One of social media’s best attributes is also one of its downfalls. That is we are less inclined to go and interact with people face to face and more willing to talk to them on a mobile device. We hide a little too much behind a computer screen. I feel as though a even between some of my better friends the ability to get a point across in person is a bit more difficult as he or she is glued to the eyes of the phone or the computer screen. Sometimes I am guilty of the very same thing. When people need to reach me at points and I’m in my groove on the social media platforms, man can I get a little upset. Sometimes that gets me upset because it doesn’t feel long ago when these parts of our lives, which seemed to have invaded us, were after thoughts and we were always communicating with our ability to speak. Consider a quote from Ethan Zuckerman’s book that I tweeted not too long ago.
@EthanZ: "They have less confidence in government's ability to solve problems, fewer friends, and a lower perceived quality of life." #NHsmc
— Kevin Ryans (@OfficialKevRy) February 1, 2016
I certainly hope that I don’t begin to have less of anything such as an abundance of friends and people who like me. Let’s use social media and get all of its advantages but let’s not abuse it to the point where we suffer as people.
Social media? I prefer real social interaction. There's beauty to intimate face to face conversation.
— JoSeph (@J_Simp_) February 1, 2016
I totally agree with you that social media has as many disadvantages as advantages, As the smart people we are today, we should all be careful not to cross the line social media has set for us. While it is one of the best ways to communicate with others and it helps us maintain relationships with the people we love the most, social media can also hurt our relationships. We should definitely think about spending more time with our friends and family. Social interaction is the best things ever. I mean, don’t we all wish we were face to face with that special someone (family,friends,etc) most of the time even when you can use social media to communicate with that person?
Anyways, I really enjoyed your post and you make good points. As you mentioned, let’s not abuse social media.
Yeah I agree, this has been one of the on-going downfalls of social media. People from the older generation specifically complain about this. I think this also shows that we’re in an advancing word, so honestly, it might not ever be like how it used to be before social media. I think the paradox of social media is that it physically brings people further and further apart, while digitally bringing them closer together.
This is such an interesting point Kevin! I do notice what you’re talking about often. I see my own experience varying as I get older. I think people often like to lump all millennials together when it comes to social media or tech behavior. These days, my mom texts more than I do. I feel like texting takes up too much time and I’m normally too lazy– would much rather just call or talk face-to-face! But I think I might be in the minority. Thoroughly enjoyed your post!
I agree there are certainly disadvantages to using social media rather than having face to face interaction, and it can definitely seem like people are ignoring each other while they are on their phones while sitting right across from each other. However, I also think Social media gives us an opportunity to pay more attention to our friends in certain ways by learning more about their personality through what they post, responding to their content or showing that you appreciate who they are by “liking” them or “favoriting” their tweets.
This is a great point of view that I didn’t necessarily actively think about when I reflected on the impact of social media. As you point out, we will have to work hard to find a a balance between in-real-life connections and digital relationships. I wonder what this balance looks like? How will this balance vary from person to person? Who are strong examples of people who have mastered the art of this balance? Overall, awesome blog post! It got me thinking.