With the access to every new social media site and every new app on the smartphone, we are slowly destroying personal communication because we have become more reliant on technology than on each other for social interaction. In the Washington Post by Masuma Ahuja explains how teens are spending more time consuming media apps on their devices than having human interactions. Social media apps like snapchat and Instagram are used for communication between people rather than a phone call or face to face conversations. Social media apps are destroying human interactions and their communication skills. Social media apps are destroying our social skills because people are not lifting their faces from their phones and actually looking someone in the face.
According to Masuma Ahuja, a writer in the Washington Post says that “According to statistics today’s teens spend more than 7.5 hours a day consuming media.” Social media is dominating the lives of teens during the years most crucial for learning social skills that will prepare them for the real world. Bingham high school psychologist Clinton Thurgood said: “I do feel that technology is having a great impact on teen’s social abilities.” There is a lot less face to face interaction than in past generations and teens choose to spend time with computers and video games instead of out with friends. Teens are becoming uncomfortable with in-person confrontations of any kind, even talking over the phone.
The use of social media especially on young adults is ruining their communication skills that you need to practice an obtain for your future and the real world once you gain a job. The main issue what social media is that it is changing the way people communicate with each other and the youth are gaining that confidence with using eye contact and how to talk to adults. Especially for young adults in college and with all of the technology at their hands sometimes it can be very distracting and take them away from my school work. Social media is destroying human communication and interactions.
Are we hiding behind selfies and social media behavior instead of promoting human interaction? For example from The Reporter by Nalia Lauzurique at student at Miami University shared that “I first noticed this issue when someone I grew up with failed to have a proper conversation with me. We were neighbors, but we used to call each other cousins. When I moved away, we stayed in touch through text and Facebook. Later, we ran into each other at a family gathering and he couldn’t look me in the eye.The only words he uttered were “hello” and “goodbye.” He lacked the ability to speak to me in person, but the next day he texted me and managed to have a full conversation with me.” This story shows that people will lose their ability to even have simple conversations if social media is not limited to people. I am not saying to ban social media but for people to notice and realize how much they use their phones to communicate when you could do it face to face.
However, there are currently 2.8 billion social media users worldwide, this means that over a third of the world’s population is using some form of social media to communicate. Social media has changed the way we communicate because now instead of getting highlights about the news and issues around the world we are getting the full story. Social media has created a way for people to constantly update and share content with their friends with little effort. Whether it is posted forever on a timeline or a couple seconds in a Snap, a picture is worth a thousand words and social media has created the perfect medium to share these visual stories with friends. From Pew Research Center for Technology and Internet by writer Amanda Lenhart says “Text messaging is a key component of day-to-day friend interactions; 55% of teens spend time every day texting with friends.”
Here is a fact for you from Jeff Bullas an advocate for the digital world. “Apparently there are 600 million more people that own a mobile phone compared to those who own a toothbrush.” Social media brings people together and connects them internationally so we can have that connection and expand our knowledge. When the youth population is exposed to social media it can help their learning and help them grow and help them towards their goals in their future.
Social media is a destructive way to lose sight of communication and interactive skills with others. It is losing the face-to-face and eye contact that young adults must obtain to be successful in their respective fields. It’s a sign of disrespect when you don’t make eye contact when talking to someone and shaking their hand and not interrupting them when they are talking. These skills you need to have can be delayed due to the overuse of social media apps and games. Social media is distracting us from our lives and taking over our time.
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