Modern social media are impacting my relationships in both negative and positive ways. I find social media to be beneficial because it helps me stay close and connected to my friends and family at all times, while gaining insight into their daily lives and seeing what they are up to. I think that the ability to constantly stay connected with someone who you may not even be on the same continent as truly embodies the positive aspects that social media can present. However, I also find there to be some negative aspects as well. Social media has a tendency to get people more attached to their phone and more likely to express themselves through technology instead of a face to face conversation. It is slowly but surely making actual conversations seem obsolete, as more and more people are taking their voice to the internet and to different social media platforms. In a way, it is kind of sad to see people less inclined to speak to one another in person and have an actual conversation. However, when all is said and done I think that social media has greatly benefited the world as it stands, and will continue to make life easier and help people stay connected on a personal level, regardless of where the conversation is taking place.
"A broad view of the world is essential if they are to identify potential threats and embrace creative solutions" – @EthanZ #NHsmc
— Connor Buoye (@CBuoye28) February 1, 2016
"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
Check out this site to learn some other ways that social media can impact relationships!
I agree that there is a real dichotomy of impact that social media has on my personal relationships. On the good side, I have a long distance girlfriend, and we mostly communicate through facebook messenger and Skype. That is obviously a positive impact that social media has on my relationships. However, I also use facebook messenger to have a group chat with my friends in college, and I often find myself interacting through the group chat rather than interacting in real life.
I whole heartedly agree with you thoughts on the pros and cons of social media. I, too, love how social media – specifically on phones – make it easier and enjoyable to stay connected to friends and family, follow brands and influencers and just overall stay connected in the world. However, younger generations seem to be glued to their phones and are almost afraid of real, human contact. People can be “fake” behind a screen and may not be able to show who they really are in real person.