Effects of Social Media on Relationships - Term Paper Example

Effects of Social Media on Relationships Research question How do social media affect interpersonal relationships? Introduction Appropriate technology not only meets the needs of people but also maintain social and ethical environment Social media is ideal platform for communication Isolation from society Overlap between offline and online friends Para #1 Preference of online communication Excessive use of social media leads to giving more importance to online communication Users not only maintain relation with offline relation but also establish new contacts Those who are shy making face-to-face communication prefer virtual chat rooms Social media offers emotional support Para #2 Isolation from society and friends Contradictory arguments While users get isolated from society, they also can use social media to maintain contact with friends and family living in other parts of the world Less social activities can affect users both physically and psychologically like depression Emails and online chatrooms can be used to maintain contact with offline relations Para #3 Overlap between offline and online friends Establishing intimate relations with peers become an important part of adolescents’ lives For the youth, Internet is more a tool for communication than any other activities Social networking sites act as alternate medium of communication People keep contact with offline friends which means there are both offline and online friends in the online friends’ list Conclusion Social media has strong impact on relationships More popular among adolescents because of their need to maintain peer relationship Introduction Technological innovations always have a major impact on people’s lives and the major issue of concern is the manner in which a technology is used especially by the young generation. An appropriate technology is not only that which satisfies the needs of people but also which does not disturb the social and ethical environment (Life Upper...., 2013, p.39). Today social media has become an ideal platform for people from all over the world to maintain communication. Excessive use of social media stems from preference of online communication which in turn leads to isolation from society and friends. However, since social media is also used to maintain contact with offline relations therefore there is often overlapping between offline and online friends. Hence like any other technology, social media’s benefits depend upon the manner it is being used. This paper will explore how social media affects interpersonal relationships. Social media has affects interpersonal relationship through inclination towards online communication, isolation from family and friends and an overlap of online and real life associations. Preference of online communication Social media is rapidly gaining popularity among the young population especially for communication with peers. Excessive use of the social media strongly affects personal relationships of adolescent users as they begin to prefer online communication to face-to-face interaction. Social media is used by youngsters not only to maintain contact with current friends or to renew communication with old friends, but also to establish new contacts. The growing tendency among the youth to use online services to maintain relationships can lead to psychological problems like Internet addiction disorder. Those who are shy in interacting with people face-to-face use virtual chat rooms as places to behave in less inhibited manner, and this makes them want to make online friends more often. Thus, it can be deduced that although social media can reduce offline social circle of youngsters, the opposite is also true like people who are shy in real life tend to seek online friends with whom they can behave in a more affable manner (Smahel et al., 2012). Isolation from society and friends There have been contradictory arguments among scholars regarding the relation between social media use and social context of users. While some scholars argue that adolescents who are more involved with online activities become isolated from society and friends, there are others who argue that Internet users become free from geographical constraints as online communication can establish relationship with people staying in any part of this world. The impact of the Internet on social life of adolescents can have a strong influence on the society. That it is a major issue of concern was proved when in a survey conducted in 1995 it was found that US citizens involved with the social media participated less in social activities (Kraut et al., 1998, p.1017). People with less social contacts can be affected both physically and psychologically. Excessive use of social media isolates an adolescent from social circle leading to psychological problems like depression. However, this explanation has a major problem as adolescents use internet to maintain contacts with family and friends through “electronic mail and on-line chats”. However, there are other analysts who argue that “greater use of electronic mail is associated with increase in depression” (Kraut et al., 1998, p.1029). Overlap between offline and online friends There is also a positive view of the impact of social media on teenagers. During adolescence people experience various developmental issues, and research suggests that peers assist them in coping with these developmental issues. Therefore establishing intimate relations with peers become an important part of adolescents’ lives. In this context, adolescents engage more in social networking sites to connect with others, especially with those people whom they know in real life but are separated geographically. Young people use social networking sites as alternative medium of maintaining relationship with offline friends. Researchers have studied the overlap between offline and online friends of social network users. They have found that most adolescents make online communication with their offline friends, which means majority of the friends in their online friends’ list are the same friends that they interact with in face-to-face settings (Reich et al., 2012, p.365). Conclusion The popularity of social media has a strong impact on relationships. While excessive use of social media can alienate users from real relations, it is also true that social media is platform for maintaining contact with both online and offline friends. Although Internet usage is popular in all ages and gender, its impact is particularly more on the adolescents. This is because for this group, communication with peers becomes increasingly important, and hence they spend a vast amount of time on social networking sites. References Kraut, R. et al. (1998), Internet paradox: A social technology that reduces social involvement and psychological well-being? American Psychologist, 53(9), 1017-1031 Life Upper Intermediate Workbook. Smart Technology (2013), UK: National Geographic Learning Reich, S.M., Subrahmanyam, K. & Espinoza, G. (2012). Friending, IMing, and Hanging Out Face-to-Face: Overlap in Adolescents’ Online and Offline Social Networks. Developmental Psychology, 48(2), 356-368 Smahel, D., Brown, B.B. & Blinka, L. (2012). Associations Between Online Friendship and Internet Addiction Among Adolescents and Emerging Adults. Developmental Psychology, 48(2), 381-388 Read More