Modern social media impacts not only personal relationships, but also global relationships amongst different groups of people. Personally, I am very active on certain social platforms, and I would say that is the primary means of connection I even have with certain people. I see my close friends in person, however there are some individuals where my only means of contact is social media. This is a good and bad thing, good because it’s a way to reach these people that I cannot always see, and bad because it is not the most personal/direct form of communication. So far social media has only made my relationships stronger, but sometimes it can do the latter.
I’ve noticed that social media also impacts relationships because it is everywhere and has really taken over our lives. Everything my friends and I do, we have to Snapchat and send it to each other. It’s not just about hanging out with friends anymore, its also about capturing the perfect moment for Instagram. We are constantly connected which in some ways can be invasive.
This modern concept of being reachable all the time, ensures you are not present anywhere. (The irony of posting this on social media)
— Lisa Ray (@Lisaraniray) January 27, 2016
After reading Chapter 1 of Rewire, I also learned how social media also has an affect on global issues. The example of “Muslim Rage” helped me understand how misunderstanding cultures, events, and social issues. Some people aren’t really understanding situations before they go and Tweet about them, spreading the wrong message. This is one way of how relationships between people can be ruined, but also how the other party turned it around to spread their own message.
As Zuckerman mentioned, “Our economic and creative success depends on becoming digital cosmopolitans.”
"take a close look at how connected we are,not just how connected we imagine ourselves to be" @EthanZ on being a global cosmopolitan #NHsmc
— Anisha Chellaswami (@achellas) February 1, 2016