Social Media Vs Face to Face Communication

Social Media has helped citizens in many ways, however social media hinders ways of having face to face conversations. Due to undeveloped communication skills it sets people back in their daily lives.

How social media develops unhealthy habits

Social media addiction is now being added to the list of mental illnesses. People spend more time interacting with others online that they develop a strong sensation of an online identity which causes them to have difficulty separating their virtual actions from their actions in reality. Behavioral scientist Clarissa Silva has stated that social media is giving people false narratives, decrease of face - to face conversations and is causing people to have paradoxes of loneliness, envy, anxiety, depression, and narcissism. Humans need contact from other humans to survive, but in today’s day people say that they need social media to survive. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs says we don’t need constant contact with everyone we meet and we don’t need a constant connection to society. Psychologist Robin Dunbar from the University of Oxford says that we need 150 social media friends, 50 friends to do fun activities with, and 5 best friends. Some people are seeking validation from social media so they post what people want to see and they worry about likes and retweets to help them gain that validation. 57% of singles say they have a fear of missing out. Dr. Suzana Flores, author of “ Facehooked: How Facebook Affects our Emotions, Relationships, and Lives “ says when people interact over social media for a long time they tell themselves that they need to constantly check for updates. This is what she calls the “ Slot Machine Effect “. When we receive likes and comments on a post we experience intermittent reinforcement. Many people have emotional insecurities so they turn to social media to feel digitally connected, she calls this “ The Millennial Virus “.

How social Media has caused us to have generational gaps

Nowadays people only follow those who have the same viewpoints as them which doesn’t allow them to have diverse viewpoints on life. And now everyone is busy wanting to know what’s gonna happen and when it’s gonna happen. The new generation can go for 24 hours without talking to someone face to face. Face to face communication was the predominant communication known to man during evolution. Human beings developed ways to communicate through their facial expressions, hand gestures, and tone of their voice when they speak when communicating. A quote from Journal of Organizational Culture says, “ However, when the technology provides other formats and choices to human beings for interactive non - natural media, individuals will experience an increase in perceived cognitive effort, an increase in perceived communication ambiguity and a decrease in physiological arousal or excitement”. Millennials are the quickest to adapt to the new technologies we are introduced to. 5 billion people around the world own a cellphone. 97% of people under 44 own a cellphone and 90% of adults in America own a self phone. Children are unable to remove themselves from social media and are becoming detriment to how they will function when inside a social group. Teens are using abbreviations to talk to others on social media and it is affecting their grammar. Older generations are having to learn the abbreviations so they can understand what is being said by the younger generation. In today’s society it is more normal to overshare what is going on in your personal life online rather than in person. When you share things online it is bound to get in the wrong hands which will leave you wishing you had only told it to your close friends and family.

Effects on self esteem/personal life

Social media is giving people the opportunity to create illusions which is making the viable options harder. Licensed psychologist/relationship expert Dr. Jennifer Rhodes that her clients are obsessed with following their dates on social media. They do this because they lack the communication skills needed for starting conversations. Natalia Lusinsk, “ Sex, Dating, and Relatioships “, writer for Bustle says that she feels couples forget how to talk to one another because they are to busy updating their social medias. People are being “ ghosted “ by their dates and/or the people they are interested in online. “ Ghosted “ means the one you are interested in stops hanging out with you, but continues to keep contact with you. And it is ruining the dating experience. Cyper bullying has the same behavior, emotional, and consequences as real bullying. Cyper bullying is worse because even when the child goes home the bully can still contact him or her and bully them more. Active men and women who are on social media from ages 28 -73 did an interview and the following is their results: 60% said social media has negatively impacted their self - esteem. 50% said it impacted their relationships negatively. 80% said that sharing on social media makes it easier to be deceived by others. When people you love are talking to you over social media you have no idea if what they are saying is a joke or if they mean it which results in unnecessary fights, miscommunication, and ending relationships. The reward molecule dopamine makes our brains react to social media like it would react to a hug which sends us down a loop and when you try to break the loop you can have symptoms just like you would if you were trying to get rid of any other addiction. Studies have shown that teens who withdraw or are deprived from the internet have the same symptoms as those who have drug or alcohol addiction. Social media has been linked to higher levels of loneliness, envy, anxiety, depression, narcissism, and decreased social skills.

Conclusion

In conclusion, social media has helped us as a society. It has also become societies reckoning by botching people’s personal lives, self esteem, developing unhealthy habits, and causing a huge generational gap in society.

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