Impact of social media on human interactions

Impact of social media on human interactions

Introduction

Social media platforms such as facebook and twitter have been proven to be the most effective technology to enhance connectivity and connect people globally. A person can easily learn about another person by simply looking at his or her social media pages; the kind of updates they post, the pictures they upload and the comments they make on other people’s updates, just to mention a few. Millions of people basically interact with each other all of them at their places of comfort are it office chair desk, bed, parks, hotels and various other places.

According to Marche, this cannot be termed as interaction at all, and I am afraid that I will have to say I strongly agree with him. While the thought of interacting with other people on social media might give one a feeling that they have interacted with people, made friends, and kept in touch with them through instant messaging applications and liking their pictures, it does not erase the fact that they are still in isolation, sitting all by themselves on their phones or computers instead of going out and actually spending time with those people and in the process, failing to sustain any meaningful contact. Marche, (2012)

Personal interaction between people has been greatly interfered with by social media and the impact is almost, if not completely irreversible regardless of whether it is a positive or a negative impact. People don’t often get together these days. If they do, most of them usually have their eyes glued to the screens of their phones, leaving no chance to make conversation with each other, which in turn creates awkward situations and uncomfortable silences. The end result is that , reason is created for people not to meet each other and interact face to face, again leaving people in isolation wherever they are on their keyboards.

Social media and the internet are however generally a very important aspect of living that people in the modern world have to adapt to for sharing and discussing information, collaboration, sharing reviews and opinions, marketing products, brand monitoring, entertainment, political activity and news sharing, education and generally connecting with each other. The reality is that, it would be honestly hard to live without being able to access social media these days. Basically everything can be done on the internet for instance; learning, shopping and even some jobs are done online and this creates an illusion that life is made easier when in reality it is not as we are unable to make social connections in reality.

Various scholars however disagree with Marche’s idea that facebook is the cause of loneliness. Some like Caciopopo assert that people bring loneliness to themselves. People are lonely out of their own doings and that should not be blamed on facebook. Just the way human beings are responsible for how they use and handle situations in their everyday lives is the same way they are responsible for how they choose to use facebook. Caciopopo, (2017)

The connection between facebook and the rising number of professional carers such as psychologists, counselors and psychiatrists is brought about by the fact that feelings of insecurities about one’s own imperfections increase when they see how happy and stable and desirable strangers’ lives on facebook are, and the fact that people use social media to compare their lives to that of others. As a result, people tend to bow to the societal need to share their milestones and achievements in their everyday life whether or not they happened. For instance, no one wants to look unhappy. They make their lives look perfect on the internet while it is the opposite in reality. People only post what’s best and enhance it through editing to paint a picture that is close to reality.

Through connections brought about by facebook, people interact with all kind of people with different upbringing, characters, personalities and people who are going through different phases in their lives. Therefore updates and opinions aired on facebook attract different responses both negative and positive. There are trolls, cyber bullies, jealous people whose intention is just to bring others down and those who are constantly judging. The consequent result is that people become depressed and lonelier by the day especially because once something is posted on the internet it is close to impossible to bring it down hence being a constant reminder of one’s insecurities challenges and imperfections.

Looking at the bigger picture, social media allows for social growth in that, some people are quite shy and avert when it comes to meeting new people and  interacting with them face to face, but become more confident in airing their views on a social media platform. Tufeckci, (2012). This becomes their way of incorporating themselves into conversations that matter. Imagine if there was no social media, such peoples’ opinions would never see the light of day yet they could be opinions that can create solutions. Social media therefore opens people up to meeting and interacting with people who have the same interests as them and creating global movements that bring life changing solutions.

In conclusion, the bottom line is that social media has both negative and positive impacts on peoples’ lives. The determining factor on how it will affect a person entirely lies in the way the person will choose to use it. To some, it is a desperate attempt to reach out to people, connect and interact with family and friends and to reconnect with old friends, schoolmates and childhood friends, and it therefore plays a very important role in enhancing interactions rather that causing loneliness. To others, it is used to enhance social growth and global connections.

The most affected group is that which misuses social media and end up being obsessed with it to an extent of bringing loneliness and depression to themselves.

Facebook can be of great importance if used in the right ways. Choices have consequences, and therefore, what we get out of using social media is dependant on how we choose to use it. Caciopopo, (2012)