Social Media (dis)connecting people

Posted on by Julian Schonbohm

Is social media bringing the world closer together? If you asked someone, I think the reply would be: “of course it does”. But I tend to think differently.

Without doubt, social media has made it much easier to get in touch with other people, regardless of the purpose. It is possible to connect from anywhere, at any time and with very little effort. In addition, you get the opportunity to connect with people you haven’t even seen in real life before.

This can be very useful in occupational matters. With platforms like LinkedIn it is possible to seek or apply for a job, which offering you would not have seen without.

If you are an unknown artist or freelancer or just want to promote yourself, you gain access to a huge worldwide audience that can help you increase your popularity.

Moreover, not only single persons benefit from social media. By providing them with a lot of insights and useful information, social media monitoring offers new ways for companies to get in touch with their consumers or identify new target groups.

Besides all these positive aspects, however, social media also seems to disconnect people. I have seen it many times. A couple or some friends sitting in a restaurant, taking a photo of their meal, posting it on Instagram, just striving for the next likes. Although they are sitting next to each other, they are deepened in what is happening in their virtual world, not having an actual conversation. I am seeing it everywhere.

People on the train or walking in the streets, passing by each other without even noticing, captured in their virtual world, focusing on that and blocking out everything else.

So, I am asking again: Is social media bringing the world closer together?

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