in addiction. If a person is depressed or anxious, social media may act as a relief to their problem. It has surely played an important role based on the symptoms that couples have about it. Also, it has changed the mannerisms of meeting and interacting with each other. Social media has been a nice platform from which people can learn more about the types of people we try to associate with.
In the recent past, social media has been an epidemic that has hit all generations. The widespread use of social media has made it become a platform that can be used for business. For Americans in partnerships, technology plays a significant role in them. Around 85 percent of adult Americans are married, and 88 percent are in committed relationships or married. Seventy-one percent use social networking sites (as do seventy-two percent of all users of the internet). Ninety-three percent possess a mobile phone. Out of this population, ninety-one percent are adults (Duggan, M. & Lenhart, A., 2014, p. 2). However, different people view social media from various perspectives. Some see it as a platform from which they can market themselves or keep in touch with their friends and family. Other people view it as a cause of harm to relationships and marriages. They say that it produces an environment from which people would rather be on their mobile phones that have social interactions in their lives. This paper explores the different points of view and reasoning of different people on whether social media is a cause of improvement or harm for marriages.
Article against Excessive Use of Social Media
When conducting a study to determine whether social media is a cause of improvement or harm to marriages, the article “Social Media Use and Intimate Relationships,” written by Adalberto Sanchez, is very useful. In this article, presented are findings of a study that aimed at determining the relationship between the amount of time used to access social media and the health of marriages or intimate relationships. It was foreseen that the people who participated in the study and used social media in most cases would score the lowest on the level of intimacy. In addition, people who did not use social media regularly would have the highest score on intimacy level (Adalberto 2018, p. 39). The article determines and shows how social media can be harmful to marriages. The following are the key premises given in the article:
Premise 1: the availability of cell phones or mobile devices can cause interference with relationships between human beings.
Premise 2: Each partner can feel pushed to use social media so as to maintain their marriage.
Premise 3: Social media can reduce the amount of time the partners in marriage meet face-to-face.
Conclusion: Social media is a distraction that is not necessary and poses as a source of harm to marriages.
The above argument makes points that are valid and support the conclusion. The first premise shoes how smart and mobile devices and excessive use of social media affect interactions between human beings as a whole. The second and third premise shows how social media causes unnecessary expectations and pressure among marriage partners. The three premises support the conclusion that excessive use of social media harms relationships and marriages.
Article supporting the use of Social Media
The article “Facebook and Relationships: A study of how Social Media use is affecting Long-term Relationships” was posted by RIT Scholar Works supporting the use of social media. The article was written by Riane Farrugia. It examines and shows the benefits that the use of social media can have on a relationship or marriage. The study presented in this article involved a survey that was conducted on 255 participants who gave information concerning their significant other. The respondents had to answer questions that dealt with marriage elements and satisfaction, the use of Facebook, jealousy, and surveillance. The results of the study showed a correlation between the use of Facebook and satisfaction in marriage (Farrugia, 2013, p. 4). The article shows the different ways in which marriages can benefit from the use of social media. The following are the premises given by the article:
Premise 1: The use of social media recreates physical interaction, both privately and publicly.
Premise 2: Social media and smart devices facilitate social interaction just through the click of a button.
Premise 3: Social media can allow people to develop and maintain marriages with individuals who do not live in their geographic location.
Conclusion: Social media forges new paths for people to communicate and develop marriages.
The above argument shows strong points that support the use of social media. The first premise shows how social media has been effective by increasing the ability of partners in marriage to interact with themselves and others. The second and third premise shows how the use of social media can make love accessible. They show how social media can facilitate the building of love in marriages. The three premises support the conclusion that the use of social media can make marriages strong.
Evaluation of Arguments
The two arguments provided by the scholarly articles have two different points of view. The scholarly articles used both offer analytical studies that support them to uphold their points, unlike non-scholarly articles that present claims that cannot be supported. The articles provide evidence to uphold their arguments. This allows the arguments presented to be easily sided with.
However, scholarly articles also have room for contradiction. It only takes extensive research to counteract the arguments presented. Even though the two articles offer analytical studies, the research questions used in the studies could have been formatted in a biased manner to attain the results desired by the researcher or author. There will always be loopholes that will be found, but the two scholarly articles met the requirement as they offered strong evidence to support the arguments. The provision of strong evidence poses a challenge for the reader to decide which side of the argument they will consider or land on.
Conclusion
Researching the impacts of social media on marriages has been an enlightening learning experience. This subject will continue presenting more room for debate because the impacts of social media use on marriages will continue presenting themselves or recurring as years pass by. The use of social media will have more avenues to cause challenges and either harm or improve marriages. Truly, in the long run, social media affects marriages as much as the partners allow it to. It is the power of each individual to make a change.
References
Farrugia, R. (2013, September 04). Facebook and Relationships: A Study of How
Social Media Use is Affecting Long-Term Relationships, RIT Scholar Works. Retrieved from http://scholarworks.rit.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1033&context=theses
Lenhart, A., & Duggan, M. (2014, February 11). Couples, the Internet, and Social Media. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/02/11/couples-the-internet-and-social-media/
Sanchez, A. (n.d.). Social Media Use and Intimate Relationships. Retrieved May 17, 2018, from https://www.csustan.edu/sites/default/files/groups/University Honors Program/Journals/adalberto_sanchez.pdf