Social media are impacting my relationships in a multitude of ways. Social media make it much easier to keep up with people, which can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on the context.
In a positive sense, social media are highly efficient. With the click of a button I can see what my friends are up to. I often know what they’re doing, how they’re doing and what they’re thinking. Social media are also easy places to have conversations about any topics, whether it be in the form of tweeting back and forth or sending each other messages on Facebook. It’s fast and reliable.
However, relying on social media too much can have its downfalls. Sometimes this can lead to not making an effort to see friends or family members in person, since you might already learn enough just by using social media. Social media use is most rampant among teenagers, and a UCLA researcher found in 2014 that social media resulted in a decline in intimate friendships among teens. This, to me, is believable; I could definitely imagine having more personal relationships with others if I didn’t have the luxury of being able to check in on their lives via the internet.
Other studies, meanwhile, have shown that social media can negatively affect romantic relationships.
Has social media ruined any of your relationships? @mojonews study shows Twitter-related conflict can lead to cheating, breakup & divorce
— Stephanie Stahl (@StahlCBS3) April 7, 2014
On a better note, it is pretty amazing how much information social media allows us to consume.
@EthanZ I was amazed by the stat in Chapter 1 of Rewire from USCD researchers that Americans receive information 11.8 hours per day #NHsmc
— Michael Burke (@michaelburke47) February 1, 2016