Are we using social media to get closer, or further away from each other?

Posted on by Zachary Palmer

Social media are bringing people closer together, and allowing us to have better connections than ever before.

During the advent of social media, I thought it was something to stay away from since I saw my best friends every day, and this newfangled way of communicating would just unnecessarily complicate our relationships. However, I have completely switched my tune now, and am a staunch defender of social media.

Each has its own purpose for me, and they make my relationships stronger with those who are both 15 feet and 1,500 miles away. Facebook and Twitter is how car enthusiasts like myself organize and have meets. Before this practice of organizing began online, everything was done by word of mouth. Now we can get 100 people who don’t know each other to come hang out in a parking lot with their cars in a few days’ notice.

Life is too hectic to spend quality time with everybody you’d like to be close with. Sending off a funny Snapchat to someone can undoubtedly keep that relationship alive and well, because you’re showing them you were thinking about them. While it’s not a substitute for real-world interaction, we’re still able to keep a friendship alive that may have died without internet communication.

“The tricky thing about social media is that while we are using it, we get the impression that we are engaging in meaningful social interaction,” Holly B. Shakya said in a Harvard Business Review study from a few months ago.

The more we can use social media for meaningful interactions, the more connected we’ll truly feel. Mindless liking won’t do the trick, but if we use social media to meet up in real life, then we’re using it the right way. Hurricanes have given us even more reason to use social media too.

 

2 thoughts on “Are we using social media to get closer, or further away from each other?”

  1. “Life is too hectic to spend quality time with everybody you’d like to be close with… ” I love this paragraph – thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. I entirely agree, that social media keeps relationships alive to those friends we don’t get to see very often. Nevertheless, I believe that social media affects real-world interaction with friends you are seeing. Just think about hanging out with someone and instead of talking both of you are immersed in the latest posts on social media.

  2. It’s interesting how social media can bring people together, no matter where you are. I thought your comment about the impact it has on your life via finding people with similar passions was interesting. I also completely agree with you in that these platforms, in a way, help keep friendships alive. We don’t have time to keep in contact with people 24/7, but as you mentioned, we can send them quick snaps or a funny DM to let them know we’re still thinking about them.

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