With the ever expanding array of social media networks available today, from Twitter and Facebook to Instagram and Snapchat, it would appear that we are connecting in more ways than ever before. The truth is slightly more complicated. It appears that in some ways, social networks can actually make us feel more disconnected from others.
Technology shapes modern lives in a number of important ways. It facilitates rapid communication with people all over the globe, gives us instantaneous access to unfathomable amounts of information, and helps us do our jobs more efficiently. But more and more research is demonstrating that the increasing reliance on technology, and social media in particular, to fill our need for connection with other people is unrealistic. The stylish avatars and the carefully curated versions of our lives displayed on social networks lack the awkwardness and authenticity of real world connections. It appears that exchanges with online personas simply can’t satisfy the need for genuine relationships.
The promise and the reality of social media
Social networks are designed to strengthen relationships and enrich the lives of users by helping them keep in touch with one another. For many older adults who use social media to enhance traditional relationships, this is the case. Those who who use social platforms to supplement existing relationships can even experience positive effects such as better health. But what about younger adults, for whom social media is often a primary means of social interaction? When looking at research done with particular attention paid to millennials, we begin to see that many depend on their social media circles for validation, affirmation, and a feeling of belonging. For many, likes and retweets have taken the place of dialog and eye contact. The problem with this is that is that dependence on social networks and their relatively superficial interactions, appears to be diminishing the capacity of users to connect with others on a biological level. In addition, these superficial interactions provide a fleeting sense of satisfaction, often failing to make a deeply meaningful impact.
Research has demonstrated that as individuals spend more and more time building online networks, the strength and quality of real world social networks diminish in proportion. In addition, a recent study by University of Michigan psychologist Ethan Kross, actually found an inverse relationship between use of Facebook and happiness. It seems that though continual use of social networks can provide an escape from the challenges of face-to-face exchanges, the downside is that with fewer authentic social interactions, confidence in the ability to successfully conduct such transactions diminishes. Recent studies show that social media users have fewer confidants than people 20 years ago had, which is problematic because when an individual has fewer close confidants, the subsequent social isolation can lead to declining ability to discuss difficult subjects and diminished civil and political participation. This has big implications for society at large.
What is the takeaway?
As our lives become more and more infiltrated by technology and social media, it is important that we stay engaged in meaningful real life relationships, rather than letting social skills atrophy. It is easy to achieve a certain level of gratification through interactions on social platforms, which can appeal to our vanity and make us feel temporarily more significant, but the reality is that as we substitute these exchanges for meaningful relationships, those relationships start to diminish and eventually disappear. The long-term effects concern more than just the individual, the wellbeing of society is also at risk. As social media becomes more of a focal point in our culture, it is good to be mindful of the reasons we are engaging in this kind of communication and the quality of connections we are hoping to get from digital interactions. In moderation, social networking makes it easy for us to develop, maintain, and strengthen social connections, it is only when this is the primary way that we are engaging that we may begin to feel dissatisfied, depressed, and disconnected. Finding a healthy balance between genuine, real world relationships and online connections is the best way to enjoy social networks.
Dr. Eileen Wynne
References
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110405132459.htm
http://www.asanet.org/press/20060616.cfm
http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/does_technology_cut_us_off_from_other_people
http://www.politisite.com/2014/02/19/social-media-making-us-more-connected-and-more-alone/