How Does Social Media Affect Relationships?

Social media was created for the purpose of connecting others and helping old friends stay in touch. It was a new twist into networking and mingling with other people, but in a digital way. While social media was created to make people more integrated and communitive, in today’s society it has seem to have done the opposite. It has made our society less personal. Instead of taking the effort to genuinely get to know someone or deepen a relationship with a friend, we turn to social media to “learn” about someone and to “catch up” with an old friend. While social media has had many positive effects on our world, it has also brought about many downsides. As Sherry Turkle quotes in her book Reclaiming Conversation, “Technology enchants. It makes us forget what we know about life.” And I would …show more content…
I personally have been able to tell a difference in the relationships I have with someone who is heavily involved in social media and those who choose not to be overwhelmed by it. My friendships with those non-users are deeper, more relational, and all around better. I know that when I sit down to talk to them that I won’t be interrupted by them checking their cell phones or scrolling through Instagram. To have a conversation with someone and their full and undivided attention can really develop a trust and bond between two people. People are choosing to take the easier route by simply texting someone later. In the book mentioned above, Turkle quotes a senior in high school who stated that “what’s wrong with conversation is that it takes place in real time and you can’t control what you’re going to say”. This teenager has been influenced so much by social media that he finds it easier to not converse in real life because he doesn’t know how. People have become too uncomfortable with being uncomfortable and use technology to act as a buffer to avoid any social