How has Social Media Changed Interactions Among American Teens?
If the modern age of technology has caused a decline in face-to-face interactions, then has the time come to label this phenomenon an issue? Before the invention of telephones, one would need to walk to a neighbor’s house to converse. Today, the ability to text has eradicated the need for direct contact. Humans have communicated from long distance, or social networking for thousands of years. Tom Standage notes, in an excerpt of Social Media the First 2,000 Years, that since the mail system developed (dating back to even the Romans) individuals would send letters instead of commenting on each other’s statuses. Other forms of communication have been created throughout history and …show more content…
The Pew Research Center conducted a survey, in which a representative sample of 802 teens and parents was acquired. The study found 93% of the teenage participants have access to the Internet. Additionally, the survey found 78% of the teenagers had a cellphone. Of those with cellphones, 47% were smart phones, with access to the mobile web. These statistics determine a majority of teenagers have access to the Internet and a cellphone, which gives them the ability to maintain relationships with their friends at the click of a button. In a passage from the journal Child Youth & Care Forum, Betty-Ann Cyr, Stephen L. Berman and Megan L. Smith claim, “Technology is not interfering in development of relationships, but it does seem to cause a decrease in the quality of peer relationships.” Technology has not stopped the formation of bonds between peers, however seems to cause less of an emotional attachment to one another. Virtual relationships have proven much easier to maintain since fewer problems arise, and conflicts become notably easier to avoid. One does not feel the necessity to solve inter-relational conflicts on a deeper level. The ability to carry out less focused conversations with less substantial interaction has developed. Online media further effects romantic relationships, causing less passion between the two parties. A variety of people, fixated on social media, would rather …show more content…
Social skills wither and grow by spending time online speaking to anyone one is able to come across. Technology is causing a different type of relationship to form, one that can only be labeled as a cyber friendship. Social networking is an industry with continuous growth and is affecting adolescents. The fact social media has caused for less and less in person interactions is a concern solely based on seeing people in person has a noticeably larger social benefit. Online interaction has not halted the formation of a bond, yet has decreased the passion felt between the two individuals. The meaning isn’t one cannot text a neighbor to address something quickly instead one simply cannot rely on the Internet for all social interactions. The decision lies with the parents of an adolescent, whether the emotional binding or the constant connection is the path the child should follow for
If the modern age of technology has caused a decline in face-to-face interactions, then has the time come to label this phenomenon an issue? Before the invention of telephones, one would need to walk to a neighbor’s house to converse. Today, the ability to text has eradicated the need for direct contact. Humans have communicated from long distance, or social networking for thousands of years. Tom Standage notes, in an excerpt of Social Media the First 2,000 Years, that since the mail system developed (dating back to even the Romans) individuals would send letters instead of commenting on each other’s statuses. Other forms of communication have been created throughout history and …show more content…
The Pew Research Center conducted a survey, in which a representative sample of 802 teens and parents was acquired. The study found 93% of the teenage participants have access to the Internet. Additionally, the survey found 78% of the teenagers had a cellphone. Of those with cellphones, 47% were smart phones, with access to the mobile web. These statistics determine a majority of teenagers have access to the Internet and a cellphone, which gives them the ability to maintain relationships with their friends at the click of a button. In a passage from the journal Child Youth & Care Forum, Betty-Ann Cyr, Stephen L. Berman and Megan L. Smith claim, “Technology is not interfering in development of relationships, but it does seem to cause a decrease in the quality of peer relationships.” Technology has not stopped the formation of bonds between peers, however seems to cause less of an emotional attachment to one another. Virtual relationships have proven much easier to maintain since fewer problems arise, and conflicts become notably easier to avoid. One does not feel the necessity to solve inter-relational conflicts on a deeper level. The ability to carry out less focused conversations with less substantial interaction has developed. Online media further effects romantic relationships, causing less passion between the two parties. A variety of people, fixated on social media, would rather …show more content…
Social skills wither and grow by spending time online speaking to anyone one is able to come across. Technology is causing a different type of relationship to form, one that can only be labeled as a cyber friendship. Social networking is an industry with continuous growth and is affecting adolescents. The fact social media has caused for less and less in person interactions is a concern solely based on seeing people in person has a noticeably larger social benefit. Online interaction has not halted the formation of a bond, yet has decreased the passion felt between the two individuals. The meaning isn’t one cannot text a neighbor to address something quickly instead one simply cannot rely on the Internet for all social interactions. The decision lies with the parents of an adolescent, whether the emotional binding or the constant connection is the path the child should follow for